The conclusions of a study by Carlotta Carucci, CEO of Vanilla Marketing, on the importance of feelings in the buying process and, therefore, the growth of Emotional Marketing are interesting. According to a research of the Harvard Business Review, 95% of purchasing decisions are made at a subconscious level, driven more by emotions than logic. That’s why customers who are emotionally connected to a company are 52% more valuable than highly satisfied customers. Not only that, the data shows that campaigns with purely emotional content have double the performance (31% vs. 16%) compared to those with only rational content, and that even, according to Nielsen, generate a peak of 23% in sales volume. Also, as Netimperative highlights, 82% of consumers with high emotional engagement would always buy the brand they are loyal to when making purchasing decisions, compared to 38% of consumers with low emotional engagement. And Italians are among the most emotionally engaged consumers with brands, with a rate of 65%.
Among the Emotional Marketing strategies that are gaining popularity, one of the most effective is the use of humor, which proves to be a powerful loyalty tool. Next to the humor there is also the strength of memory. Nostalgia is an emotional lever capable of activating deep feelings, linked to personal and collective experiences. Recalling atmospheres of the past – through iconic music, vintage images, retro packs or narratives that talk about “how we were”- strengthens the perception of authenticity, familiarity and trust.
According to a study published in Psychology & Marketing, nostalgic content significantly increases purchase intent and willingness to pay a premium price.
It’s no surprise, then, that many successful brands are rediscovering the strategic value of the past. In a hyper-digital era, where everything changes quickly and attention lasts for a few seconds, emotions such as laughter and nostalgia are affective anchors: they help the brand to stand out, to close the distance with the consumer and become an integral part of his emotional memory.
Emotional marketing as a whole is becoming a global trend with rapidly growing investments. More and more global brands are integrating emotional marketing strategies into their campaigns. The data estimates that the market value will reach 30.8 billion dollars by 2030, growing at a CAGR of 9.2% from 2024 to 2030. At the regional level, North America is leading the Emotional Marketing market with a share of 40%, followed by Europe with 30%, Asia-Pacific with 20% and Latin America and the Middle East and Africa with 5% each.
Social media plays a key role in this scenario. Instagram and TikTok, in particular, have become the main channels for emotional marketing, thanks to their ability to engage users visually and interactively.
With over 2.5 billion monthly active users, Instagram is one of the most influential social networks worldwide. India leads the way with over 360 million users, followed by the US and Brazil. In Europe, the number of users is around 30 million, according to Statista.
TikTok, with 2 billion global users and almost 1 billion monthly unique visitors, dominates the short-form video content strategy (Statista), with a strong impact on Gen Z and Millennials. Globally, 55% of users are under the age of 30, with a slight predominance of men (54.8%). The USA generates 16.31% of traffic, followed by Brazil and Indonesia (Semrush).
Artificial Intelligence (AI) also plays a central role in emotional marketing: it not only allows for a deeper understanding of consumers’ needs and desires, but also facilitates the building of authentic and lasting relationships. Thanks to advanced sentiment analysis tools, companies can personalize the user experience in a targeted way, increasing loyalty and improving long-term performance. The global emotion AI market, according to Global Market Insights, has already exceeded $2.9 billion in 2024 and is expected to grow at a compound annual rate (CAGR) of 21.7% between 2025 and 2034.
The future of Emotional Marketing is through personalization and artificial intelligence, allowing companies to understand and respond in real time to consumers’ emotions. However, the real success lies in the balance between technological innovation and authenticity, avoiding that interactions are cold or artificial.
Emotional Marketing is not a passing trend, but a paradigm shift designed to strengthen the link between brands and consumers. Companies that integrate emotion and strategy will not only stand out in the market, but will turn customers into loyal brand ambassadors, building a lasting competitive advantage.
