The Art and Science of Emotional Engagement [Video]

Updated Dec. 24, 2020

Fun fact: Neuroimaging shows that when evaluating brands, consumers primarily use emotions rather than factual information. This is as true for brand-created content as it is for traditional advertising spots and banners.

We can see the power of emotional content at work in marketing that went viral. Nike’s What Are Girls Made of?, and Apple’s Misunderstood campaigns both spring to mind.

But we’ve also seen how emotional content can go terribly awry — like those sad ASPCA commercials with Sarah McLachlan or Peleton’s The Gift That Gives Back campaign.

For content creators, using emotion can be an incredibly powerful engagement tactic, but we must use it artfully. Let’s explore the science of emotion and how we can use it in an empathetic way to create more meaningful content.

Science of emotion

Emotional engagement is affected by scientific principles that directly impact content creation. Here are four key areas:

• Design
• Color
• Images
• Branding

Design

Designs often fall into patterns of sameness around …