Using human emotion as a conduit for connection in branding and advertising

Traditionally, advertising and marketing have been seen as ‘manipulative, deceptive, and evil’ — when commercials appear on television, people change the channel. When commercials come on the radio, people change the station to try and find music. In today’s world, the traditional model of advertising is dismissed by most consumers. There are underlying subconscious elements, however, that we cannot consciously see but can utilise within marketing and branding. The subconscious areas of the human mind can be leveraged in a way that evokes human emotion to effectively target and build a brand that consumers are proactively looking to engage with. With the introduction of social media, influencers and what I like to call ‘woke advertising’ brands are effectively using ‘emotion’ as a tool to connect with their target audience and not merely create new customers but create customers who are proactively connecting with that brand. It is this emotional connection that allows the brand to take on ‘human-like’ qualities within the eyes of the consumer and create a bond and connection that allow consumers to proactively engage with the brand and create a long-lasting emotional hook. This paper examines how the introduction of new technology and social media allows consumers to ‘talk back’ with brands and have dialogues that create an opportunity for brands to take on human-like characteristics.