Exploring the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Advertising: A Theoretical Analysis

Abstract

The rapid expansion of the advertising arena compels marketers to contest each other for acquiring greater market share than their competitors. Therefore, it has become extremely complex for brands to grab the audience’s attention for sustaining a greater market share. Considering this, advertisers nowadays are making a 360-degree shift in their traditional approach of reaching out the customers through rational advertising and communication strategies. Contrary to the rational advertising approaches, emotional advertising approaches are being widely considered more effective to grab and sustain the market share. To incorporate the emotional advertising approaches, advertisers and marketers have yet to innovate the concept of emotional intelligence in the context of advertising and the marketing domain. Emotional Intelligence is defined as “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.” Consumers form an external emotional connection with the brand aligned with their personal experiences. Hence, advertisers want to float advertising messages carrying positive emotional meaning. This, in turn, should help advertisers to acquire a greater market share than their competitors. Specifying the importance of emotional intelligence in the field of advertising, this study aims to investigate the prospects/potential of innovating emotional intelligence for the advertising and marketing field. The objective of this study is to assess the multiple dimensions of consumer research, where emotional intelligence has already been applied. Further, the results have been generated to analyze the gaps where more innovation can be made in terms of incorporating the concept of emotional intelligence. The study uses 33 articles published in well-reputed journals. The exploratory analysis of 33 research articles discussing the role of emotional intelligence in marketing and advertising has been conducted. Based on the analysis, this study assesses the potential that exists in this field and its role in the existing field of advertising regarding consumer association with certain brands. Multiple themes have been identified that hint upon greater connectivity of emotional intelligence in purchase decisions and other relevant advertising processes. This study will further help advertisers and marketers to innovate the concept of emotional intelligence in the context of advertising and the marketing domain.