Emotional Branding: The Secret to Consumer Connection

The original purpose of a brand was for quick and easy recognition. In a time when consumers were largely illiterate, simple symbols represented what a tradesperson, shop, or establishment offered. The term "brand" originates from similar symbols branded on cattle to indicate ownership as large herds merged while being driven across the Midwestern plains to slaughterhouses in Chicago.

Brands are meant to go beyond the physical; they aim to reach our subconscious.

Over time, these symbols of recognition have evolved into more sophisticated representations, signifying much more than just the product and its owner.

Brands now extend beyond the physical product and the company behind it. They aim to tap into our subconscious and emotions, representing not just the product but also serving as a shortcut to everything the company wants the consumer to understand about it.

For example, buying a new car is different from buying a Porsche; giving your infant Calpol feels different from giving them paracetamol; and Aldi and Wholefoods are distinct despite both being grocery retailers.

However, while many brand owners are confident about what their brand stands for and communicates, consumers often have a different perspective.

Consumer experience should reflect what your brand stands for.

Your advertising and communications might clearly convey your brand’s message, and you may use top agencies to emotionally engage consumers and embed your brand in their subconscious. But does all this effort truly connect with the consumer’s experience of your brand?

Whatever claims you make about your brand and whatever values or ethics you associate with it, there should be elements in the consumer experience that reinforce these values.

Consumers experience your product as a series of moments—the packaging, product appearance, aroma, feel, and the experience of using it, including taste, feel, and aroma, and their experience after use.

Each of these moments elicits an emotional response, and all these responses combine to create an Emotional Journey. This journey is unique to your brand and forms the essence of your brand in the consumer’s mind.

The details of this journey differentiate your brand from its competitors.

If there is no element in this journey that reflects the values, ethics, and meaning of the brand, then there is no connection between the product experience and the branding.

In such cases, consumers struggle to believe in the brand and understand why it is different from others in the category. They see no reason to pay a premium for it.

Whether your brand is a food or beverage product, a consumer healthcare or homecare product, or even a pet food or pet-care product, it should always deliver an emotional experience that reflects your brand positioning and claims. Without this connection, much of your investment in creating and communicating these claims is wasted.

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Chris Lukehurst is a Director at The Marketing Clinic:

Understanding the connections between the consumer experience and emotional responses.

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