What do your customers or consumers feel when they encounter your product or a marketing campaign about your brand? Is it the feeling you were hoping they would experience? Maybe it is a feeling of excitement or relief that they have found something that does exactly what they wanted or needed. What if they felt something beyond that? A deep emotional connection to the story behind the brand or the lifestyle the brand represents. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does, it can be magic.

An emotional connection to a brand will often be the leading influencer behind a purchasing decision. This doesn’t typically mean falling in love at first sight with a product on the shelf (although that is a possibility). The connection is developed over the actions of the brand, the message it delivers, and how the product is presented to consumers.

Have you ever seen an ad or marketing campaign and realized at the end that it didn’t even show or describe a specific product? You certainly have, but you may not have noticed. Odds are you knew exactly who they are and what they sell. If you were in their target audience, you probably felt something that you couldn’t explain. A connection to an interest or lifestyle; A spark of motivation to accomplish something great; A burning passion that you thought only you had. The experience you felt was emotional. That brand understands you, and for that, you will be loyal.

We live in a world full of innovation and incredible product design. Each trying to be better than the last or out-perform the competition. This is important to a point. Beyond that point comes the brands responsibility to help consumers discover why they should choose theirs over another that is so similar. A good products with a deep emotional connection will almost always beat out a great product that is disconnected from its audience.

I will ask the question again.. What do your customers or consumers feel when they encounter your brand? Is it the feeling you were hoping they would experience? Are you branding at the heart strings?