For issue #2 of The Fine Line newsletter, we asked Brand Strategist and Creative Diana Caplinska for her advice on gaining (and keeping) consumer trust.
She also shares her thoughts on how marketers push the limits with emotional triggers. Read the full interview below.
Marketers work hard to compete for consumers’ attention. How much do we deviate from the truth to win?
I wouldn’t say that marketers deviate from the truth, but we do use emotional triggers, often subconscious ones, to make consumers act a certain way.
Why emotional triggers?
Well, because rational marketing …
- is set in stone, with no room for deviation – e.g. a toothpaste ad using the claim “Your teeth up to 3 shades whiter”
- is already optimized to the moon – e.g. notice how I used the words “up to”? But you’re still remembering the number 3. That’s intentional.
- simply doesn’t work
Emotional campaigns are proven to be 2X more efficient at driving market share growth than rational ones.
And before you say, “How about combined campaigns”, yes, that’s twice as efficient as combined campaigns. (Source: Binet & Field, IPA: The Long and Short of It)
At what points are these emotional triggers used? What should we watch out for?
All marketing, regardless of the product category, seeks to shift customers through three stages:
- Admit the problem
- Realize the solution
- Choose the product
Is there a specific industry where emotional triggers can have big consequences?
Since we’re talking about regulated industries, there’s nothing that is (or should be) more regulated than political advertising.
After all, it’s not every day the entire country actively reviews your claims and where you got the money for the ad.
I think you can guess which campaign I am talking about here …
Talk us through how Brexit used emotional triggers to convince a nation
The Brexit campaign moved customers through those three stages I mentioned earlier:
- Admit the problem: Socio-economic problems and fractured society
- Solution: Take back control
- Product: Brexit
The problem was probably real. But how acute was it to an average voter?
Isn’t that, to some extent, a problem of every nation, always? Did an entire nation actively care enough about it to trigger a referendum? Unlikely.
The issue was actually agitated (and likely increased) by the political advertising campaigns and the press that amplified them.
Was it the “right” solution?
It’s always easier to put the blame on an external “enemy” instead of taking a good look in the mirror. It’s convenient, as it requires no further action from the individual.
Humans are creatures of comfort. Even if we’re smart, we’re also tired. We want to believe there’s a “hack”. It’s the same in the world of consumer goods. They got your problem right, but is that the right solution? It’s the “diet pill vs gym” choice. Think carefully.
Diana Caplinska
Finally, every brand tracks consumer response to statements like “This is a brand for me”. Brands will typically use marketing that triggers warm positive emotions to get you there, like nostalgia, hope, and humor.
In B2B, it’s more likely to be sarcasm or irony. That’s what makes you part with more money than you planned.
What triggers did the Brexit campaign use?
Brexit used patriotism, defiance, and autonomy. Also strong positive triggers, surprisingly. Most of us just aren’t sufficiently self-aware to identify this sort of influence.
How can Marketers in regulated industries create campaigns that are effective but genuine?
Start with your brand and what you stand for – genuinely.
Many people (even marketers) think brand values are “fluffy”. That’s because most of the time they’re generic and vanilla.
But if you’ve ever tried to sit down and write YOUR personal brand values, you would know they quickly get specific – based on your morals, boundaries, and motivations.
You would be able to say, “I made this big life decision because the alternative choice would have contradicted my values.”
If you can get to that level with your brand and ensure every campaign follows those values, you’re halfway there. It will be genuine.
And how do you make those values effective?
Tone of voice is the simplest trick. Your values will tell you what TOV you want your brand to have.
Are you …
- Serious or playful?
- For the specialists or for the masses?
- A provocateur or an empathetic supporter?
Your claim will sound completely different for each of the above.
How can brands regain consumer trust?
If a fail has already happened, it can be a long journey back to the top, depending on the severity of the proverbial crime.
Sometimes simply letting the news cycle pass does the trick. Otherwise, you need:
- Direct and specific accountability (none of this “we were saddened to hear some customers were not happy” business)
- Clear next steps and frequent reporting on improvement
Who should shoulder the responsibility?
Usually, a mistake of this nature doesn’t sit with the junior designer or even the approver of the ad. It sits with the C-level.
It’s symptomatic of a company-wide dysfunction. If a problem took place, rules, processes, and working structures are lacking. Address this from the top, not the bottom.
Can you give us an example of how you play with creativity in a regulated industry?
I recently worked with Divly, a company providing crypto tax accounting to well … everyone who has crypto.
The problem is that very few people know that they actually have to declare their gains, due to recent changes in legislation.
Are you going to be a bore about it?
Be the savior?
Or stay playful and true to your brand, even when there’s nothing more serious (and, as of now, regulated) than money and … accountants?
We went with “Find us before the tax authority finds you”.
It would have sounded threatening had the mascot not been a friendly bird. But it sounded cheeky instead.
So, where’s the line when using emotional triggers?
Marketers have to rely on emotional triggers in order to be seen, remembered, and chosen.
Is it a deviation from the truth?
I like to think of it, and of the entire marketing profession, as finding a clever new argument. What’s the insight that will change the rules of the game? What do people want to escape from, but they don’t know how?
People vote voluntarily with their wallets, after all. And as much as they hate to be sold to, they love to buy.
Most don’t buy a Mac for its tech specifications but for its affiliation with the creative class and distance from stuffy workplace cultures.
It’s not an overpriced laptop. It’s a communication of your identity (and later on, just something you’re now used to).
