Emotional Branding. Campaigns that speak TO the heart.

One of the most important ways a brand comes to life is the way it impacts the lives of its customers. Emotional branding is a powerful way to build brand loyalty and gain customers who will return to your brand again and again.

Many brands have found success by connecting with their consumers on a deeper level. As a result, some have become the most well-known brands in the market place, such as Apple and Coca-Cola.

Here are a few other examples of companies that have recently created a huge impact on audiences using strong brand messaging to set the tone for the entire campaign.

Chrysler
Chrysler introduced a marketing campaign earlier this year using a Super Bowl commercial as a major component. Chrysler, one of the “Big Three” domestic automotive manufacturers, has seen sales plummet during the past decade and had to go into bankruptcy in order to re-establish itself in a global market. This caused severe layoffs and plant closings, contributing to Detroit’s depression.

This campaign set out to change the perception of Detroit and Chrysler. Using a cameo from Detroit native Eminem, this commercial cast a light of hopeful pride and even glitz onto the Motor City as a new Chrysler 200 drives past famous area landmarks. It shows Detroit as the great American metropolis it once was: A mecca of hardworking individuals who built the city and its assets on their own.

Chrysler’s campaign tagline, “Imported from Detroit” brings a huge sense of American pride to the shuttering city, as well as a push to buy domestic products. It truly speaks to an audience who has hope for the future of the city and industrial America. In addition to the commercial, the campaign also has a minisite, a Facebook page, apparel and a custom logo.
Although it was a brilliant campaign, do you feel it was worth Chrysler dishing out $9 million for just the commercial, even though the company needed a government bailout only two years ago?

Google Chrome
Google Chrome created a touching video campaign that highlighted some of life’s most emotional and heartfelt experiences and how people can share them across multiple media platforms. This campaign grabs the viewer’s attention with the way it connects to real-life situations using real people and events.

One ad spot called “Dear Sophie” is shown from a father’s perspective as he documents his daughter’s life through email, YouTube and other Web applications. It covers some of the milestones in life such as her birth, illnesses, birthdays and the first day of school.

Another spot from this campaign, called “It Gets Better,” shows the hardships gay and lesbian individuals go through in their lives. This spot really helps people deal with their daily struggles and be proud of the wonderful people they are as others share their experiences and give their support. This video has a corresponding website that helps promote a movement against hate and bullying.

The “Dear Sophie” video reached 169,000 views on YouTube just a few days after its release (it currently has more than 1,563,500) and was number one on Unruly Media’s Viral Video Chart during its debut. The “It Gets Better” video had more than 400,000 views within its first few days and currently has more than 1,140,000 views.

American Cancer Society
The American Cancer Society (ASC) has a truly moving integrated campaign called “More Birthdays.” ASC has always focused on the fight against cancer, but this campaign lets that message come through indirectly while focusing heavily on the joys and importance of continuing life with more birthdays.

More birthdays means another year the disease hasn’t prevailed, another victory for survival and a life with more celebrations. For the target audience of cancer patients or family members of patients, this campaign offers hope. It encourages people who are struggling and helps those fighting to see that cancer can be beaten.

The campaign features many components including a minisite with videos showing famous musicians such as Keith Urban and Justin Bieber singing “Happy Birthday” to honor the 11 million cancer survivors celebrating another year of life. Site users can even send birthday e-cards to loved ones and buy specially designed wrapping paper. Along with the minisite, ASC created print ads, TV commercials, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube pages.

So with these great examples, you may be wondering “how do I get my brand to appeal to my customers on a deep, emotional level?” This, of course, is easier said than done. Emotional branding is more difficult to develop than other types of marketing strategies. It requires deep consumer knowledge, research and compassion. It also requires experts in the branding industry to develop the concepts and ideas that will help create the messaging that can move your customers.

Tell us what you think of these campaigns and share what brands appeal to you emotionally.

About the author of this post::
Joe Cola, who sadly has no connection to the world famous brand, Coca-Cola, is a graphic designer at thunder::tech. When he isn't designing, Joe loves going to the zoo or the metroparks. He also considers himself a "dinosaur expert."