Dissertation

Dissertation Abstract

Emotions allow people to react accordingly to changes in their environment; originally their

primary function was to aid survival. In modern society the purpose of emotions has changed; they are key

to building both relationships and personality. Brands now recognise that building relationships with

consumers is crucial and, as a result, must strive to form emotional connections with their customers.

Brands are omnipresent, and in a saturated market it is paramount that they meet the wants and needs of their target consumers. Brand engagement with consumers is essential in maintaining presence in the competitive fashion market, and ensuring long-term brand loyalty. One brand who prove emotional branding can assist in the acquisition of a larger market share is Nike, a brand that repeatedly use archetypes and heroism to inspire consumers. Their success is demonstrated by their dominance in the sportswear market.

The main focus of my study was to delve into how emotional branding can be used to aid engagement, with an emphasis on the current fashion market.

Throughout the perspective dissertation, existing research was used to provide depth and meaning to the emotional branding techniques currently implemented and the affect on consumers. However, due to a limited number of resources in relation to fashion, primary research was conducted upon consumer opinions, and their subconscious reactions to emotional branding. This research utilised three key methods. An initial questionnaire was used to gain insight into consumer awareness of emotional branding, whilst providing quantitative data regarding brand loyalty. In addition, an experiment was undertaken monitoring consumers heart rate during two advertisements, one emotional and one non-emotional; the experiment results were quantified through the use of both interviews and observation.

A comparison between current theory surrounding this concept and the results of the primary research highlighted the significance of emotional branding on consumer engagement, loyalty and relationships. Case studies of brands implementing this method successfully reiterated the great potential of achieving positive emotional connections.

Dissertation Conclusion

The aim for the perspective dissertation was to 'To explore the relationship between

consumers and brands, subsequently outlining the connection between emotional

branding & brand loyalty and engagement'. Considering this research into emotional branding and its

use within the fashion industry including the expected growth with the use of emotional

technology, the suggestion that brands will continue needing to develop emotional connections

with their consumers to achieve higher brand engagement and loyalty is easily justifiable.

When investigating into emotional branding within fashion, the exploration was centred towards

engagement and loyalty. The use of secondary and primary research enabled the dissertation to gain

insight into the current and future state of engagement through emotive experiences. Du plessis’ opinion of

heuristic decision rules became strongly apparent through discussion with consumers, with many

consumers disclosing they are brand loyal, and purchase repeatedly from the same shop instead of

exploring other brands within the market. Non-conscious buying behaviour, as discussed in chapter 2.3,

described how consumers can become likely to repurchase products when satisfied with their initial purchase.

with evidence to prove consumers have strong loyalty to brands and products, the solution became clear, brands need to engage with consumers to cement this relationship in the future.

Monitoring and observing consumers whilst viewing emotional branding advertising strongly suggested a

correlation between an increase in heart rate and engagement. Research into engagement and emotions outlined the

increase of psychological changes including facial expressions and body language, along with more less obvious changes such as changes to heart rate. Of the consumers that viewed emotional content 80% experienced an increase in heart rate, giving

Strong indication that brands using emotional content are more engaging more with consumers. With emotions being discussed throughout this perspective dissertation, the evidence proved that building an emotional connection with consumers was key in increasing engagement and therefore loyalty. With 69% of respondents stating they would ‘be interested in finding out how emotional branding affects you and your buying behaviour’, consumers are expressing their interest in the area of emotional branding and are more likely to expect more direct and personalised methods of branding from fashion retailers.

Exploration of current emotional branding techniques being used by companies showed more traditional methods including logos, design and sensory experiences. However, investigation of more modern methods gave in-depth discussion of the use of technology to aid emotional branding, including brands being able to offer more personalised recommendations based emotional data and imagery (Szymanska & Maciejowska 2016). With technology also being used to measure consumes reactions to advertisements, emotional content is becoming imperative for companies to ensure maximum engagement from consumers. The implementation of these methods into fashion and retail is a development that is likely to be offered within upcoming years, with brands such as nike already using biometrics to promote engaging experiences.

‘Buying is an activity understood by economists. Shopping is a phenomenon of interest to anthropologists and sociologists.’ (Gobe, 2001)

The objectives of this research were explored in order of giving explanation of the emotional branding, how it relates to consumer engagement and loyalty, and methods of which emotional branding is being used currently and predicted in the future. The research was to focus on how this is being reflected in relation to the fashion industry, however with limited resources much of the information was explored through obtaining consumer opinions and much of the secondary research was simply to give indication of the potential use within fashion.

Research that has surfaced throughout gives strong indication that future consumer engagement and loyalty will be reliant on how brands are able to connect emotionally with consumers. fashion brands must be able to integrate emotions into their branding, as well as data collection and promotion. Consumers were the main motivation throughout this perspective dissertation, gaining extensive research into their opinions and changing attitudes towards emotional branding was vital. From the results acquired from the questionnaires and experiments, consumers have outlined their interest both verbally and psychologically with emotional branding.