Mediaboss Marketing

Using emotions for marketing comes with its share of risks. There's no predicting how the audience will perceive an appeal to emotion.

The biggest issue with using emotional marketing is that if it misfires, it could cause irreparable damage to a company's reputation. Social media outrage has made the marketing environment a minefield, especially for businesses trying to capitalize on causes.

Despite these risks, there have been several widely publicized, successful emotional marketing tactics in the recent past. Thirteen members of Forbes Communications Council delve into some of these emotional marketing campaigns and examine the factors that made them successful in such a volatile marketing environment.

Members share some of the most effective emotional marketing campaigns they've seen.

1. The Anti-Plastic Straw Movement

When we deploy marketing, we want our audience to act. That requires motivation. Take the Anti-Plastic Straw movement. It was struggling to gain traction with the facts about the Great Pacific garbage patch but once the video of the turtle with the straw in its nose was released, the visceral emotional impact caused outrage followed by action. Harness the anger and you'll have the action. - Patrick Ward, Rootstrap

2. Heineken's Worlds Apart

Heineken's Worlds Apart campaign was brilliant. The campaign promotes openness and explores how common ground can unite people. It's not about pushing your brand message but more about being invited in by consumers. Talk about something that's relevant and important to them. You need to take risks to build your brand. - Molly Biwer, Hallmark Cards

3. St. Jude's Hospital Marketing

Some of the most emotive and memorable marketing is for St. Jude's Hospital. It puts a face on incredibly important work in helping children facing severe health issues, shares their mission and reminds us that the families will never pay a penny. Showing their patients and hearing the testimonials of the family members is moving. We can all learn to develop our messaging with purpose. - Jeff Fleischman, Altimetrik

4. Geico's Hump Day

For emotional marketing, tear-jerking campaigns are impactful, but humor can provide just as memorable a message. Consider Geico's mega-hit Hump Day commercial and its star, a gregarious co-worker camel. The ad took a preexisting cultural catch phrase and presented it in a new way. Find those universal concepts, rethink how to express them and you, too, can have a "Hump Day" win on your hands. - Melissa Kandel, little word studio

5. ASPCA's Arms Of An Angel

The ASPCA's Arms of an Angel commercial hooked me long ago and they've been receiving my $18 donation for years now. The campaign was such an effective emotional message because it didn't shy away from the ugliness of the work they do; it included a very easily achievable request ($18/month donation); and it provided me with an orange rubber band that would trigger conversations with others. - Ryan George

6. Dollar Shave Club's Humorous Campaigns

When we think "emotional," heartfelt images come to mind. However, let's not forget some of the most effective marketing has come with laughter. This is where viral videos and campaigns can take off. The Dollar Shave Club campaignsare a brilliant example of this. Even Super Bowl ads lean on humor. Of course, this all depends on your brand and product. But there is something about well-crafted comedic marketing. - Shannon Bex, Vooks

7. #LikeAGirl From Always

The brand Always has outdone itself with their campaign #LikeAGirl. The campaign marvelously explored the feelings of its target audience to present its idea of stereotyping the term "like a girl." This shows how negative emotions can be a great deal of success in marketing campaigns if brands present them by involving the core audience in a real setting. - Haseeb Tariq, Fox.com

8. Wealthsimple's TV Ads

Wealthsimple's recent TV commercials strike an emotional chord. One featured a man working in a restaurant kitchen, shot documentary-style. You couldn't see his face, but you got a glimpse of a photograph of his wife and child -- the people he was working so hard to take care of. It was a great example of putting the customer at the center of their story, and showing rather than telling. - Amrita Gurney, crowdriff.com

9. Ram Trucks' God Made A Farmer

God Made A Farmer premiered at Super Bowl XLVII and Ram Trucks has continued to set the bar for emotional marketing; finding inspiration in real stories from real people and leaning into the power of brand storytelling and music to make their impact. The lesson being that there are living examples of your brand story already out in the world -- find them, tell them and celebrate whats real. - Wayne Leeloy, G7 Marketing

10. Samsung's Good Vibes App Campaign

Creatively use your services to help an underserved part of your client base and create a campaign around the solution. Samsung's ad for its Good Vibes app for deaf-blind persons is a good example of an emotional marketing campaign done right. Most of Samsung's consumers aren't part of the app's target market, but the campaign created an emotional appeal that rippled across their client base. - Karla Larraga, Champions School of Real Estate

11. Burger King's Day Without Whopper

I love Burger King's Day Without Whopper campaign to support McDonald's Children with Cancer Day promotion. Every Big Mac sold on this day goes to charity and it's pretty commendable for Burger King to help its competition's fundraising. The ad visual was extremely eye-catching. It was a great form of emotional marketing that was really well-executed and received a lot of positive publicity. - Lori McKnight, CSI STARS

12. Shelter's Animal-Friendly Policy Campaign

It's always good to look at your customers' interests outside of your product or service. I volunteer with a local nonprofit that provides shelter to those escaping abuse. Last year they ran a campaign focused on the shelters being animal-friendly. Donations increased significantly, and they've since incorporated more pet images in several outreach campaigns because of this shared interest. - Jonathan Bacon, SureCall

13. Pet Protection Agencies' Campaigns

Leveraging emotion in marketing can be tricky. When we try to leverage emotions that cause someone to be sad or angry, it is a fine line. I find that many pet protection agencies do a good job targeting the heartstrings of animal lovers. They are able to show something abysmal, but then show what can be accomplished with "your" support. The end result must lift us. - Heather MacLean, Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of New Brunswick

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13 Examples Of Effective Emotional Marketing (And What Your Business Can Learn From Them) - Forbes