Does your brand need more rational or emotional marketing?

Aristotle and his ancient Greek contemporaries had a very clear view on methods of debate and modes of persuasion.

They created three principles: Ethos – regarding credibility and ethics, Pathos – which looks at emotions and feelings, and Logos – involving logic and reason.

These principles have now existed in Western communication for over 2,500 years and are still true today.

As marketeers, we all believe that the longer and stronger a relationship between brand and customer, the better it is for the brand owner. It is, in a sense, like a marriage.

So, why don’t we put these ancient Greek principles to the ultimate test, and imagine we are proposing to the love of our lives. Which proposal would they be most likely say YES to?

The Logos approach (Logic and reason)

“Hi, I live very close to the Church and the vicar is a personal friend of mine. Will you marry me?”

The Ethos approach (Credibility and ethics)

“Hi, I have a nice house and car and a steady job, what more could you need? Will you marry me?”

The Pathos approach (Emotion and feelings)

“Hi, I love you very much and will always do all that I can to make you happy. Will you marry me?”

Now, it’s fair to say, all the approaches will work to some degree with certain target audiences. But which approach do you think is most likely to lead to a strong, lasting relationship?

In a world increasingly driven by logic and efficiency, brands often forget to seek out emotional engagement. But it’s this that makes a brand stand out. Because after all, who doesn’t love to be loved?

At BPL, our focus is to ensure that the emotion is never lost from a brand’s communications. We call this Powerful Simplicity, and if you would like to see how it works drop us an email.