Next Stop – Emotional Marketing 2.0
Do a Google search for “emotional marketing” and you’ll find a whole bunch of views on what it is and how to tap into it.
One of the best examples I’ve seen recently was the one put forward by Nick Desbarats at this weekend’s TEDx Ottawa event. Nick is one of the brains behind ChoiceBot and has some great ideas about how we make decisions, and how marketers can tap into that.
There’s no doubt that tapping into the heart and minds of customers is the Holy Grail for any marketer, and platforms like Nick’s are making it more of an exact science.
But imagine for a minute if we didn’t even need to make physical decisions – it was all captured subconsciously. This is where I feel what I call emotional marketing 2.0 has the ability to step in.
Emotion Isn’t a Choice
While there’s no doubt that the choices we make when presented with options gives marketers a clearer picture of what we want, it’s still semi-forced. By giving a limited amount of options, we’re saying to consumers they have to choose something from the path we’re placing them on.
The problem is, emotion isn’t a choice; instead, what we choose to do is based on emotion without limits and there’s a big difference.
The way we react to sounds; to images; to melodies; to voices; to stimulation – these are the emotional pre-actions that define where our actual emotions will take us next on the decision path. Not just choices to be ticked off, or eliminated by “Strongly Agree” to “Strongly Disagree” scales.
And this is where true emotional marketing 2.0 comes in.
Technology and Emotional Marketing 2.0
Consumer electronics giant Toshiba has released a series of laptops that work on face recognition software. Fellow Japanese company OKI has technology that allows increased cell phone security thanks to eye scanning software.
Imagine the possibilities if you combined the two.
Imagine browsing the web and adverts or pages open automatically because your eyes sparkle when you smile, and your eye and face scanning-enabled laptop has recognized the change in the emotional picture of your face. Once the page is opened, it continues to open other sub-pages automatically depending on where your eyes are focused and the reaction from the iris.
Without doing anything but look at the items that attract you, your emotional profile is building your marketing profile.
- Non-profits and charitable organizations can see whether you take action and donate from hard-hitting adverts or softer calls to action.
- Car manufacturers can see if you’re a speed freak or family guy.
- Food companies can see what foods make your mouth and eyes water and what ones make you grimace.
And these are just the basic ideas. Suddenly, every single advert and promotional web flyer is tailored to you and your needs. All from the simple knowledge of what makes you tick emotionally.
Is emotional marketing 2.0 a future pipe dream? Perhaps. But the basis of the technology is already there – all that’s missing is the emotion. And that’s where you come in.
Ready to let your emotions do the talking?
18 Responses to “Next Stop – Emotional Marketing 2.0”
If this existed already you’d be getting a report that said I was nodding, smiling and eagerly reading to the next line of the post. Cool concept for sure – it would be a wealth of data currently missing that’s for sure.
With the current touch screen, shake and tilt technology we have today (iPhone as an example), I don’t think we’re far off from collecting some kind of emotional read from customers.
I’m surprised someone hasn’t created an iPhone app that rates blog posts with a thumbs up or thumbs when the user tips the phone upside down or upside right.
.-= John Haydon´s most recent blog post …How Google’s Real Time Search Impacts Your Non-Profit (video) =-.That could be a really cool idea, John – would offer something that more people could relate to, as opposed to the standard Top 50 that seems to have the same names and topics all the time.
Plus it would be cool to use! They could even include audio:
Thumbs up = “Yay!”
Thumbs down = “Booo!”
.-= John Haydon´s most recent blog post …How Google’s Real Time Search Impacts Your Non-Profit (video) =-.
Marketers already have this ability. It’s called a focus group.
All these human emotions are pretty nebulous anyway. You’ll just end up with a lot of data you’ll have no idea what to do with.
Seriously, as a marketer do you really care about nuances of emotion? Or are you just wondering if something works or not?
You’re forgetting one important limitation. I don’t want my computer or phone to read my emotions. I’m guessing most people feel the same way.
And even if they did, what happens to that information? Do you need a special privacy policy on storing emotional reactions?
.-= Glen Kendell´s most recent blog post …The Tree People =-.Hi Glen,
Focus groups are notorious for offering skewed information. When you’re paid for an opinion, you don’t always offer the truth because you don’t want to miss out on future focus groups (and I say this as a marketer with more than 15 years experience of running focus groups as part of client projects).
And yes, if you’re a marketer and you don’t care what your customers (existing or targeted) think or feel, then you’re missing a very big point.
With regards the privacy issue, its like anything – permission and opt-in based. You don’t need to sign up for anything you don’t want to; there’s nothing different here.
Thanks for stopping by and sharing your views.
A friend used to work for the US Defense Dept.
One app they developed for pilots was the ability to shoot/hit a target just by looking at it. It worked by using the heat from the eyes and connecting its path to the target.
Something similar could be used for mobile apps, e.g. as your retina/corona expands and contracts based on your response to the page you’re viewing…
Ivan
Love that idea, Ivan – as someone who was entranced with the possibilities of Virtual Reality back in the 80′s, have a very soft spot for that.
Danny, as someone who is already concerned about the ubiquitousness of marketing, this type of technological advance is not good news, especially since it can be used surreptitiously. When do we (or did we) lose the ability to choose freely without covert persuasion? Where do we draw the line?
.-= Doug´s most recent blog post …Tiger Woods, Fallen Hero or Dirtbag? =-.We didn’t lose the choice, Doug – like any good marketing, it’s all opt-in and based on choice. You choose where to draw the line (much like your possible following of Tiger Woods the golfer over Tiger Woods the sportsman).
Danny, good marketers give us the choice. It’s the bad ones I’m concerned about.
If we were able to opt out then the world of commerce as we know it would come to a screeching halt; everyone would opt out of ads if they could. (Okay, not everyone – some people like ads.) The advertising model is built on getting into the audience’s face whether wanted or not. That’s why ads on TV and radio are often louder than regular programming.
We could go off-line, never watch television, never surf the net, never read a newspaper, never shop for anything (not even food). I suspect a marketer somewhere would figure out how to get to us.
I’m not anti-marketing. I’m anti-aggressive marketing, anti-ubiquitous marketing and anti-stealth marketing. It’s how emotion and stealth go so nicely together that has me most cynical.
(Climbing off soap box.)
.-= Doug´s most recent blog post …Tiger Deserves a Second Chance =-.I think that’s a “soap box” you’ll find most people on, Doug, and I agree with you 100% – it’s the good ones that will have the most success, and hopefully limit the bad ones to simply criticism.
Thanks Danny,
What would the world be like if we could still have interactions face to face, where emotions still were able to be played up. I thought your article was a great look at “emotional Marketing.” Thanks for the great post!
In our industry it is one of the biggest missing links. When someone buys online or through TV you never really get to see the look on their face when they find that perfect piece. To be able to capture that and learn from it would be invaluable. It is one of the biggest advantages of SM for our organization, we get to hear about the excitement of sales we are capable of being present for.
.-= Michael Schechter´s most recent blog post …Is the Tweet Generation the new Beat Generation? =-.