"The Emotional Quotient"
Bonding with the consumer through an appeal to the heart, not just the head, helps set one's brand apart.

By DIANNE M. POGODA
Correspondent of WWD

As anyone who has ever become misty-eyed watching those touchy-feely commercials for the telephone company can attest, emotion can be a powerful sales motivator.

Brands that recognize this and appeal to the emotional core in consumers will do best, according to marketing experts. Why this is happening now, say observers, is that consumers are bombarded with information and product overload-there's just too much from which to choose. So marketers have to differentiate themselves in some way. Instead of hitting consumers over the head with price or other, perhaps more practical issues, some companies have chosen to take a passionate approach.

"Emotional branding is a concept that should apply to companies in the apparel industry, but unfortunately most manufacturers are still playing catch-up when it comes to this area." said Sydney Brooks, a marketing consultant and principal of Brooks Associates here.

For a snapshot of the success of emotional branding, Brooks said, look at some companies that have led the way. One prime example is AT&T. "When they told us to 'Reach out and touch someone,' they really touched us. That's the secret of emotional branding. The manufacturer is helping customers bond with its brand-not necessarily one item-by touching some part of them. Nike;s campaign of 'Just do it' doesn't say, 'Buy our sneakers.' It connects with consumers on a level that says, 'Take that step to start a healthy exercise program,' Nike makes you think about it as a total brand, not as a sneaker maker."

Brooks said the key is to make the consumer feel excited, happy, passionate, even nostalgic. "The most successful campaigns are those that manipulate our feelings. This is often done on TV, through visual imagery." she said. The ads don't have to make people blubber, but they do need to strike some chord, she added, citing Donna Karan, which scored a few years ago with its campaign of a woman running for president. "It showed that Karan understands the hectic schedule of today's very busy working woman," Brooks said. "More recently, Karan has shown women of all ages wearing her clothes. That's a good message: that these clothes are not just for the very young; that women can be beautiful and stylish at any age."

Gap's recent TV ads for khakis featuring young people dancing to swing music are "brilliant," she said. Like the Nike concept, "They don't say, 'Buy our khakis.' They point out this great moment with kids having fun, dancing...and by the way, you can do it in a pair of khakis.

"But these examples in the apparel business are few and far between," she continued. "Manufacturers tend to rely on a picture if a pretty garment or a price point. They need a more complex strategy to separate themselves from the information overload out there. There are so many labels in the market, makers need something that makes her choose to buy one brand over another.

Cause-related marketing is another avenue of emotional branding, Brooks said. "It helps a manufacturer ingratiate itself in the community, do a lot of good, and lets people know they are interested in more than just selling a product. When passions surge, the emotions take over."

Judith E. Glaser, president of the consulting firm Benchmark Communications, with offices here and in Boston, said companies that choose the emotional route must have a consistent message throughout all their contacts with customers, trade as well as retail. "The whole organization needs to realize the importance of the brand and building the emotional bond with the consumer, whether the customer service aspects, direct sales or retail sale associates."

"Nike salespeople at retail know, for example, the stories and personalities behind each product, how the product was developed, why it is the sneaker their customer should buy," she added. "Nike created an aspirational brand. Realizing that its core customer was the real athlete, it marketed to these people and captured the wannabe athletes, too.

"The best brands make you feel like you become better by owning them," she continued "That is a very powerful message to communicate. Glaser cited Donna Karan as an "excellent example" of an apparel company that understands the emotional quotient. "Donna's message is that you feel like you have a greater power as a woman, a greater sensuality, femininity. She gives you the feeling that she understands every part of a woman;s body, and by wearing her clothes, the imperfections fade away.

Glaser said brands that speak to personal power, not authoritative power, were the ones that would prosper. Other apparel houses that have successfully executed emotional branding by creating a personality, she said, are Prada and Tommy Hilfiger. "Tommy's campaigns are brilliant in that they market a product to the masses, yet speak to the individual," Glaser said.