Communicate Using Emotional Appeal

There's a part in the movie, "What Women Want" (Paramount Pictures, 2000) where Helen Hunt and Mel Gibson are brainstorming, trying to come up with the right tag line for a woman's sneaker ad they've been asked to pitch by Nike. Mel's channeling the insights he's gained from having had the ability to read women's thoughts all week with Helen who is mentally putting herself in the mind and shoes of a working women out for her daily jog. Both characters are focusing their minds on what it feels like to be that hypothetical woman - What she wants in life. What the time away and the road she runs on actually mean to her. Helen searches her thoughts and then suddenly lands on the expression, "No Games. Just Sports."

I mention this movie because for me, it's this kind of inspiration and emotional honesty that make ads memorable. We all connect on a very human level with words and images that represent an understanding of who we are, our values and how we truly feel inside. There are many effective ads out there that take on different methods and approaches, such as the humorous and repetitive approach of the FreeCreditReport.com jingles. But for me, my favorite ones have always been those that successfully employ emotional appeal. Here are two classic examples that have proven to be extremely effective. I'll provide links to them for you to watch, and then explain why:

1. "When I Grow Up", Monster.com, 1999
The genius of this ad is that it taps into the very hopes and aspirations we all had as kids, contrasting that authentic optimism with the employment realities we now face as adults. Seeing ourselves represented as children saying things like:

"When I grow up, I want to file all day. I want to climb my way up to middle management…be replaced on a whim. I want to have a brown nose…be a yes man. Yes woman. Yes sir, coming sir…anything for a raise, sir. When I grow up, I want to be under appreciated…be paid less for doing the same job. I want to be forced into early retirement."

is sad and sobering. With this ad, Monster.com expanded its pool of prospective users by tapping into an audience of millions and millions of dissatisfied workers. Today, with jobless rates at record highs, and those holding jobs having to take less and fight hard to keep their jobs, this ad has never been more relevant. The fact that the ad has stood the test of time and is now as relevant as it was 10 years ago, is a testament to the honest creativity of its authors.

2. "Why We Fly", Boeing, 2007
In this ad, Boeing connects the mission of their company with natural and identifiable human curiosity. The ad is a retrospective pairing of childhood imagination with flashes of modern exploration. Using diverse, multicultural images they tie mankind together to demonstrate how their pursuits are the embodiment and fulfillment of our own curiosity. In the end, the ad positions Boeing as a company that moves us all forward. The point being that, with this kind of positive relationship established, why would any taxpayer want to oppose a $64 billion dollar purchase of the next generation of fighter aircraft?

Inspiring and memorable ads such as these effectively use emotional appeal to strike a chord with consumers and in-turn, make their companies profitable. Note that compared to the Boeing ad (which used a combination of dramatic music, visual imagery and dialog) the Monster.com ad is quite stripped down and yet equally appealing. The fact of the matter is that, no matter what size company or budget you have, whether you are communicating via television or simply by way of a brochure, emotional appeal is an extremely effective way to humanize your company and connect with your audience in a visceral way.