Introduction
Many organizations have embraced the art of advertising to capture the attention of consumers. Emotions account for more than half of the extent to which consumers are satisfied with various products. Trend assumed by firms is dependent on the emotional involvement of consumers. With current escalation in the adoption of the advertising strategy, uniqueness is inevitable if competitive advantage is to be enjoyed. There is an increment in number of similar services and products. Notably, consumers not only purchase products due to quality but the nature in which products respond to their deeper feelings.
Marketing strategies should incorporate the emotion aspect to be able to ensure salience as well as loyalty. Emotion determines loyalty and salience of brands. Process of identifying the target population is crucial since it helps determine kind of emotional approach to be used. R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company will be a case of reference in the essay. Scrutiny will be on a specific print advert known as If It Weren’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke.
Background Information
R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company is the second-largest in America. Even though the Tobacco industry is facing many challenges that are based on health, the company has been associated with long term success and profitability over the years. Winston Cigarettes is one of the company’s brands that had recorded eminent economic growth, especially before legal controls were introduced. The success of the brand can be attributed to effective print adverts that the company used. The company matched challenges to a substantial level and maintained its success to date. If It Weren’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke one of the adverts that have been celebrated over the years. It effectively considers element of emotion, thereby establishing a long term relationship with consumers.
Cool hunting cuts across emotional perspective and engages potential consumers in the process of purchase. If It Weren’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke, shows a modern woman smoking a cigarette. The advert was meant to target women who had been excluded from smoking by the social structures. Before this time, only men could smoke in society since it was a taboo for women. In this regard, the company was breaking some of the barriers in its process of cool hunting. Cool hunting can be defined as the identification of attractive business opportunities. Most of the men who smoked would share their experiences, which included women around them. Some of such experiences would be why it was a taboo for a woman to smoke. Continued issues and progress of gender equity programs are responsible for the incorporation of women into the world of smoking.
Society embraced the fact that women were just like men and could engage in similar activities. The modern period focused on bridging the gap between men and women. In this regard, gender equity programs in the modern period and men who raised such issues were the innovators. R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company was the adopter as it chose to act according to impulse stimulated by innovators. The process of assimilating women into smoking was gradual and not instant. There was a large group of women who were happy with recognition by the tobacco industry and embraced smoking whole heartedly. The large group represents early majority. As time progressed, more women started smoking and are defined as late majorities. There were later new women who started smoking as they were still afraid of how society would perceive them. Group of women who started smoking many years after smoking recognized women can be defined as laggards (Gladwell 12).
Emotional Branding
Emotion perspective shifts focus from external to internal agents. In spite of commoditization escalation, R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company embraces element of emotion in advertising. Consumers are perceived as people that the organization operates in. In this regard, the company has responsibility to treat its customers as partners who have made its success possible and achievable. The slogan in the advert could be of a woman who feels represented in the society by a particular brand. Winston cigarettes have thus boosted the self-esteem of women.
Further, the slogan depicts a woman who shares her experiences in service encounter with product. Focus is on the satisfaction that she met after use of the product. Print adverts have intensified on consumer involvement in the process of achieving set goals.
Emotion boosts the relationship between consumers and products. Since products are expected to fulfill the needs of consumers that cut across Element of trust is evident in the print advert. In spite of honesty, cigarettes instill a level of trust in consumers. For instance, the woman mentions that she would not be smoking were it not for Winston. The reason why the woman would not smoke any other cigarette is due to the level of trust she has established with Winston cigarette. The advert seems to transcend beyond quality to preference. The slogan proves that Winston cigarettes are not only of high quality but also of preference. In this regard, a woman could interpret that women prefer Winston cigarettes to other brands (Gobe 8).
Emotion consideration in adverts instills a sense of inspiration. Notably, the advert highlights the element of aspiration. Even though the brand is of a company that is well known, there is an extra effort in establishing intimacy with the target population. Not all brands that are known are loved. Some brands are disliked after they are known by consumers. The level at which products are loved by consumers is dependent on the emotional degree at which they identify with consumers. According to the advert, the woman is inspired by the product, as she says that she cannot smoke any other cigarette but Winston.
According to the advert, the element of personality of Winston cigarette is illustrated. As opposed to identity that is necessary for ensuring competitive advantage, personality assumes an emotional trait. Personality can be defined as how brand is emotionally likely to persuade a woman to smoke. The slogan illustrates emotional bond between the woman and cigarette, thus highlighting the satisfying personality of the cigarette. The advert goes beyond showing how the cigarette function to how one feels after smoking. Focus is on feeling that one develops after using this specific brand.
Aspect of feeling assumes emotional aspect while that of function is a strictly practical or physical bit. In this regard, the feeling was so intense for the woman until she said that it wasn’t for this particular brand she would not be smoking (Gobe 11). In addition to the physical presence of the advert, it also has to be emotionally present. The focus should be on targeting the emotion of the consumer and not only be seen or heard. The advert is emotionally present for target consumers who are women. Women are emotionally represented in many ways by the advert. The slogan depicts a statement of a woman who has experienced smoking Winston cigarettes for a significant period. We would not expect such a statement to come from a woman who has smoked Winston cigarette for the first time.
Emotion intensifies on dialogue that instills a sense of sharing. Products are modified in ways that satisfy the needs of consumers. Communication used in the advert is in the form of sharing hence, dialogue. The statement is made by a woman who is not just telling others what to do, but rather sharing her experiences with others. For instance, she does not discredit the fact that there could be others who use other brands but shares her opinion. It is evident that the woman has an established relationship with Winston cigarettes and not merely an encounter or service. Products should not focus on satisfying needs of consumers but establishing a long term relationship with them. A relationship entails representation of many emotions so that consumers feel identified and represented in the process of satisfying their goals (Richards, MarcRury, and Botterill 43).
Advertising is a comprehensive and effective process if implemented properly. It should be noted that there are various ways in which consumers get involved with products and services. There are those consumers that adopt a service soon after learning about it while others take a longer period. Despite the time a consumer chooses to encounter a particular brand, the emotion aspect is inevitable, if a long term relationship is to be established. R.J Reynolds Tobacco Company recognized the essence of emotional branding in advertising. If It Weren’t for Winston, I wouldn’t Smoke not only engaged women in smoking but maintained them in a long term manner.
In this regard, the brand has been able to withstand many challenges and remained successful all through. Adopters were crucial in the design process of the advert. For instance, this could be one of the reasons why the advert depicts the image of a woman. The slogan is catchy and inclines on emotion effectively. The advert thus meets all strategies postulated by Gladwell and Gobe. Print adverts should be designed in a way that connects emotionally with the public. Emotional communication is effective than any other form of branding.
Emotion approach intensifies on degree at which communication is effective. In this regard, parties involved interpret disseminated information in a clear manner, thus reduced instances of ambiguity. Emotion ensures that the process of communication is not distracted. Consumers acquire satisfaction only when brands identify with emotions. Branding and marketing of brands assume effective communication by embracing the emotional approach. Ambiguity is reduced since emotion unites involved parties, and there is more cohesion. As a result, emotion ensures connection between consumers and products.
How consumers make their decisions regarding their involvement with products is dependent on emotion. Scholars argue that the decision of a consumer is influenced more by emotion than brand awareness. Firms are adopting long term strategies that will foster loyalty. Notably, emotion intensifies on the long term relationships that develop between consumers and products. Focus is on incorporating emotion rather than rational approaches. According to many scholars, service encounter is dependent on emotion initiated in the heart and brain. In this regard, consumer actions are influenced by emotions involved more than knowledge of the brand. After consumers encounter services, positive or negative emotions are developed. The degree of emotion established determines whether consumers will establish a long term relationship with products or not.
It is impossible for consumers to make decisions without emotional reference. Emotion is essential in consideration level when consumers consider products to be purchased. During level of consideration, consumers do not have reason rationally. Branding and marketing approaches of most firms adopt emotion. Emotion guides the choices of consumers and is a competitive process. Brand loyalty shows that there are those products that consumer identify with more than others. Proper implementation of emotion is associated with long term of success of firms. Consumers are emotionally involved in the process of decision making. Emotion is, therefore, is incorporated in business strategies in a competitive manner. Firms that instill positive emotions are more competitive than those that do not.
Conclusion
Advertising is effective, and emotion intensifies on the success of any firm. Emotion promotes brand salience as well as loyalty. Branding and marketing strategies should be embedded in emotion. In the past, most firms inclined towards profitability and brand awareness. Emotional approach, however, seems to outdo pre-existing ideologies. Most consumers do not engage in purchase action due to brand awareness but rather an emotional connection. Emotion facilitates communication, thereby reducing the incidences of misinterpretation. It fosters long term strategies that are of more benefits to the firms rather than short term ones. Even though there are many factors that affect the success of firms, emotional perspective is of crucial importance as well. Emotional factors affect the success of firms directly and indirectly.
Works Cited
Gladwell, Malcolm. The Coolhunt. New York: New York Press, 1997. Print.
Gobe, Marc. Emotional Branding. New York: Allworth Press, 2002. Print.
Richards, Barry, Iain, MacRury, and Jackie, Botterill. The Dynamics of Advertising. Routledge: Routledge Press, 2000. Print.