Whether it is to announce a new product, maintain relevancy with consumers, spread a message, or persuade viewers, ads appeal to us in many different ways. Some use humor. Others go straight for the sympathy chord (I’m looking at you ASPCA). Still others try to provoke a response by using controversial material. Either way, advertisements (both print and television) have found interesting ways to connect with us on an emotional level.
A successful use of humor can be found in the eTrade “baby” commercials.
It’s a commercial that we discuss not for the product but for the laughs it produces. You may not know it, but eTrade’s name has been implanted into your subconscious through the use of a talking baby. A baby with attitude!
Often, hospitals use real stories to create an emotional connection with the audience. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital plays to our emotions by using actual patients in their ads.
This approach illustrates the human element in hospitals. Plus they must know these ads make us cry. Just a little. Stimulus Brand created a similar testimonial approach with a commercial created for Kennedy Health System.
Ads that use controversial approaches can ignite shock among viewers. But that is exactly what can make an ad successful. By creating an emotional response, the ad creates the conversation organically.
We all remember the GoDaddy.com ads. Pretty racy stuff. But that website sure generates a lot of traffic after an ad like this airs:
Another successful example is this McDonalds commercial. Its charm and simplicity creates a connection to the brand. You get caught up in the mystery of a baby’s cry and then it turns to joy. Then it turns back to a cry and then turns to joy again. Suddenly, you realize (from the baby’s point of view) that he is in a swing inside a house and every time he swings up to the window he sees the “golden arches.” As he swings down away from the window, he cries. So simple, memorable and emotional.
Another from the halls of classic Budweiser Clydesdale horse team commercials — the team travels across land, roadways and ultimately the Brooklyn Bridge to a broad view across from Ground Zero, where they ultimately stop, tilt their legs and bow their heads offering a moment of reverent silence. Emotional. Proud. And, it doesn’t hurt that it ties the Budweiser brand to all that is American.
There are all kinds. What are some ads that provoke emotional responses from you, good or bad?
-Jordyn Haas & Tom McManimon
