I Feel Good - James Brown's Marketing Lesson

I've been listening to Glenn and Sharon Livingstone talk about Emotional Marketing today and whilst I didn't get as much out of the two hours as I'd hoped, it did remind me that the emotional end benefit of buying something is enhanced self esteem.

When you strip away the layers you buy when it makes you feel better about yourself.

Sharon Livingston has identified four basic categories:

• Feeling good because of who you are and what you have done for yourself
   
  
• Feeling good because you have attracted a partner who loves you
   
  
• Feeling good because of your nurturing and parenting skills which come through in the way you care for your children, pets, friends and employees
   
  
• Feeling good because you are giving back to society in some way.

It's certainly interesting to think about purchasing in these terms and your job as a marketer is to help your customers and prospective customers to feel good about buying your products or services.

I've talked before about the moving away from pain and towards gain and pleasure and both help you feel good.

If you are scared and someone reassure you or makes you feel protected, you feel good. (An example of moving away from fear).

If you are heavily in debt and some helps you to relieve the burden, you feel good as the stress is lifted away.

If you are offered the chance to go to the big game tonight, you feel good as the adrenalin surges through your body. (moving towards pleasure).

So what's James Brown got to do with it?

Perhaps not a lot in marketing terms but I can't stop myself thinking about his classic song "I Feel Good" because it does exactly what it says on the tin.

I thought it might help you to remember.

Why do people buy? Because they want to feel good.

If you want to know more about the work of Glenn and Sharon Livingston and their work of using emotions in marketing, sign up for a big pile of free goodies (affiliate link). Glenn is an expert in pay per click and Internet marketer focusing on the hyper-responsives while his wife Sharon is a marketing expert specialising in motivational research and brand imagery.  

Comments

[Heather Villa]

Not only do you want them to feel good when they are purchasing, but also when the job is being done and especially after the job is done. When they get that "I feel good" feeling at the completion of the job, they are more likely to come back. :)

[Paul]

Great point Heather.

A happy customer is a customer who buys again and again.

And that makes the business owner feel good.