Comments on: Which is More Powerful in Messaging: Emotions or Facts?

By: Yet Another Futile Attempt to Explain Social Media for Non Profits | Joe Budde Jr.

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 15:14:17 +0000

[...] the cost? Staff/volunteer training, blog software (free, but there’s some setup), a shared strategy for what messages need to be advanced, strategy on one blog vs multiple. Are we ready for all that now? Probably not, [...]

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 20:35:56 +0000

Sounds like an interesting dynamic between the mind and the heart, so to speak. Based on Dr. Heath’s comment, it would seem that facts and information do have a large role to play, but only to whatever extent to which the message is original (i.e. interesting). Emotional appeals do seem to nonetheless rule the day in many regards.

What people see on a non-profit organization’s website should reflect what was found by these studies (emotional content and/or a original message, depending), and there are firms that offer grants which can get those organizations who apply to the ‘top’ (e.g. http://www.dragonsearchmarketing.com/ppc-management-grant.html). And the content of those who are elevated as such better have the emotional hooks necessary.

By: Dr. Robert Heath

Dr. Robert Heath — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 07:52:57 +0000

Bear in mind that our research (Heath, Brandt & Nairn 2006 Journal of Advertising Research) and the IPA analysis was done on brand advertising. Brands, frankly, tend to have little that is new or different to say these days, which is why emotional appeals work better than messages. Although emotion has a powerful influence on all of us, there may be a more important additional role for facts and information in non-profit advertising.

Good luck with your seminar.

By: Fran Sokol Simon

Fran Sokol Simon — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 01:20:28 +0000

What is really cool is when the facts pull on the heart strings or evoke strong emotion. It’s the best of both worlds. There are many non-profit orgs that use data in combination with emotion-evoking words for powerful and compelling pieces. This works really well in video when it can also be combined with music, but it can also work well with text. Here are a few great examples:

OMG: Children’s Defense Fund (They do this really well in everything they do…print and video)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r2m9Q649Wkg&feature=player_embedded#t=25

MomsRising often combines irony, humor, or annoyance to evoke emotion in their campaigns and email:
http://bit.ly/V5oQb

I just got this email from Emily’s list tonight:
http://emilyslist.org/news/kyl_maternity_petition

There are great examples out there. As someone who attends Kivi’s sessions, I know she can teach you how to do this step by step.

By: denenewrites

denenewrites — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:29:27 +0000

I found that the emotional appeals got more attention when I was on staff at a nonprofit arts agency. The challenge for me was always looking for ways to pull at people’s heart strings — which can be hard to do when you’re not promoting a social/humanitarian cause. I experimented with two different types of ads: one with just the facts about the campaign, and then one that featured a teenage girl describing how the arts had changed her view of people with disabilities. The latter ad resulted in more hits to the website.