Emotional Marketing in eCommerce

This is an article I wrote and edited, talking about how eCommerce businesses can successfully use emotional marketing to their advantage without being insensitive or emotionally manipulative.

I researched different use cases and analyzed good and bad examples of emotional marketing to give readers an idea of what they should strive for and avoid.

Here is a sample of the article:

So far, I've talked a lot about the benefits and unique qualities of emotional marketing. However, there is something essential that needs to be mentioned.

To many people, profiting from people's emotions can be considered pure manipulation. And in a way, they are not entirely wrong. According to Wikipedia, "Manipulation (psychology) is behavior designed to exploit, control, or otherwise influence others to one’s advantage."

And the end goal for eCommerce businesses is to make their customers purchase their products or services so isn't that some form of manipulation?

Well, just as with any type of marketing, there is a right and a wrong way to do it. Here is a list of things that can turn your marketing strategy into harmful manipulation:

Your product is not as advertised. It's faulty, doesn't fulfill its purpose, or can be dangerous to people and the environment.

You're actively profiting from a culture without contributing to its prosperity or acknowledging its struggles.

You're falsely supporting marginalized groups and using performative marketing campaigns only to reach your goals, forgetting everything about them afterward or actively supporting harmful rhetoric.

You're actively lying about donating to charities and supporting important causes, e.g., the endless number of companies that talk about being eco-friendly and carbon neutral while still actively harming the environment.

Simply put, if you have bad intentions and are putting false emotions in your campaign, people will know, and it will only harm your business in the long run. Don't promise things you cannot fulfill; always work with certified experts to avoid unfortunate situations."