Connecting to Your Audience with Transformational Advertising
How Emotional Appeals are Evolving Legal Marketing Strategies
It should not surprise anyone that emotional appeals to consumers are the latest trend in advertising. We have seen a considerable shift in how companies connect with viewers. Consumers want to know the why behind a company, not just information about the product or service. Advertisements that center around a particular product or service are quickly being faded out in favor of transformational advertising that appeals to a consumer’s feelings or mood.
What is Transformational Advertising?
The American Marketing Association defines transformational advertising as that which “associates product usage with certain feelings, images or meanings that then transform the experience of using the product.” This type of advertising is often compared with informational advertising or that which “presents factual, usually verifiable, information about the product or product usage. Transformational advertising looks to offer an experience to the consumer. This form of advertising is less concentrated on the particular service or product but instead on the overall feeling that the consumer will get when they invest in the company.
Johnson & Johnson uses an emotional appeal to their viewers that is less based on the features of their actual product but more on how consumer’s feel when they use the product. Other approaches by major corporations include Uber, Facebook and Wells Fargo who have all tried to refocus on the actual brand instead of the individual product or service in light of recent negative press. Honda’s “Random Acts of Helpfulness” tv and radio commercials are extremely successful at selling an experience that investing in the brand will give you without ever even mentioning the actual product. Industries across the board have used transformational messaging in advertising to develop brand loyalty and deliver the idea of a whole “lifestyle” to their consumer. Companies have become more experienced focus. Advertising transcends beyond an individual product and instead shows how that product or service will enhance a particular outcome or experience for the consumer.
How to Build a Successful Transformational Legal Ad
Legal marketing is mainly geared toward transformational advertising. We are a service industry focused on helping those in need. Unfortunately, most legal advertising does very little to connect with consumers. Building a successful transformational legal ad begins with creating an experience. The focus of the ad should be less on selling the legal service and more on how your practice can help your target audience live a better life. According to a paper written by Christopher Puto, Duke University and William D. Wells or Needham, Harper and Steers Advertising, Inc. and published by the Association for Consumer Research a transformational advertisement will “make the experience of using the product richer, warmer, more exciting, and/or more enjoyable than that obtained solely from an objective description of the advertised brand.”
The idea is to sell without selling. You want to create feelings, thoughts, beliefs, emotions, and images that a consumer connects with your brand. The best examples of transformational advertising are done by companies that are admired. Start with the principle that “truth builds trust” and stand behind your commitment to the customer. Be a positive force in the legal industry and use that in your branding to showcase who you are and what you stand for.
Learn More about Transformational Advertising for the Legal Industry
If you are interested in growing your firm, contact Amicus Media Group today for more information. We have case specialists available to take your call at (888) 700-1088. Our team of dedicated media managers will help you understand the keys to successful branding and how to build transformational advertisements that genuinely speak to your target audience. Contact us today for more information about Transforming the Business of Law.
This blog post does not contain legal or financial advice. Author and publisher disclaim any and all warranties, liabilities, losses, costs, claims, demands, suits, or actions of any type or nature whatsoever, arising from or any way related to this blog, the use of this blog, and/or any claim that a particular technique or device described in this blog.