It’s been an emotional time for marketers. No, I’m not talking about the John Lewis Christmas ad, but the current emphasis on human emotion that’s running through the agency industry.

It seems that the focus of many conversations has switched from data-driven return on investment (ROI) to a more human bias.

Delegates witnessed this trend at the recent B2B Marketing Conference on emotional engagement at the Royal Institute, where the theme was the importance of understanding people as much as brands and businesses.

Here are ten important issues raised on the day.

1. According to Chris Wilson, managing director of Earnest, buyers are people, and people are not rational beings. We will often make a subconscious decision and then construct a rational argument to fit, completely unaware that we are doing it. In fact, 90% of people will choose a brand they have already heard of. Building brand awareness in a B2B market, where buying cycles are often very long, is crucial.
2. Another theme form the day: marketing isn’t rocket science, but it is neuroscience. We feel first and think second. Any decision is made up of thousands of micro-decisions and a huge number of these will be sub-conscious. Therefore, longer-term campaigns that use concise and emotive messaging that appeals to our subconscious mind will be most effective. Adding an emotional context to your marketing will not just make your campaigns more touchy-feely, but make them more engaging and effective.
3. Darren Bolton, executive creative director of OgilvyOne dnx, talked about the four key emotions: happiness, sadness, fear and anger. Depending on your objective, these can be leveraged to drive engagement. Decide what you want your audience to feel and develop a campaign back from that feeling.

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