Marketers that can tap into the emotions of consumers, and provide the necessary blend of comfort and information, are best-placed to make an impact according to Southeast Asia research from Unruly.
The adtech firm surveyed 2,158 consumers from Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand in a study that took place from March to May and which sought to understand what consumers want to get out of viewing ads.
This found that information is the biggest draw for consumers. “This does not have to be information about daily cases or statistics, but information within the capacity or the expertise of the brand to help tide consumers through this difficult period,” said Sam Ho, Unruly’s insights and solutions manager APAC
Speaking at a recent webinar hosted by IAB Southeast Asia & India, he reported data from Singapore showing 52% of consumers want to feel informed when they view ads, while 46% want to feel warmth.
“While consumers need information from ads to guide them through the pandemic, storytelling ads that evoke positive and powerful emotions also impact effective brand building, such as increasing brand favourability and purchase intent,” he said.
“Brands are often challenged to make ads that are highly informative, but at the same time evoke strong, positive emotions,” he added. “Knowledge often comes at the expense of emotional resonance – or vice versa.”
Unruly’s research has found that those ads that address the pandemic with the “right emotions” are outperforming its Singapore benchmarks and “evoking higher levels of happiness and inspiration”.
That’s an interesting shift since, as Unruly’s chief revenue officer/APMEA, Phil Townend, noted, Singapore – along with Malaysia – is the regional market where it’s hardest to create an emotional, positive response with advertising.
“We can increase those norms through this crisis, so consumers are more responsive to positive messages from brands,” he argued.
For more details, read WARC’s report: Breakthrough ads during the pandemic: Successful examples from Southeast Asia.
Sourced from WARC
