There are many types of emotional appeals but the eight most common are:
1) Transference
Transferring emotions from a concept or object to another concept or object.
2) The Product as Hero
This is the cousin to the product demonstration since it shows the product in use. But it uses emotional appeals rather than factual ones.
3) Glittering Generalities
Using vague adjectives loaded with positive emotional connotations to promote a product, person, or idea.
4) Slice of Life
Tell a real story about a real person with a real need. Then solve that need with your product, person, or idea.
5) The Spokesperson
Trust me .......
6) The Slogan
As Hitler noted in the previous section, slogans have enormous power. They can condense complex ideas into an easily remember phrase. And a memorable slogan can short cut critical thinking.
7) Name Calling
Make your product look good by making the other product look bad. Side by side product demonstrations are one way to do this.
8) The Bandwagon
Peer pressure applied to the marketplace of goods and ideas.
5) The Spokesperson
1) The Authority Figure
"9 out of 10 Doctors recommend" or, as in the ad to the right, "More Doctors Smoke Camels". Appeals to authority are powerful motivators, since no one wants to be wrong.
2) The Product User
Plain folk, just like us! If it worked for them, surely it will work for us. These ads are called testimonials.
3) The Celebrity
These ads fall into two categories, the Celebrity Authority (Tiger Woods, "Be Like Mike") and the Celebrity Spokesperson (Seinfeld for American Express.)
The Celebrity Authority is an expert in their field. Their acknowledged expertise adds impact to the ads. But the Celebrity Spokesperson ads is based on linkage, memory, and information processing. If we remember the celebrity, hopefully, we'll remember the product.
On rare occasions, like with Michael Jordan and Tiger Woods, a Celebrity Authority becomes so popular they become a Spokesperson for products not involving their sport. A current example is swimmer Michael Phelps.
"Like Tiger Woods, he is a corporate machine whose template was Michael Jordan: First, be untouchable; then, be unreachable; and, finally, sell, sell, sell."
Like the Celebrity Spokesperson, these ads are based on linkage, memory, and information processing. Some of our most beloved (and best remembered) ads involve fictional characters. Examples are Ronald McDonald, the Energizer Bunny, and the Budweiser Frogs.
These cartoon characters sneak out back for a smoke.
The spokesraisins below were so popular, they became a line of toys and made several television specials.
6) The Slogan
Slogans short cut thinking by substituting chants for facts. The stronger the slogan, the less need for information in the ad.
In the commercial below, a strong slogan is combined with a product demonstration to great effect - "Take it off. Take it all off."
Case Study - Charmin
Charmin bathroom tissue started with a USP - it felt softer on the roll - and a slogan, "Squeezeably soft". That evolved into a catch phrase, "Please don't squeeze the Charmin!"
These helped position the brand in the consumers' mind as a soft tissue and sales increased. The catch phrase became universally recognized, and Mr. Whipple became a much beloved fictional celebrity spokesperson.
There was a problem, though. Charmin may have felt soft on the role, but in use, the tissue felt rough. The "squeezeability" came from a manufacturing trick of trapping air between the layers of tissue on the roll. It was the air that made the tissue feel soft when rolled.
After trying Charmin, many consumers went back to their old tissues. Sales fell, and Charmin needed a new campaign to revive interest.
So, Mr. Whipple was brought out of retirement to revive interest in the brand and help position the "new" softer Charmin.
Mr. Whipple's comeback lasted only a year. He was replaced by dancing animated bears.
This points out a critical component of advertising. It's not enough to persuade people to make the first purchase. You must provide them with enough satisfaction to encourage a second (and third) purchase.
This technique is more common in political and ideological advertising than product advertising. You make yourself look better by making your competition look worse.
The danger, especially in advertising, is that viewers often can't remember which of the two products was better.
A week from now, will you remember the ad on the right is for Vicks or for Robatussin?
In politics, these are referred to as "negative" ads. Candidates use them because they work.
Perhaps the most famous name calling political ad linked nuclear war to a Presidential candidate, without ever naming the candidate. It used the technique of transference to make its negative point:
8) The Bandwagon
People are insecure about making a mistake, so they like to go with a winner. People like to be with the "in crowd." So they buy what's "hot" to reduce the chance of error.
Some examples of bandwagon slogans are:
"Pepsi, the choice of a generation"
"Choosy mothers choose Jiff" - combining bandwagon with an authority figure.
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