The Science of Selling Emotions 

Picture this, a group of kids play basketball in their back yard. The ball gets away from them and rolls to a stop just in time for one boy to see a new neighbour moving in. He’s a boy about the same age, only he’s in a wheelchair. The next day, the new neighbour finds a basketball at his front door. He goes to return it only to see the group of boys are now playing basketball on tricycles, office chairs, wagons, and crates on creepers. It’s all an effort to invite the new kid to play, regardless of his limitations.

Cue the water works as Canadian Tire’s logo fades in for exactly 5 seconds. “When the best of us steps up, our nation stands a little taller. We all play for Canada.”

There’s no sell line. There’s no product shots. There’s no reference to the store. There isn’t even a push to shop for anything at all. It’s just an encouraging message to be inclusive. So why would Canadian Tire shell out all that money on an ad that did not advertise themselves? Two words, Brand Association.

We talked a bit about the concept in another post, Why Advertisers Love Watercoolers but let’s take another look from a new angle.

What they did was advertise their morals and values as a company. In a world where shopping can be done from any internet connection, brand loyalty comes from company values as much as it does product quality.  Consumers want to support businesses they deem morally good, rewarding them for “seeing beyond the year end profit”. Funny how “seeing beyond profit” actually increased profits.

There’s also a second level to this feel-good tactic in advertising. And for that, we need to dive into neuroscience!

Our unconscious mind has a pretty hard time differentiating between what is real and what is not. David Meerman Scott explains in his book Fanocracy:

“Our unconscious brain can respond to what we see as if it were our own experience, even if it is on social media, film, a screen or a faraway stage through something called mirror neurons. 

These neurons are fascinating because they not only activate when we perform an action – biting into an apple, smiling, or getting near to somebody we enjoy being with – they also fire when we observe somebody else performing the same action.”

So while you were watching an ad, your mind sent dopamine and serotonin as if you yourself just invited a neighbour kid to play basketball. Those kids were paid actors, the situation was scripted yet you get to feel like the hero from the comfort of your couch and that awesome sensation is tied directly to Canadian Tire.  With a simple premise that sold nothing, they’ve just turned shopping at Canadian Tire into charitable, feel-good work!

People often revisit ads like this for the dopamine hit they provide and share them on social media to promote their own values. That Canadian Tire Ad? It has 44,000 views!

These ads are creating a positive brand association that will foster brand loyalty and trust in the future, all while making my mascara run.

HC