Emotional Branding Overview

Empowerment

In the traditional marketplace, marketers have capitalized on consumers' insecurities and anxieties by convincing them to buy their products or services that can supposedly resolve their worries. In this scenario, the consumers have felt powerless to change their lives on their own. However, empowerment marketing overthrows traditional marketing tactics, recasting the consumers as heroes who have the power to fulfill their lives. When a brand uses empowerment as marketing strategy, it helps consumers to boost their self-efficacy as well as self-esteem. While self-esteem reflects a person's belief about who he or she is, self-efficacy refers to the belief about his or her capability to perform specific tasks or achieve desirable outcomes.

In addition, consumers in the age of Internet can be empowered by their moderate control over brand direction to express their opinions. For instance, consumers engaged in co-creating virtual projects feel empowered and experience enjoyment. Co-creation allows customers to design products themselves, which rewards them with a sense of accomplishment (e.g., "I designed it myself"). Web bloggers also can feel empowered by expressing their observations about matters and issues important to them. Furthermore, the virtual brand community gives an opportunity for members to co-create value for themselves, other members, and the brand by sharing their interests in an interactive platform. As a place of information sharing, emotional support, and collective value creation, this community forms emotional bonds among its members and generates a feeling of empowerment among its members. The following companies have been successful in using empowerment as an emotional branding strategy.

Dove

Dove sells beauty products for both men and women of all different shapes, sizes and color. Reflecting its research finding that 69% of women are not confident about the way they look, the brand helps women view their body as a source of beauty and confidence (not anxiety), fostering their self-esteem and full potential. In 2017, Dove created, a "Real Beauty Productions", to commemorate 60 years of Dove for real women. The productions featured real women and did not digitally alter their appearance, with the goal of helping the next generation develop a positive relationship with their appearance. Also, the brand introduced a short film called "Dove Real Beauty Sketches" to explore the gap between how women perceive themselves and how others perceive them. This campaign has made a noticeable impact on the way modern women view beauty, and empowered women to feel comfortable in their own skin.

Nike

The empowerment campaign of Nike's "Just Do It" focuses on internal battles and determination that ultimately lead to heroism, further leading to consumer loyalty. Nike's advertising illustrates laziness, an attribute that resonates within many consumers. The brand advertises that loyalty with Nike will give the energy and motivation to overcome the laziness people may face on a daily basis. Once this is overcome, anything is possible. In this example, the viewer is the "hero". He or she is encouraged to buy Nike's products not only to be successful but also to be a part of something greater than himself or herself.

Timberland

No longer a pastime exclusively for children, coloring books have appealed to millennials around the world as an activity to relieve stress and reduce anxiety. Timberland has embraced and marketed this trend as a contributor to the mindful and creative community. Timberland collaborated with fashion blogger Erica Lavelanet and Marie Claire magazine, designing a four-page adult coloring book to promote the brand's new styles for its Spring 2016 collection. The adult book was available in the April issue of Marie Claire, at Timberland stores and on its website. Timberland customers were invited to co-create designs by coloring in illustrations and meeting with Lavelanet in person at select Timberland stores to customize the book. Furthermore, Timberland hosted coloring events at its stores in New York and Chicago. Timberland donated $20,0000 to make the movie "Hard Hatted Woman" which supported the company's goal to help people to be creative and break barriers. Clearly, Timberland has developed a creative way of empowering adults by incorporating co-creation on social media and through community involvement.