Emotional Branding and Marketing

            For a company to successfully market their product, they may choose to target a consumer’s emotions rather than display the features of said product. When a published ad is seen to be emotional or reflect happiness, it is normally shared more often than an ad that is not. One company that taps into emotion well is Coca Cola. The brand has always been centered around happiness and fun times and their marketing strategies over the years is visual proof of so. Their advertisements consist of people having good time and engaging with one another in a positive manner.

            One major move that Coca Cola made in 2013 was the idea of having people’s names printed on the bottles of coke. This “Share a Coke- Share a feeling” campaign proved to be a huge success. It was a new and creative way to implement emotion within their cans and bottles. People would want to purchase a bottle of coke simply because their own name would be on it. This allows Coke, as a brand, to connect with its own consumers while at the same time, helping their sales. This is reflective in the consumer as well. If an individual buys a bottle of coke for their sibling, they are doing it selflessly for their sibling and not just because it is a Coke product. The “Share a Coke” campaign also dominated social media through its own hashtag. All over social media were people sharing photos of themselves with bottles of Coke with their own names on it.

            Another move made by Coca Cola in order to trigger emotion was the Coca Cola Hug Machine. It was a machine that required a “hug” from the individual in order to receive a free Coke. It was seen as a way to promote happiness and relate it with the brand. Sometimes, two people would try to hug the machine at the same time, promoting the image of those two individuals connecting with each other. Since the first one, many more Hus Machines have been placed all around the world. Each machine asking the consumer to do different things, whether it is hugging, singing, or even dancing.

            When it comes to tapping into a consumer’s emotions, Coca Cola does it properly. They advertise based on happiness and find ways to relate to its consumers, whether it is through the use of the “Share a Coke” campaign or the Coca Cola Hug Machine.