By Marcus Cooper, Business Director, Making Science
In a digital world overflowing with noise, the real challenge for brands isn’t being seen—it’s being felt. It’s no longer enough to create visually stunning campaigns or rely on familiar strategies like dynamic content tied to user behaviours—themes that have dominated discussions in the retail and e-commerce world for the past 18 months. The modern consumer demands more. They seek authenticity, emotional depth, and a sense of connection with the brands they choose to engage with. For brands that fail to deliver, the consequences are severe: disengaged audiences, eroded loyalty, and, ultimately, lost revenue.
The question has shifted from how to sell a product to why someone would buy it in the first place. To succeed, brands must align their content strategies with the emotional journeys of their audiences, using real-time data and AI to create personalised, emotionally engaging campaigns that resonate deeply.
The danger of generalised content
One of the most common missteps in content creation is a failure to focus. Many brands take a broad approach, designing campaigns that speak to “everyone” but connect with no one. This strategy often leads to missed opportunities and wasted resources.
Take the case of Adidas marketing its iconic Samba shoes. While the product might appeal to Gen Z trendsetters and middle-aged sports enthusiasts alike, a generic campaign risks alienating both groups. The key lies in understanding the unique emotional drivers behind each audience segment. Is it nostalgia for a design they loved growing up? A desire for comfort? Or an alignment with the brand’s cultural cachet? Without that understanding, the content lacks impact, and the brand loses revenue it could otherwise have captured.
From data to emotion: The new content imperative
To create emotionally engaging content, brands must tap into the power of real-time data and AI. Live data, which is increasingly available, doesn’t just reveal what customers are buying—it helps brands understand why. Tools that track emotional buying trends can identify behavioural patterns and provide insights into how content will resonate with audiences.
For example, imagine a customer looking at a scarf on a fashion retailer’s website. In the past, dynamic content might have simply followed up with a retargeted ad for the same scarf. Now, a more sophisticated approach considers the customer’s location, the season, and even their likely style preferences. Is this customer drawn to bold, statement colours, or are they more likely to gravitate toward muted, versatile tones? What footwear might they be interested in based on that scarf? With AI-driven solutions, the content can adapt in real-time to these insights, making the follow-up interactions not only relevant but also emotionally resonant.
Brands are also using AI to test campaigns before launch, simulating emotional responses from synthetic audience models. This ensures the content is not only visually appealing but also capable of evoking the desired reaction—be it excitement, nostalgia, or aspiration—before it ever reaches the public.
Crafting emotional connections: Balancing loyalty and new audiences
One of the biggest challenges for brands in content is striking the right balance between catering to loyal customers and attracting new ones. Emotional storytelling is a powerful tool in bridging this gap, allowing brands to weave narratives that appeal to both groups.
Consider Manchester City’s recent men’s mental health campaign. The campaign didn’t just aim to raise awareness about the football team—it sought to provoke a deep emotional response by pairing a shocking reality with a message of hope and solidarity. The result was a campaign that resonated across a wide spectrum of audiences, from loyal fans to new supporters.
Similarly, successful brands harness the power of emotions by collaborating with content creators who authentically resonate with their values. This goes beyond influencers looking to monetise their reach; it’s about tapping into passionate fans who genuinely connect with the brand’s ethos. These advocates share stories that feel organic and credible, creating an emotional bridge that invites both loyal followers and new audiences to engage deeply with the brand.
Measuring emotional impact and the future of content creation
Emotional impact isn’t just an abstract concept—it’s measurable, and it directly correlates with revenue. Metrics like video completion rates, engagement on social media, and even sentiment analysis in customer reviews can reveal how well a campaign is resonating.
For instance, when engagement drops—such as high abandon rates on a video ad—it’s a clear signal that the content isn’t hitting the mark. Brands can use these insights to refine their strategies in real-time. AI tools also allow marketers to map emotional responses to different aspects of a campaign, using spider graphs that visualise how factors like excitement, joy, or nostalgia drive customer behaviour.
The era of generic, one-size-fits-all content is over; to stay competitive, brands must leverage emotional storytelling powered by real-time data and AI. By prioritising authenticity through tactics like brand advocacy and crafting deeply resonant content, brands can foster trust, inspire loyalty, and build a community of true believers rather than fleeting buyers—all while reducing lost revenue. In a world where attention is fleeting, the brands that truly stand out are those that connect with the heart as much as they appeal to the wallet.
