Product Emotions versus Emotional Decisions

Many firms recognize that emotions matter, but they attempt to use emotions rather than provide emotions. Such firms attempt to get the consumer into an emotional state of mind, where the consumer makes an emotional decision to buy the product. This use (or misuse) of emotions is often what people think of when they say that marketers attempt to sell them what they don’t need.

People’s decisions are certainly affected by their emotions. Someone who is sad has been shown to be willing to spend more money on products than those who are not sad, because sadness causes people to want to change their circumstances.1

Our emotions can also be altered by our surroundings. Music influences our emotions and the energetic or sedate style of background music in advertising has been shown to affect our perceptions of products at purchase.2

Many decisions naturally involve emotion. A parent who is planning a family vacation to Disney World may feel anxiety over travel arrangements and financial costs, emotions surrounding the decision of whether to take the vacation. The emotions of the decision are generally quite different from those felt while using and experiencing the product. That parent will feel entirely different emotions while at Disney World, experiencing the joys of family fun and making memories that linger.

Emotional decisions are entirely different from emotions evoked by the product. The decision is in the past but the consequences remain for the long-term future. A frugal consumer may be delighted with the bargain she struck when replacing her car, but years later her emotions about the car will be less about the initial transaction and more about her experience with the vehicle.

Product emotions are ongoing, substantiated, and renewed with each product experience. Product emotions have the power to completely replace the range of emotions that surrounded the original purchase decision. Unlike emotions meant to provoke a quick sale—here today and gone tomorrow—product emotions are designed to endure for the lifetime of product use.