WHEN TO USE EMOTIONAL VS INFORMATIONAL ADS

Summary from the TLDR Marketing newsletter

Research using fMRI scans reveals that emotional ads work best for pleasurable products, while informative ads are more effective for functional products. Ads for pleasurable products, such as vacations or chocolate, stimulate brain areas tied to reward and memory, increasing emotional engagement and interest. Ads for practical products, like cleaning supplies, activate brain regions linked to analytical thinking, encouraging practical decision-making. Brain scan data improved ad success prediction by 9.1% to 18.1% compared to self-reports. Limitations of the research include a small sample size, testing only headphone ads, and not exploring mixed messaging.