It’s true. My sheer cuteness floods your brain with the love hormone, “Oxytocin,” which makes even tough-minded CEOs stop for a second.
There are many studies that show the hormone oxytocin makes people more susceptible to advertising. But it isn’t as nefarious as it sounds. Findings suggest that advertisements that employ animals — especially young or baby animals — influence our biological systems for trust and empathy. It goes for babies too.
Studies at Claremont College in California show that non-profit marketing that includes animals or young children earn more donations to causes than more straightforward emotional appeals. Ads that generate oxytocin as a response genuinely influence viewer perceptions. People surveyed reported that these advertisements made them feel more empathetic.
And they have taken this into the lab directly, where participants were given a scent that contained either Oxytocin or placebo before watching a number of non-profit tv / video commercials containing animals or infants.
The results were stark. Those who received oxytocin were significantly more inclined to get further information or donate directly. This should not surprise anyone. Cute puppies, giggling babies and cute cartoons have been selling ideas and products since the RCA dog was selling radios and the Gerber baby started hawking baby food). And today, this reality dominates shares in social media where you can always bank on “cute” to win over “clever.” Sometimes it’s just our built-in biological prewiring.
Maybe a dog or baby could help you connect with your market?
TAKEAWAY:
Cuteness creates a real biological advantage. It is literally built into our brains. When you watch commercials and see babies, dogs and cartoon lizards, you are literally having your brain “tapped” at a fundamental level. To learn more about how we leverage emotion in branding and marketing, contact our team.