Do Emotions and Feelings Sway Consumers?

One of the most memorable campaigns of late is Lincoln's series of commercials featuring Matthew McConaughey.  These ads, primarily promoting Lincoln's new MKC, are memorable not due to flashy visuals, catchy slogans, or upbeat jingles.  What makes these ads so special is that they are almost entirely emotional appeals.  There is no mention of prices, warranties, or features of the car, as is usually seen in a car commercial.  Instead, the ad focuses on McConaughey, an actor famous for movies like Dallas Buyers' Club and How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  He discusses (often at length) the way Lincolns make him feel and why he chose to buy one: "[he] didn't do it to be cool, [he] didn't do it to make a statement.  [He] just liked it."  Interestingly enough, the first commercial was actually McConaughey's idea; he approached Lincoln, and they liked the idea.  This is not the norm for celebrity endorsements.

The lack of any concrete logical appeals in this series of ads is completely different for a car commercial.  Though consumers do get a glimpse of the inside of the car, which looks very luxurious, and there is an appeal to McConaughey's credibility, the bulk of the ad focuses on McConaughey's feelings.  The calm, slow delivery of the lines is also outside of the norm, as many car commercials feature few spoken words, or the delivery is very fast.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the commercials.  With such a high-involvement purchase, many consumers want to know more about the features of the car and would prefer a logical appeal.  However, the ads have certainly gotten people talking about Lincoln, and as they say, no publicity is bad publicity.