More and more brands are wondering how to connect to their audiences emotionally. Since our Advertising Week Europe talk on just that topic, we’ve had our ears to the ground (more like eyes glued to screens) on anything related to #EIBRANDS (that’s emotionally intelligent brands in case you were wondering). Look here for pop culture staples informing the next generation on how to respond to others, computers that can detect your feelings and to know which car company is most clued up to its consumers’ emotional needs – this is where we’ve collected the best and most recent innovations on emotional intelligence.
1. The Muppets
Our trend Unique Belonging has charted the championing of individualism since 2013. Although personalisation is most commonly associated with this trend, the main idea is to be yourself without being isolated from the mainstream. The partnership between autism organisations and the creators of The Muppets resulted in Julia. Although as the first autistic character, she was debuted in 2015, the muppet saw her breakout episode in April 2017. Julia’s purpose is to educate children on understanding the uniqueness of the autistic community and how to adapt to their members, without singling them out. Focusing on a genuine message that has the capability of inspiring families makes this innovation emotionally intelligent, and critically, differentiates the kid’s mainstay program from the others.
2. Emoji translator
Which is arguably the most democratic spoken word of them all? Here’s a clue: it’s also claimed to be the “world’s fastest growing language”. In 2016*, 32% of global consumers were what we term Superemoji users, the definition for people that use emoji interactions on a daily basis – and we expect this figure to double to 63% in 2018. In late 2016, Today Translations, a UK based “dynamic language firm” advertised to hire an Emoji Translator. The candidate would be responsible for explaining cross-cultural misunderstandings in the use of emojis and compiling a monthly report on any trends within the sector. Understanding consumers’ online conversations holistically contributes to a company’s emotional intelligence and thus, their ability to respond to their customers. Those with basic to intermediate knowledge of the little yellow smileys need not apply.
3. Emotional Intelligence Advertising Week Europe
During our Advertising Week Europe talk, we identified the automobile company with the best emotional response ratings and interestingly, it is Skoda, one of the Volkswagen brands. Despite Nissan ranking the highest for functionality out of the five car companies that we assessed, the Czech based manufacturer won out for its positive associations with “exciting” – an emotional attribute we can agree is really quite attractive for a car brand. It’s the name to look out for when it comes to tapping on emotional intelligence in car advertising.
(You can download the report for free here for the full presentation.)
4. Mate: Search engine AI assistant
Recognising the increasing need for machines to accurately detect emotional response, Mate is the result of an attempt to create an search engine emotional AI assistant that learns not only a user’s preferences but their feelings. Currently, the software is at private beta testing but the ambition is to create an IoT where websites, apps and bots can communicate with each other to intelligently find solutions to problems and answer questions is exactly where brands should be headed. Our trend The Warming Web reports on the growing points of communication for brands to engage with their customers, one of which is an innovation like Mate. Ironically, it is the refinement of the masses of data that will allow this kind of technology to become emotionally intelligent enough to understand us.
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