The Positive Effect Animals Have on Marketing.
You wouldn’t have stumbled upon this post if you didn’t agree that animals are just straight-up adorable. So, now that we agree, let’s dive into how these cute and lovable creatures can have a positive effect on your marketing.
The Emotional Connection –
Advertising isn’t always about why this product is good for you, instead, it’s often about the emotional connection someone makes when using that product. Let’s take women’s fashion as an example. When a woman flips through the pages of Vogue, she is emotionally shopping for garments and accessories that make the model look and feel like a million bucks so she can also feel like $,$$$,$$$.
But how does this emotional connection work with animals in advertising? Let’s think about how an adorable soft and fluffy puppy makes you feel. Even without a visual aid, the above description alone may have left you with a warm, fuzzy, and exciting feeling. Good advertising will take that emotion you feel and use it to make their product feel a certain way.
For example, let’s take a look at Cottonelle and their use of incorporating an adorable and cuddly puppy into their marketing. You wouldn’t want to wipe your tush with anything other than the softest materials available, would you? Now think about petting that adorable puppy, is he soft? See the connection they just made there?
Brand Recognition –
Not all animals in advertising are used for their emotional appeal though. In a crowded marketplace, being recognizable and memorable is essential. And one way to do so is utilizing a brand spokesperson, like Flo from Progressive, or the famous Mac vs. PC guys. Or in the animal realm, debatably the most recognizable animal may be animated, you guessed it, the Geico gecko.
Although this lovable green gecko is recognized across the world for saving people money on their car insurance, he made his debut in 1999-2000 to educate consumers on the proper pronunciation of GEICO. And as history has shown us animals help create a strong connection between companies and their consumers, it didn’t take long for the GEICO gecko to make its mark.
To be Memorable –
At the end of the day, brands want to be memorable. And in a digital age where our brains are being fed information at a rapid rate, it’s harder and harder for a brand to be remembered, but adding an animal can help.
It’s in our human nature to seek companionship, love, and comfort, and animals can fill that void without judgment. Animals can leave a positive impact on humans in both emotional and physical ways. Combine all this with the above-mentioned emotional and recognizable aspects to marketing, and you have yourself the winning lottery ticket to an effective advertising campaign.
Here are a few other brands that have shared this success: the Energizer bunny, Chick-fil-A’s cow campaigns, Target’s bullseye dog, Alfack’s duck, and Taco Bell’s chihuahua.