Traditional marketing is broken.
In a world saturated with visuals and noise, simply being seen isn’t enough.
Joseph Devlin, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience at UCL, nailed the issue in his recent speaking appearance at MAD//FEST 2024, saying: “Capturing people’s attention is only good if it then gets their emotional attachment and engagement. The emotion will lead to a better impression and leave a deeper memory. Then when you have that, it can influence consumer behaviour.”
Let’s dissect this…
Traditional marketing ads scream for attention, but what do they offer once they have it? A fleeting moment, a forgettable message. They lack depth, failing to connect on an emotional level. And that’s the crux of the problem. Attention without emotion is empty.
The illusion of visibility
Being seen is easy. Billboards, pop-ups, and commercials ensure visibility. But visibility without impact is wasted effort. Marketing bombards us, in fact, the average person sees around 10,000 ads per day, but how many do we actually remember? The cold, hard truth is that most fade into oblivion the moment they leave our sight.
Why?
Because they don’t make us feel anything. They don’t make us truly experience anything.
Image via Getty Images
Emotion: The missing ingredient
Devlin’s insight reveals a powerful truth: emotions are the key to lasting impressions. When an experience evokes emotion, it creates a memory. This memory lingers, influencing future decisions. Traditional marketing methods often fail because they neglect this experientially emotional dimension. They prioritise visibility over connection, forgetting that it’s not just about being seen—it’s about being felt.
From passive viewer to active engager
To break through the clutter, brands need to go beyond passive viewing. They need to engage, to resonate, to evoke. An experience that makes you laugh, create, cry, or think is an experience that sticks. It’s an experience of a brand that transforms a viewer into an advocate. Emotional engagement turns passive viewers into active participants in the brand’s story.
The emotional economy
In today’s marketplace, attention is currency, but emotion is wealth. Brands that master the art of emotional engagement are the ones that thrive. They understand that an emotionally engaged consumer is not just a customer, but a loyal fan. Traditional marketing methods and ads are transactions; emotionally engaging experiences are relationships.
Image: DesignScene, SXSW 2022
The way forward
So, what’s the solution?
It’s time to rethink marketing. Move beyond the superficial and dive into the emotional.
Brands need to craft messages that resonate on a deeper level, that create emotional bonds. This isn’t just good marketing—it’s essential marketing.Joseph Devlin’s words are a wake-up call: Capturing attention is not enough.
The future of marketing lies in creating connections that matter. It’s about crafting experiences that are felt, not just seen. It’s time to leave tradition in the past. Embrace the power of emotion. Create experiences that do more than just appear—create experiences that make a lasting impact.
Because in the end, it’s not just about being seen. It’s about being felt.
It’s about the experience.
