Assessing Advertisements via Facial Expressions: A Lab-based Comparison with Everyday Environments
The influence of emotions in advertising has been a topic of growing interest among researchers since the 1990s, and for good reason. A wealth of studies have demonstrated that emotions play a significant role in shaping consumer attitudes, attention, brand recall, and product perception.
One of the most notable effects of emotional advertising is its ability to create stronger, more positive brand attitudes. Consumers tend to make purchasing decisions based on feelings first and justify them later, meaning that emotional resonance builds a more favorable and lasting brand perception. This emotional connection also enhances trust and relevance, boosting brand value over time, even in sectors where decisions were traditionally viewed as rational, such as B2B.
Emotional content is also more effective at grabbing and maintaining consumer attention amid today's advertising clutter. With thousands of ads bombarding us daily, those that strike an emotional chord stand out more and are more likely to be noticed and engaged with. Emotions trigger deeper engagement compared to purely factual or logical advertising.
Moreover, emotional advertising improves recall since the brain is wired to remember *how something made us feel* rather than just the information presented. Emotional storytelling or evocative imagery makes the message more memorable, leading to higher brand recall.
Emotions also influence how products are perceived, enhancing appeal and shaping the consumer’s attitude toward the product’s value and desirability. Ads that create authentic emotional experiences—whether through storytelling that evokes empathy, happiness, or empowerment—can elevate how a product is seen. This can increase an audience’s intent to purchase or engage with the product.
Effective emotional ads balance connection and persuasion ethically, avoiding manipulative tactics while fostering genuine consumer-brand relationships. Emotional appeal is a key driver of advertising engagement metrics such as likes and shares, reflecting stronger consumer liking and connection with the ad content.
In sum, television commercials and other advertising formats that harness emotions effectively can significantly enhance consumer attention, recall, positive brand attitudes, and favorable product perceptions, thereby driving purchasing behavior and long-term brand equity. Emotions, it seems, are the key to the effectiveness of stories and storytelling in advertising.
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- Science has shown that emotional advertising can boost mental health and wellness by building stronger, more positive brand attitudes that foster trust and relevance, increasing brand value in both B2C and B2B sectors.
- Technology, such as social media platforms, allows emotional content to reach a wider audience, resulting in higher fitness-and-exercise engagement as people are more likely to share and participate in emotionally resonant fitness campaigns.
- The role of emotions in entertainment and sports advertising is also significant as they heighten the emotional connection with the brand, enhancing audience perception and boosting support for sports teams or movie franchises.
