The Anatomy of Emotional Marketing

Martin Varley, our CEO, walked into the marketing office with five, hefty bags of English chocolate. This chocolate is a very hot commodity among the entire office, but Martin always brings the goodies to marketing (thank goodness).

After catching up for a minute, I told him that he has a special place in my heart for his constant supply of goodies and laughter. His immediate response was "I love buying people's emotions."

I projectile laughed because of his slightly contrite facial expressions, but it really made me think. "Martin doesn't have a special place in my heart because he is buying the marketing team and myself chocolate, rather, because he takes the time to show us he cares enough about us to spend his money on our beloved chocolate candy."

Let's look at this from a business perspective.

You've probably heard the old adage: "It's the thought that counts." This could not be any truer, especially in business.

When we take the time to show our customers that we value more than just their money and investment, we gain a special place in their hearts.

When it comes down to it, business is so much more than just a transaction; good business focuses on relationships with customers rather than the simple (yet easy) "You want our product? OK, here it is, see ya later!"

If you've been following the business buzz online, you most likely encountered the Social Media Today article "There Is No More B2B or B2C: There is Only Human to Human."

Marketing has shifted from the traditional "you need this" advertisements to the contemporary "this makes you feel…" scenarios. I am by no means an expert in the history of marketing, so I have yet to concoct a scientifically proven answer for this substantial shift in marketing over the past decade, but I do have a hunch…

The surge of entrepreneurship, propelled by the porous barriers for entering the market has been the ultimate catalyst to H2H. The more business-minded people there are in various industries, the less effective traditional marketing becomes. Business men and women involved in startups and SMBs are educated in business and marketing, so the transparency of "you need this because everyone will want to hang out with you," is increasingly evident.

It has become widely accepted that B2B and B2C marketing is now emotional rather than emotionless.

The time Martin has spent building a relationship with the employees in the office has created a friendly, happy environment in which we desire to produce terrific work. Our relationship with the CEO gives us the motivation to make him proud with our projects and daily tasks.