Marketing With Emotions
Marketing with Emotions
(To Play the Emotional Tune is the necessity of today’s marketing)
Sk.Faridullah
Deputy .Manager
ICFAI National College, Raipur, CG, India.
E-mail ID: faridullahgulf@gmail.com
To achieve higher success in marketing basic understanding of human psychology is required which has been realized by marketer. The concept of emotional marketing has helped marketer in understanding what attributes is to be added in their product and how it is to be communicated to the prospects. Consumer purchases product not because of the feature but because of benefits. It is all about winning mind of customers; it is about getting share in customers’ heart more than share in customers’ wallet.
“Attaching Emotional Value to a Product”
INTRODUCTION
Gone are the days when producers were regarded as king of the market, they use to decide which products were to be produced, size, color, features were decided by the producers as customers were concerned about the availability of the product due to nonexistence of alternatives, that era was producers era. Slowly scenario changed many producers came into the market and competition entered in the market, customers started getting choice and era of marketing started. Customers became the king of the market. Now producers started manufacturing product as per customers’ desire. Market was bombarded with n number of products. Each and every marketer started providing products with numerous features and gradually all the marketer continuing providing same type of product with similar features and same price. Marketer realized for survival they will have to change their marketing strategies.
Marketer realized that human beings are quite emotional in nature and they take their purchase decision emotionally, and if customers’ emotions are hit in right manner, they can get more loyal customers. There came a new model in marketing and that is emotional marketing.
NEED OF EMOTIONAL MARKETING ARISES
This concept has been followed by big corporate’ from decades. To achieve higher success in marketing basic understanding of human psychology is required which has been realized by marketer. This has helped marketer in understanding what attributes is to be added in their product and how it is to be communicated to the prospects. Customers buy products either to satisfy their needs or their desires. Marketers are inquisitive in knowing what motivates customer to purchase a product. For instance, customers aren’t buying Shampoo just to clean their hair but they are buying a now look for their hair. Car is not purchased only for transportation but for maintaining status. But if customers are considered as bundle of emotions that is completely imprudent thought and if well thought-out as only calculating machine that is also a failure.
Marketers add emotions in their appeal to entice their prospects. Just think about the last purchase you have made, for any product. What was concealed force that has compelled you to purchase that product, to check your purse, bank balance; it was emotion, was not it? You believe it or not but for making purchase decision some percentage of emotions are always involved. Emotion act as fuel in the engine of purchase decision process. Customers always put in logic behind every purchase and try to prove that he/she has made rational decision and emotion has not played any role, but the ultimate driver is the emotion which has played major role in final purchase decision, whether believed or not. Rationality is required but it just only generates interest in product, its emotion which ultimately leads customers to purchase. Customers are not much interested in attributes of the product; they want to know how that product suits their personality. It is not in the case of single customer, all customers behaves in same manner that’s why marketers always make their customers feel about product and services they provide. Customers purchases products emotionally and then rationalize their choice intellectually.
Marketers mostly follow concept of emotional marketing, they endeavor to include more emotions as emotional marketing is more profitable than rational marketing in many cases as emotional marketing is all about winning mind of customers, it is about getting share in customers heart more than share in customers wallet. Emotional marketing if strategically deployed can remove the rational questions which can take prospects to some other products.
Some marketers believe that if they provide value added products to the customers they will be able to close the deal but they fail miserably, as it does not ensue every time. Marketer should communicate their product as value driven emotions and utility oriented motive to obtain attention of customers. Customers do not always behave as calculating machine. They breathe, weep, enjoy and having a heart which drives with emotions, they always get attracted with the products which makes them feel and they get attached with the product emotionally. Now question is how customers take decision for purchasing product? How do they evaluate the product? What are different criteria they consider at the time of making decision?
EVALUATION CRITERIA OF CUSTOMERS
Consumers consciously or unconsciously evaluate products on several criteria, some of them are:
- Economical: Customers are interested in purchasing those products which are economical i.e. fits in their budget and make them to feel. For instance Bajaj Platina, Bajaj XCD always highlights that they are economical as well as stylish too, by these kinds of appeals they pull those customers whose psychological cost of paying for product reduces their excitement in that product. But there are some customers who are interested in paying high prices if it is worth paying and helps in maintaining their status.
- Technological: Customers are well informed nowadays. Customers are interested in product which possess additional features, can perform various functions and must be easier to deal with. They bargain on technological aspects while purchasing. These reasons compel marketers to fight in the battle field with extra features and ease of use.
- Pleasure: Consumers are interested in the products which can offer them pleasure after possessing it. Companies’ adjoin pleasure against the features and benefits of their products and at last deal gets closed with gladness.
For instance Raymond’s suiting in their appeal shows that owners feel pleasure while dressing themselves with Raymond suiting.
- Achievement: Human beings in this world desire for some or other achievements in their life and even they expect these achievements from the products which they purchase. Now question arises that how products can fulfill their desire of achievements? Marketer frames and communicates their message in such a manner that it encompasses the idea of achievement. Advertisement of Maruti 800 which showed that middle class customers get sense of achievement in their life after getting possession of Maruti 800.
- Status: Different income levels of customers’ shows different purchasing patterns to maintain their standard of living. Higher income group customers’ go for diamond, platinum, Mercedes to maintain their status. For them silver and gold are inferior goods but for middle class customers these are superior items.
Perception of customers behind purchasing any product that it should contribute to status even if customers spend small percentage of their income for that product. Detergent like Wheel which targets middle class customers communicates their message in very effective manner by using punch line “Manhgi wali dhuali budget mein samai”
- Style: Younger generations of today are much more inclined towards products which suit their style and to their looks, are preferred mostly. Celebrities are endorsed so that stylish look. Pulsar, Karizma, Glamour, Enticer are first choice of youngsters who believes in lavish and stylish life and these products themselves explain importance of style in the life of customers with respect to product.
- Security: Insurance products are best example of this criterion. Marketers appeal customers through fear in their messages. “Papa please yeh rakh lo” a father thinks about his future where his daughter is giving money for his fulfillment of his daily requirements and then he realizes importance of Insurance in life. This is the most important factor as customers are always interested in securing themselves.
- Belongingness: Human beings live in social groups. They want to confirm to their society, they feel humiliated if they don’t match. So they constantly try to stride for those products which balance their self esteem and membership in society. So products which raise their self-esteem and satisfy them emotionally are favored. Business people endeavor to fit their products with potential customer’s social group or personal identity. This can be elucidating with the instance of college students, they go for Laptops not only to get connected with the world but to make them selves fit in their friend circle.
- Self improvement: Human being shows their interest which can improve their personality and social status. For that they captivated them to books, internet and many other sources and due to all this major portion of population are heavily inclined towards internet. Even now customers ask for the website address of the companies, they evaluate companies authenticity on the basis of their website address. Big corporate and website designers are realizing importance of internet and taking it as a platform to communicate their message effectively. For more effective and efficient communication of message they have taken emotions as most important ingredient. Many websites designers are keeping these criteria in mind and working hard for emotion addition as many websites have seen big face of failure due to non inclusion of this factor in their websites.
STRATEGIC OPPORTUNITES FOR INCREASING MARKET SHARE
Business people are interested in adding more spices in their dish (message) to provide more flavors in their messages. Marketer can get more shares in customers’ heart as well as in wallet if they work hard on the following factors:
- Catching the attention of customers’
Countless strategic opportunities for drawing customers’ attention are there, some of them are:
- Benefits: Customers purchase products for benefits; it can be direct or indirect benefit. Direct benefit are very simple in nature, it is all about cause and effect. A lady joins English speaking classes to make herself comfortable to converse in English, this is direct benefit. Indirect benefits are that she will be able to make herself updated, to get herself fit in the society, she can help her kids also and many more. Marketers should give much more concern to the indirect benefits as it possesses strong emotional appeal.
- Features: Consumers purchases product not because of the feature but because of benefits. Features can attract customer attention towards product but it is benefit which finally closes the deal. Marketer offer different features in their product but finally those who can associate benefit with feature through impressive emotional appeal, becomes champion of the market.
- Affection: It a very powerful tool to build relationship with customers. This concept can be very well explained with the case of Cadbury’s celebration pack, in the advertisement they convey how one can show affection towards their beloved at the time of occasion like Diwali, Rakhabandhan etc. They have got success in changing people’s perception towards gifts which they give at the time of occasion to their near and dear ones. Now boys prefer Cadbury celebration pack over any other gift to present their sisters at the time of Rakhi.
- Free /Gift: This is the one of the most powerful tool for today’s marketer. Every one is interested in getting something free with the product they purchase. Nowadays customers ask retailers about the gift offered with the product which they are purchasing as preference is given those products with which gift is attached. Customers feel delighted when they receive product free of cost which they have never dreamed of like DVD player free with TV or while purchasing a refrigerator a trip to Singapore is given by the marketer.
- Effortless: We all are living in the era where maximum number of task can be performed with a simple click. Customers of today are interested in getting everything without performing anything. They are interested in those products where minimum or less energy is expended for the fulfillment of the task. For this take the example of Banks, previously banks were offering only limited services, customers use to stand in queue for hours for simple transaction, but now all the banks are offering n number of benefits to the customers like 24 hour ATM facility, internet banking, phone banking and many other. Now one can withdraw money very easily there is no need to stand in queue for long hours, funds can be transferred from one account to another, from one city to another country within a fraction of second. ICICI Bank in their promotional strategies highlights all their features of effortlessness (8-8 banking, internet, phone banking etc.) with full of emotions, that’s why now it is first preference of customers.
- Punch line: Companies nowadays put lots of efforts for creation of tagline. Punch line is combination of few words which conveys company visions and benefits. It helps in proper positioning of products and helps in informing distinct benefits within fraction of seconds. Few examples are: ICICI Prudential “We cover you at every step in life”, TATA Group “improving the quality of life”, Bajaj “Distinctly Ahead”, DLF “Building India”, Nestle “Good Food, Good Life” etc.
- Make prospects so much inquisitive so that they take action quickly
Customers generally purchase those products which they enjoy while purchasing so marketers should make efforts to make their customers laugh, they should add excitements in their offerings. Take the instance of shopping mall, nowadays shopping mall is increasing in numbers. Customers are much more fascinated towards malls as wide ranges of products are offered in malls (from pin to durable items) with lots of convenience. If marketer gets success in adding fun, enthusiasm, thrill and pleasure in their appeal they can compel their customers running in to their stores, if they do not get success they will have to wait for the prospect to walk towards their stores for months.
- Give satisfaction by providing benefits which has been promised.
Marketers emotionally appeal customers through love, fear, pride, joy and by many other ways. They always associate their products with customers feeling to make their product sellable in the market as customers are ultimate decider of their destiny. Customers will purchase products till products emotionally and rationally appeals to them but quality and service factors cannot be ignored because for the first time customer can purchase product by getting emotional but repeat purchase is not possible if customers gets dissatisfied with the product.
PITFALLS IN EMOTIONAL MARKETING
Emotional marketing provides many opportunities to marketer for facing and fighting competition with that there are some pitfalls associated with the opportunities, they are
- Expectation mismatch: Many a times firms believe that customers buy features alone. If a product is having extraordinary features and offer incomparable value to the customers, it may fail as customers always evaluate products benefits and features associated with others products.
- Appearance: This pitfall covers every aspect from infrastructure to reputation. If retailer is not having eye-catching location and if the product display is also not tremendous then how much beneficial and value added that product is, it will not be able to attract customers attention.
Retailers may not have control over location but he/she can get number of customers through their long year of service and relationship by that they can build reputation in the market.
- Employee-employer commitment: In today’s competitive era, business concern can survive through relationship marketing. Relationship can be developed only through front-line employee’s behavior and attitude towards customer. It is very important to understand how much employee is concerned in giving his best service to the customer. Many a time’s lack of commitment from both salesperson and employer destroys the rapport. A proper sales plan is required for achievement of goal which includes sales person training and sales target both in terms of quality and quantity. Every stakeholder should be emotionally committed to their plan then only ultimate objective i.e. winning heart of customers can be achieved.
CONCLUSION
Companies engrossed in sustaining in aggressive competition have to take emotional marketing as an opportunity to increase their market share, if not dealt properly it can become curse also. Repositioning in today’s era of competition is a tedious task as customer does not give second chance to the marketer for improving the product offered by the business firms. Effective deployment of emotional marketing can shift market challenger or market follower to the position of market leader.
REFERENCES
[2[ http://www.1000ventures.com/business_guide/marketing_emotional.html