Emotion: Key 1 to a memorable brand

Pick a memory. Any memory. Have you got one? Great.

Now, think of where you were, when it happened, and what you saw, heard or even smelled. All that adds up to a feeling, the emotion that anchors that memory in your mind. Emotion isn’t just at the core of experience, it’s at the very heart of memorability. For better or worse, our feelings make deep, lasting impressions and influence our worldview.

Emotion isn’t just deep, it’s universal. Whether in Portugal, Zimbabwe, or Taiwan, people feel joy, curiosity or disappointment just the same. This shared human experience is invaluable for your brand. It allows you to connect personally with individuals and unite diverse audiences around a common feeling.

People gravitate more towards emotional brand experiences rather than purely functional ones. Think of the cafe that remembers your morning coffee order, the car that brings back memories of your dad driving you to school, or the bank that helped you buy your first home. The more emotion you bring to your category or product, the more likely it is to inspire lasting loyalty.

The most powerful, memorable brands are the ones that tap into genuine emotional connection.

Emotions are powerful, handle them with care. As a brand, you need to be clear about the specific feelings you want to evoke and the audience you want to reach. Whether it’s inspiring people to achieve their personal best, fostering a sense of belonging, or fueling creativity with tech, find your emotional North Star and stay aligned with it in your brand’s mission, vision, and values.

With a well-defined emotional target, you can effectively manage how to bring your brand to life and engage with the wider world and the cultural zeitgeist. Let your guiding principles lead as you embrace new stories, capture attention through activations, and create unforgettable experiences that draw people into your brand.

Identify your core emotion: This is the primary emotion your brand wants to evoke. You’ll need a deep understanding of your target audience and what drives their emotional responses, as well as what you can actually deliver.

Craft emotional stories: Develop narratives that resonate emotionally with your audience. Stories that evoke joy, nostalgia, inspiration, or empathy can create strong emotional bonds.

Design sensory experiences: Enhance the emotional experience through visual, auditory, and tactile elements. From physical environments to UX design, every sensory touchpoint should reinforce the desired emotion.

Engage in emotive content: Consistently communicate your brand’s emotional value through marketing, communications and brand-owned experiences. Align your brand voice and messaging with the emotional tone and personality you want to set.

Build a community: Foster a sense of belonging among your stakeholders by creating platforms for interaction and shared experiences. Encourage user-generated content and testimonials that highlight the emotional connection with your brand.

Monitor and adapt: Continuously measure emotional responses through feedback and data. Be ready to adapt your strategies to stay emotionally relevant in ever-changing tech and cultural landscapes.

Emotion is at the cornerstone of branding. It’s key to how you position and differentiate your brand and what you offer. It’s how you gain loyalty and reach the subconscious decision-making part of people’s minds.

So go out into the world, help people feel something, and become part of their most important memories. That’s how you’ll mean more to them in the moment, and long after.