Emotional value is not a brand's ornament, but the reason for a product to enter a user's life.
To judge whether a product has emotional value, don't look at whether its copy is heartwarming, don't look at whether its packaging is beautiful, and even less look at whether the brand talks about a bunch of values, but put it into the user's life and see if it can enter a specific scenario. Because emotional value is not something the brand says itself, but something the user feels in a certain scenario. True emotional value must occur at a specific moment.
When a brand judges whether a product has emotional value, don't first ask "Is our brand tone emotional enough", but first look at these 7 scenarios.
Scenario 1: When users are tired, will they think of you?
The emotional value of many products does not come from a sense of luxury, but from the user's need of "I'm too tired, I want to be taken care of".
This type of scenario is very common. For example, dinner after overtime, a drink at 3 PM, snacks for staying home on the weekend, instant food after returning home alone, a fragrance that provides brief relaxation.
When users buy products at this time, what they often buy is not functional parameters, but a small buffer. For example, an instant food product, if it only talks about "convenience and speed", it's just instant food; but if it can allow someone who gets off work late to eat a decent hot meal in 10 minutes, then it makes the user feel "I didn't just casually fool myself today".
Emotional value is not about making the product sound sentimental, but about making users feel "this thing can catch my emotions" when they are tired.
Scenario 2: When users reward themselves, will they choose you?
For consumers, many current consumptions are not necessities, but "I want to be a little better to myself".
A slightly more expensive cup of coffee, a beautiful cake, a high-priced drink, a small snack with a sense of ritual... many times it's not to solve physiological needs, but to complete a self-reward.
Young people don't always buy things for practicality. They look for a sense of certainty in a product: I'm tired today, but I deserve a good drink; I've been stressed lately, but I can give myself a small reward; life isn't always easy, but I can still decide how to treat myself.
If your product can enter the user's "self-reward scenario", emotional value is half established. Bosses should ask themselves: When users buy my product, do they feel a sense of "worth it"? If not, the product is likely just a functional consumption and has not yet entered the emotional consumption scenario.
Scenario 3: When users share socially, will they show you off?
Emotional value has a very important source - social expression.
Whether a product can be shown off by users, whether it can be shared, whether it can be taken out in front of friends without embarrassment, whether it can become a conversation topic, all these determine whether it has social emotional value.
For example, a drink, users take photos and post them on Xiaohongshu, not just because it tastes good, but because it represents a lifestyle. For example, a local specialty, users are willing to give it as a gift, not just because it tastes good, but also because it appears thoughtful, high-quality, and has a story.
Many businesses think "good products are naturally shared by people", but this statement is only half true. Users often share a product not to help promote the brand, but to express themselves. He might show off a cup of coffee to express today's sense of relaxation; he might show off a restaurant to express his aesthetic; he might show off a snack gift box to express "I know how to choose things".
Therefore, to judge whether a product has emotional value, you need to see if users are willing to put you into their social expression.
Scenario 4: When users give gifts, will they choose you?
Many consumer goods that want to sell at a high price ultimately cannot avoid the gift-giving scenario.
Gift-giving is not simply giving something away, but completing a form of relationship expression: I value you, I understand you, I have taste, I am not perfunctory. Therefore, the emotional value in gift-giving scenarios is very prominent.
Whether a product is suitable for gifting depends not only on whether the packaging is high-end, but also on whether it has a suitable reason. For parents, it's health and peace of mind; for friends, it's attractive and interesting; for clients, it's decent and tasteful; for young people, it's fresh and topic-worthy; for local specialties, it's local memories and emotional connection.
If a product has no reason for gifting, and only looks good in packaging, users will still hesitate. Because the biggest fear in gift-giving is not expense, but "not knowing if it's appropriate".
A truly emotionally valuable gift will help users reduce selection pressure, making them feel: giving this is both presentable and expresses sincerity.
Scenario 5: When users are lazy, will they feel they are not shortchanging themselves?
This is a scenario that many food, beverage, and home care brands easily overlook.
Users don't not want to live well; many times they just don't have the energy. For example, not wanting to cook, not wanting to clean, not wanting to research, not wanting complex decisions, but also not wanting to live too crudely.
At this point, if a product can help users be lazy in a dignified way, it can easily generate emotional value. For example, pre-made dishes, instant meals, semi-finished products, convenient coffee, office snacks, lazy cleaning products, essentially are not just about convenience, but about helping users resolve a psychological conflict: I want to save trouble, but I don't want my life to appear sloppy.
Therefore, brands should not just talk about "convenience", because convenience is just a function. For consumers, the real reason for purchase is: allowing me to be relaxed, spend less time and effort, and still maintain a certain quality of life.
Scenario 6: When users need identity confirmation, will they use you to express themselves?
The emotional value of some products comes from a sense of identity. Users buy it not just because it's useful, but because it helps them confirm a certain persona: I value health, I have aesthetics, I understand life, I am professional, I am good at taking care of my family, I am not someone who buys things casually.
This type of product is particularly likely to appear in high-end beverages, fragrances, skincare, pet food, maternal and infant products, sports nutrition, fine dining, and snacks with a sense of design. Users choosing these products are actually saying: Who am I, what kind of person do I want to be, and how do I want others to see me.
Therefore, brands should ask themselves: Besides fulfilling functions, can my product also give users a sense of identity confirmation? If users don't feel "this fits me" after buying, then the product will find it difficult to form strong emotional value.
Scenario 7: When users repurchase, is it due to habit or due to a state?
A truly emotionally valuable product is not just about making users feel fresh the first time, but about being repeatedly remembered in a certain fixed state.
Feeling drowsy in the afternoon, thinking of a certain refreshing drink; working late, thinking of a certain instant food; feeling down, thinking of a certain dessert; relaxing on the weekend, thinking of a certain fragrance; friends coming over, thinking of a certain snack.
This is emotional repurchase. Many businesses understand repurchase as "users like my product" which is not enough; a deeper level is that users have already made you their default choice in a certain state. At this point, the brand is no longer just a product name, but becomes an emotional switch in the user's life.
Brands can conduct a self-check with their products - when users are tired, will they think of you? When users want to reward themselves, will they choose you? When users share socially, will they show you off? When users give gifts, will they feel you are presentable? When users want to be lazy, will they feel that you prevent their life from losing value? When users need identity confirmation, will they use you to express themselves? When users repurchase, is it because it's cheap, or because they naturally need you in a certain state?
If your product cannot enter even one of these 7 scenarios, it means it might have functional selling points, but its emotional value has not truly been established.
When doing emotional value brand growth and single product design, instead of piling up emotional copy, enterprises should care about which real-life scenario the product enters for the user, what emotional state it carries, whether it can form a stable reason for choice, and finally whether it can be repeatedly articulated clearly through packaging, content, channels, and sales pitches.
