You’ve heard it before, but here it is again…All buying decisions are made based on the desire to satisfy one or more emotional needs, real or perceived. And those emotional purchasing decisions are then justified based on logical reasons for the purchase, either verbally and consciously, or subconsciously.
Here is a simple breakdown and example.
Situation: A fashionable designer article of clothing is on sale.
Possible Emotional Need Fulfillment: If I wear this I will feel:
• Younger
• More attractive
• More successful
• Smarter
• Worthy of respect
• Special and above average
Possible Logical Justifications:
• It’s on sale and I will save money (the logical side of the “greed” emotion)
• It’s limited in quantity and/or sizes so I better get it while I can (the logical side of the “fear of loss” emotion)
• I deserve this after all the extra time I have put in (the logical side of the “status,” “vanity,” or “ego” emotion)
• Everybody has one in my department, trade, profession, group, school, etc. (the logical side of the “status”, “need for approval”, or “fear of embarrassment” emotion)
And the best advertisers, retailers, merchandisers, brand managers and sales people will tap into these emotions and support them with these quasi logical justifications at every opportunity.
Just listen to the top sales people at cosmetic counters, jewelry stores, wedding dress boutiques and men’s’ suit stores. They are well trained to balance every presentation, feature-benefit analysis and close with emotional appeal and logical justifications. It’s what makes the retail world go round and the cash register ring.
So what are the emotional drivers? There have been three primary lists tested and published by various credible sources, including behavioral psychologists, sociologists, cultural anthropologists, advertising experts and the like. Here are the three primary groupings:
1.
• Love
• Fear of loss
• Ego
• Status
• Fear of embarrassment
• Vanity
• Power
• Respect
2.
• To be wealthy and powerful
• To be attractive and desirable
• To be youthful and healthy
3.
• Fear
• Exclusivity
• Guilt
• Greed
• Need for approval
As you study these different lists, you will see that many of the emotions are the same, just worded differently, so you can make a single list of five groupings that encompasses all of the identified and recognized emotional drivers. You will also notice that many of the emotional drivers are shared among groups or strings of emotions as they may share common feelings.
In other words the human subconscious mind may not clearly distinguish between the feeling of a “fear of loss” vs. “fear of embarrassment” they simply feel “fear”. And do we seek “wealth” in terms of piles of cash for its own sake, or do we really seek “power”, “respect” and “status”?
The human emotions have a lot of gray area, and they share components and attributes one with another. There is much overlap and cross fertilization in the human mind when it comes to emotions, which is why we often can’t explain why we feel a certain way, or even what exactly we are feeling. Hence the often confused state of mind.
I have grouped the primary needs emotions into these “five emotional strings” to allow the advertising creative and copy the flexibility to hit on the emotions, while allowing the individual to define and feel the emotion as it pertains to them and their needs:
• Wealth, power, greed, respect, status
• Exclusivity, ego, vanity, need for approval, respect, status
• Attractive, desirable, need for approval, love, fear of embarrassment
• Fear, fear of embarrassment, fear of loss
• Youthful, healthy, attractive, desirable, need for approval, love, fear of embarrassment, fear of loss
I believe that "greed" is not really a stand-alone emotion at all, but rather a mix of emotions, including "fear of loss" and the desire to be "attractive" or "desirable" through "wealth", "status" and "power". Greed and the accumulation of stuff and/or wealth may also be a primary driver to be worthy of "love" in a rather round-about way.
Also note, that the emotion of "fear of the unknown" is one of the top reasons to create a powerful name and brand recognition in the mind of the market. People are almost always fearful of the unknown product or brand, and therefore buy what they are familiar with. So use consistent and regular advertising and branding to make yours a familiar name, and a comfortable choice. That is what it all boils down to.
Have fun with this, and if you need any help or have question, contact Duane Sprague at duanesprague@gmail.com
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