Blog Post By: Emily Bangen, Baer Performance Marketing Intern
When creating an ad, you have to choose the type of appeal you want to use. Do you want the ad to be happy or sad? Do you want to have a spokesperson? Do you want it to contain facts and statistics? These are the questions you need to ask yourself when picking an appeal. In this post we are going to compare the pros and cons of using an informational appeal versus an emotional appeal.
Emotional Appeals:
Pro: Emotional appeals help to reach the audience on a different, psychological level. They’ll make a potential customer “feel something.” It can be helpful to connect with audiences like this because many purchasing decisions are, in fact, based on feelings and emotions.
Con: If it is not executed correctly, emotional appeals can push a customer away rather than draw them in. You must be very particular about how each element of the ad will make the customer feel. If the advertisement causes the emotions of anger or guilt, a viewer is less likely to purchase the product. They’ll find it difficult to connect with a company or product that makes them feel badly.
Informational Appeals:
Pro: Using an informational appeal is an effective way to explain your product to a viewer. It gives you the opportunity to highlight the features of the product and the benefits a consumer will receive when using the product. It is a good way to convince consumers your product is something they genuinely need and can use.
Con: Informative ads can come across as dull. If a consumer is not at all interested in hearing how a product works, it will undoubtedly bore them, and they will find no reason to continue listening to the benefits of the product. Narrow audience targeting is key for a campaign using this appeal.
As you can see, choosing the right type of ad appeal can be tricky. Be sure to consider product type, audience, and desired consumer response when considering your options.
