Basic emotions such as joy, sadness and anger are universal in nature. Marketing and advertising are predominantly dependent on such emotions. The very nature of these fields depends more on emotion than on cold logic. Emotions are closely aligned to specific cultural aspects present in the environment. Researchers such as Zaltman and Plutchik have emphasised the need to use several degrees of emotion, taking the respective target segment into account. This article probes their usage with a focus on the shade and degree of positive emotions.
Happiness may be associated with a long-term positive frame of mind; joy may be viewed as a brief psychological elation and ecstasy as the ultimate peaking of consumption experience. The challenge for a brand is to use these variants in a judicious manner. Brand proposition, advertising creativity and consumer lifestyle preferences need to be examined before selecting one of these variants.
To illustrate the reflection of ecstasy in an advertisement we consider one of the advertisements of Bru. The advertisement starts with the husband coming back home after a game of tennis and asking for a cup of coffee. The wife is then shown to be enjoying the whole process of making coffee — inhaling its aroma, visually enjoying the richness and creaminess of the coffee being made — all the functional aspects of coffee are being communicated here. This is followed by the husband getting refreshed by sipping his cup of coffee. The wife also sips from her cup and then gets a brainwave — she softly moves a smaller cup towards her husband. Seeing the small cup amongst two large cups, the husband gets the message that his wife is expecting a child. The advertisement ends with the husband lifting his wife to mark his moment of ecstasy. Music that has been low-key till then eventually reaches a crescendo when the small cup is introduced — the crescendo adds impact and leads to a high note in step with the visuals. Depiction of ecstasy should be a culmination of events leading to it. This advertisement has a string of such events connecting sensual visuals associated with the coffee and aesthetic portrayal of the model.
Spontaneous moments of joy are best exemplified by the advertisements of Cadbury (moulded chocolates). From the advertisements of yesteryear that include the famous ‘Girl dancing in the cricket field' to the
Happiness as a state of mind may be observed in several advertisements of brands used by consumers on a variety of occasions. The stereotype of a housewife serves to effectively illustrate how such advertisements are conceptualised with the approach mentioned in this article. Dettol the floor cleaner is advertised with a housewife conveying the brand's utility of killing germs responsible for diseases. The brand thus contributes to the long-term well-being of the family. Horlicks' punch-line “taller, stronger, and sharper” associated with growing children makes use of a long-term proposition associated with growing children. Kellog's Iron Shakti (a variant of cornflakes) captures the happy moments of a family with the brand being a part of the family. Enjoying food in a family-oriented atmosphere is likely to appeal to most consumers irrespective of their demographics or psychographics. Options provided by financial companies to consumers, well-being advocated by brands (Britannia biscuits), and real estate brands suggesting eternal family happiness also seem to fall in the ‘happiness' category.
Marketers need to differentiate between shades of emotions based on the type of target segment. Take jewellery as an example. A brand such as Tanishq marketing its diamonds may like to portray almost ecstatic levels of feelings while projecting the exclusivity of its brand. The same Tanishq that is also into the Gold Plus range aimed at typical middle-class families may also focus on the collective happiness of the family in its advertisements.
While the article deals with different levels of similar emotions in a compartmentalised manner, the required level of emotion for a brand is left to the imagination of the brand manager given the marketing realities surrounding the brands. Advertisements that have emotions as a backdrop are not restricted to product categories. Sri Lankan Airlines came up with an ad campaign that includes an episode of a girl displaying warmth and compassion. The advertisement moves on to emphasise that Sri Lankan Airlines employs crew members having these traits innate in them. Portrayal of such advertising themes requires the right mix of appropriate positive emotions. From classics such as Roman Holiday and Doctor Zhivago to contemporary offerings such as Casino Royale and Taare Zameen Par , emotions have been instrumental in the success of films.
Exploring ways of employing emotions in marketing is as limitless as combining emotions.
Ramesh Kumar is Professor of Marketing at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
Shekar is Professor of Quantitative Methods and Information Systems, and teaches Creative Thinking at the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.