The goal of brand building is to create a connection with your target audience by establishing a recognizable company identity. In order to accomplish this goal, companies depend on emotional associations to help viewers engage positively with the brand wherever they encounter it. Successful brands are the ones that know which elements will engage with the emotions of their target audience, vaulting them ahead of their competitors even in the face of similar or better prices and products.

Many companies focus on appealing to their customers’ logic, but the truth is that most buyers ultimately rely on emotion to make a decision. After all the research has been done, it’s the company that the customer feels an emotional connection with that wins the day. Effective branding seeks to accommodate the role of emotion in buying by building appealing to the emotional pulls of their target audience throughout the branding process.

Trying to make a buying decision based on reason alone can paralyze the shopper, since logic alone cannot reach a conclusion regarding several similar products. But with an emotional appeal, the decision is easily made. The power of emotion can even cause buyers to remain loyal to a brand in spite of its inferior quality. Emotional appeal has never been highlighted more effectively than when Coca-Cola consumers decidedly rejected the new, better-tasting Coke II in favor of the beloved classic recipe. Despite the benefits of a better product, their emotional connection to the previously established brand ultimately decided the issue.

Because the final decision in the buying process usually relies at least partially on an emotional connection, your primary goal during the branding process should be to determine how to connect emotionally with your target audience. Accomplishing this goal effectively will give your company a head start compared with competitors who haven’t.

There are several ways to connect emotionally with your target audience. Because emotions stem from reactions and not reason, you’ll need to focus on the design and appearance of your brand, promoting values over objectivity. Factors to consider include colors, emotional wording, graphics, and shapes, all of which can have an emotional affect on the buyer.

The human element of your brand will be the best way to resonate with audiences. It’s the human element that creates emotional attachments, prompting buyers to choose you and not your competitors. Although need can be established through a logical appeal, it is the emotional appeal that will convince your audience that you are the best company to meet that need.