WOM: Emotion Flashcards
Why do people share posts?
When consumers are already familiar with the existing products, information-focused posts are less likely to be
shared because too many arguments for the products might become uninteresting and could irritate consumers
(they might unfollow).
• Are your current posts information-focused that the followers already know?
• In contrast, the emotions evoked by posts and videos play a key role in triggering sharing intent.
What are the most shared articles?
After analyzing six months’ dataset, the results
show that:
• Education articles > Sports articles.
• Health articles > Political articles.
• Food articles > Sports articles.
More interesting articles are 25% more likely to make the most Emailed list.
More useful articles are 30% more likely to make the list.
• These results explain why health and education articles are highly shared.
Articles about these topics often offer useful advice on how to live longer and be happier and on
how to get the best education for your kids. Science articles get a lots of shares.
What are the reasons for sharing?
Two reasons people might share articles:
• They are interesting
• They have practical value
• Social Currency: interesting things are entertaining and
reflect positively on the person who shares them.
• Practical Value: sharing useful information helps others
and makes the sharers look good in the process.
What is the power of awe? What is awe?
Awe is the sense of wonder and amazement that occurs when someone is inspired by great knowledge, beauty, or
sublimity.
• It encompasses admiration and inspiration and can be evoked by everything from great works of art or music to
religious transformations, from breathtaking natural
landscapes to new discoveries.
• Articles about a new treatment for cancer or a hockey player who plays even though he has brain cancer evoke
lots of awe.
• Awe-inspiring articles are 30 percent more likely to make the Most E-Mailed list.
What are the reasons we share emotion?
Sharing emotions helps us connect. If we share an awe-inspiring video with a friend, they are likely to feel similarly
inspired. The fact that we both feel the same way helps deepen our social connection. It highlights our similarities
and reminds us how much we have in common.
• Emotion sharing is like social glue, maintaining and strengthening relationships. Even if we are not in the
same place, the fact that we both feel the same way bonds us together.
• If we get promoted, telling others helps us celebrate.
• If we get fired, telling others helps us recover.
Does any emotion boost sharing?
Sadness has the opposite effect. Sadder articles are 16
percent less likely to make the Most Emailed list.
• Something about sadness makes people less likely to
share.
Sadness vs Awe
The most obvious difference between different emotions
is their pleasantness or positivity. • Awe is relatively pleasant, while sadness is unpleasant. • Do positive emotions increase sharing, but negative emotions decrease it?
What is the science behind physiological arousal?
• Physiological arousal motivates a fight-or-flight
response that helps animals catch food or flee
from predators.
• Physiological arousal is a state of activation and
readiness for action. The heart beats faster and
blood pressure rises.
• High arousal kindles the fire.
• Some emotions, like anger and anxiety, are high-
arousal.
• When we are angry, we yell at customer service
representatives.
• When we are anxious, we check and recheck things.
• When we feel excited, we want to do something
rather than sit still. When we feel awed, we can’t
help wanting to tell people what happened.
What has low arousal?
• Sadness: Whether dealing with a tough breakup or the
death of a beloved pet, sad people tend to power down.
• Contentment also deactivates. When we are content, we
relax. Our heart rates slow and our blood pressure
decreases. We are happy but we do not particularly feel
like doing anything.
What emotions increase sharing? Which emotions decrease sharing?
• High arousal emotions like awe, excitement, inspiration,
and anger make us share things.
• Low arousal emotions like sadness and contentment
decrease sharing.
Why should we focus on feeling?
• Marketing messages tend to focus on information.
• Public health officials usually tell teens that they will be
healthier if they eat more vegetables.
• People think that if they just lay out the facts clearly and
concisely, it will change people’s behavior.
• But it is not enough, consumers need something more to
change their behavior.
• Rather than focusing on features or facts, we need to
focus on feelings: the underlying emotions that motivate
people to action.
• Some products or ideas may seem better suited
than others for evoking emotion.
• It seems easier to get people excited about a new
restaurant than logistics management.
• Pets and babies have more emotional appeal than
banking does.
• But any product or service can focus on feelings,
even those that don’t seem to have any obvious
emotional hook.
How the emotional core of an idea?
• To find the emotional core of an idea, ask yourself the
‘Three Whys’ in sequence. Start by asking why people are
doing something, and then ask ‘why’ two more times to
get to the root of their motivations. Write down your
answers.
• “Why is this important?” Ask this question three times
sequentially.
• Each time you do this, note your answer and you will
notice that you drill down further and further toward
uncovering not only the core of an idea but the emotion
behind it.
• If you want people to talk about global warming and
change their behavior, don’t just point out how big the
problem is or list key statistics; instead, try to engage their
emotions.
• Figure out how to make them care by asking the why
three times.
• When people care, they share.
What are the three whys sequentially for Google Search?
• Why is Google Search important?
• Because people want to find information. • Why is finding information important?
• Because people can get answers to what they are looking for. • Why is getting answers to what people are looking for
important?
• Because it can help us resolve issues, complete tasks, achieve our
goals, or fulfill our dreams. • Now that’s starting to get more emotional.
What are the positives and negatives of high arousal emotions?
• On the positive side, excite people or inspire
them by showing them how they can make a
difference.
• On the negative side, make people mad, not sad.
• Make sure the polar bear shortage gets them fired up.
• Simply adding more emotions to a story or ad can
have a big impact on people’s willingness to share it.
