It all started with a tear.
No, not from a breakup. Not even from chopping onions (though that’s a solid guess). It was a YouTube ad. Just a 90-second video by Google about two friends separated by a border, reunited through a search engine. And there I was—sobbing, hugging my laptop like it just proposed to me.
That’s when I realised: emotional marketing is no joke.
We live in an age where everyone’s attention span is shorter than a TikTok, and ads fly at us like mosquitoes in summer. But the ones that stick!The thoughts that linger in the quiet hours of the night or make us text our moms immediately. Those are the ones that hit us right in the feels.
Table of Contents
- Emotions: The Sneaky Salespeople of the Brain
- Why This Works (a.k.a. Your Brain is a Softie)
- Let’s Be Real: Not Every Emotion Works
- So How Do You Tap Into This Magic?
- Ending With a Heart (and Maybe a Hug)
Emotions: The Sneaky Salespeople of the Brain
Let me spill a little marketing tea: we think we’re rational buyers, but we’re really just walking with bundles of feelings. That phone you bought because of “specs”? Nah. It was because the ad made you feel like you’d finally be the main character in your own movie.
Science backs this up. Studies show we make decisions emotionally and then justify them logically. So when a brand makes us laugh, cry, or feel all warm and fuzzy inside—we’re hooked.
Dove – Real Beauty Campaign
Dove didn’t scream “Our soap is soapier!” Instead, they showed real women talking about self-image and beauty. The result? Goosebumps, Tears and a sudden urge to go buy some soap that believes in you.