Emotion Emerges as a Key Brand Value Measure in 2024

In 2024, CMOs are making measurable brand value their top priority, with emotion taking on a significant role in this assessment.

Previously, various metrics — such as revenue, net promoter scores, and future net earnings value — have been used to evaluate brand value. However, none of these methods has emerged as a universally accepted industry standard due to its comprehensive robustness.

Emotion, which is characterized as an “instinctive or intuitive feeling as distinguished from reasoning or knowledge,” is now recognized as a primary driver behind measurable brand growth. Contrary to the traditional belief that thoughts come ahead of emotions, scientific research consistently indicates that emotions actually come before thoughts.

Equinox is an example of a company that strategically pivoted and leveraged emotion to better understand consumers.

Equinox has established itself in the industry by emphasizing holistic consumer engagement beyond membership transactions. Through a blend of innovation and keen customer understanding, the brand has gained recognition not just as a leader in luxury, but also as a global standard for emotional connection, loyalty, and trust in the market.

Julia Klim, Equinox’s VP of strategic partnerships, told Business Insider, “Equinox pioneered a membership model that is set up to drive loyalty and engagement. This is done in two ways. A top-down approach enticing emotion via wholly aspirational campaigns.”

Klim said that Equinox’s “Want It All” campaign is an example of its emotional strategy. “It sold the theme of desire as the engine that drives us all,” she explained.

Klim added, “There was also a complementary bottom-down approach, via sophisticated customer segmentation, that allowed us to create a personalized and entirely intuitive customer experience once you join. Another great example of how this played out was using deeper emotional intelligence of customers to help reimagine our personal training offer earlier this year.”

Looking back, Coca-Cola’s “Choose Happiness” campaign in 2015 is another instance where emotion was leveraged to attract consumers. The campaign encouraged people to share joyful memories and experiences that brought them happiness during that summer.