Happiness sells — it’s a well-known fact in the advertising world, hence the abundance of commercials and marketing campaigns that evoke feelings of happiness.
Selling happiness is a delicate form of art, however. Do it right and ethically, and customers will form a deeper bond with your brand. Do it callously, and your message could come across as tone-deaf and insincere.
Newport’s digital marketing leader, CRISPx reveals why happiness as a selling point works and how you can apply this principle to your own marketing campaign. Let’s begin.
Happiness Is an Aspiration
The methods and targets may differ, but people have one thing in common: they seek happiness and satisfaction. No matter the station or status in life, your audience works towards these two emotions.
Brands that can craft a sincere message of happiness and incorporate that into their marketing campaigns will be at an advantage. Happiness is a magnet, and brands like Coca-Cola use it expertly.
The company’s “Open Happiness” campaign is a classic example of how to incorporate this positive energy into commercials. Launched in 2009, the campaign spanned print ads, billboards, TV commercials, an original animated world, and a pop song that sampled the beat of the iconic “happiness whistle.”
Coca-Cola’s Happiness campaign continued for the next decade, and each one featured fun things that promote positivity more than the product itself. The Coca-Cola Happiness Machine, for example, was a fun marketing gimmick that inspired true happiness in people who received free bottles, sunflowers, light-up shades, and a dog balloon.
This campaign grabbed attention and drew audiences thanks to its highly-positive vibe, and associated fun, excitement, and joy with the brand. Audiences around the world associated happiness with Coca-Cola as a result.
Sell Experiences
One reason why the Happiness campaign worked so well was that the brand focused on experiences, not the product.
Some brands make the mistake of creating a perceived need almost purely centered around the product. This is a wrong message to build your campaign on. Today’s audiences are discerning and won’t hesitate to call out brands that are callous in their messaging (tone-deaf) or appear to use such themes only because they’re popular (insincere).
Samsung’s “Be Together” campaign is a good example of selling experiences and not the product. The TV ad showed Samsung Galaxy users getting in touch with loved ones who are distant or cannot be home during the holidays. It showed families video-calling and friends toasting the new year together while physically apart. Samsung’s devices might have been instrumental in these get-togethers, but the story focused on the heartwarming experiences; the phones were rather treated as props.
Emotions Get People to Act
Using happiness as a theme for a campaign can be considered Emotional Marketing. It leverages strong emotions like anger, dismay, guilt, sadness, and happiness to get a reaction from audiences. This type of marketing may be more common for TV commercials, but it can also apply to digital marketing.
The taglines and text content of a website, for example, can focus on the rewards people can get if they use the product or service being promoted. Appeal to your audience’s emotions (this entails getting to know your target audience and their happiness goals) so that they will feel connected to your brand on a deeper level.
There’s more to learn about Emotional Marketing and how to “sell happiness” to the public. CRISPx, a digital marketing company in Newport that specializes in branding, can show you how these marketing strategies can benefit businesses.
Learn how we can leverage joy in your marketing and get in touch with us today.