i was watching a BMW commercial the other day (they do a fantastic job tying emotions into their ads.) same thing… they created a vision full of emotional appeal without saying squat about the features of the car.

however, i don't think they're necessarily trying to create disenchantment with current products (homes, cars, whatever)… i think, for the most part, that's already present in a person's mind to some degree.

as people, we tend to have a “grass is greener on the other side” point-of-view of things (”i could of, i should of”) that comes from the fact we're emotional creatures and, i don't care who you are, you've probably got low self-esteem somewhere in your life.

this isn't the fault of marketers. it's simply how we're hardwired (and why the self-help yahoos make bank).

i believe it's copywriter john carlton who sits down and imagines that he's writing to some fat lazy slob, sitting in a reclining chair, glued to the football game with a six-pack, potato chip bag and remote control at his fingertips.

why does he write to this person? because that person, no matter how many facts and figures you throw at him, he is not going to move out of his chair. probably won't even listen.

to make this guy move you have to appeal to him at an emotional level he understands… like telling him the cast of “Girls Next Door” are giving away free Harley-Davidson's right outside his door. he'll move for that.

now, i realize this could be read as a rather bleak outlook on humanity but it's not… emotions are our driving force. they are how we seek to connect with people. my friends aren't my friends because they were a logical decision… but because of some emotional connection we made.

frankly, it's how we really think (in emotions). think back to when you were a kid and the first time you rode a roller coaster… you remember the fear and exhiliration more than the number of seats the car had.

people seek out emotional connections… whether it be to other people, or to products. and marketers try to create those connections.

for marketers, emotions are a direct path of least resistance to another person's “get up and go.”

now, there are definitly unethical businesses out there that promise the moon but deliver cheese… that ain't cool and i hope they keel over and die. that's my emotions talking

wow… i've really wandered on this comment so let me bring it all back around.

emotions transcend anything we could ever hope to describe in language and figures. if you're leaving emotion out of your marketing then you're performing at 1/100th of what you could really be doing.

The emotional appeal to get people disenchanted with their own home is what starts the engine.

Consider this: Who are the world's best home marketers?

Easy: Home builders!

What is their primary method of engaging eye balls and luring people into their ads?

Beautiful people looking happy!

Many of the ads don't feature the homes but the “shiny, happy people”

Emotional appeal first.

Then, perhaps they'll add a logical appeal as a 2nd or 3rd punch (”reduced price” or “no closing fees”)

Good stuff though Mark, I even cut/copied a part to text msg remind myself once a month to help me keep my marketing on the E-appeal (so hard for numbers minded guys like me!)