Is there such a thing as the perfect Christmas figure in advertising?
Both Migros and Coop have already used animated Christmas characters. But which character comes out on top in the neuromarketing comparison? A study by Zutt & Partner shows that there isn't necessarily a clear winner.
In December 2020, Zutt & Partner launched a survey on Linkedin. The question was, which of the animated Christmas figures - from Migros or Coop - hit the Christmas emotions better.
In the non-representative Liking survey, the Migros gnome Finn was clearly ahead with 67 votes to 6. Zutt & Partner wanted to get to the bottom of this result scientifically and wants to use the EmoCompass study to show why Migros may have won so clearly on Linkedin and where there is still room for improvement for both providers.
Confirm emotion volume Linkedin survey
Linkedin surveys are not suitable for scientifically studying emotions. However, they can provide initial indications. In the study, similar results actually emerge: If the emotions are surveyed non-verbally and scientifically based, the Migros gnome triggers a significantly higher "emotion volume" than the Coop snow monster Nevi.
The emotion volume shows how much emotion a research object triggers in general. High emotion volumes are often measurable, for example, in the case of strong and well-known car brands or chocolate products, because they appeal to several senses at once, tell stories and have been imprinted in the customer's brain for years.
The latter is known in neuropsychology as the "mere-exposure effect". Mere-exposure refers to the realization that the repeated perception of an initially neutral thing alone results in its more positive evaluation. So it could well be that the Finn "only" triggers more emotion because it has been around longer and is more familiar to the customer's brain.
Not only Coop has room for improvement
Strong brands, products, experiences and mascots not only trigger many emotions, but also the right emotions. After all, they hit the desired gut feeling of customers and consumers - the so-called gold standard, which sits deep in the subconscious.
Therefore, the emotional desire - to get the perfect Christmas feeling - was also elicited to calculate the emotional seams and widths to Finn and Nevi, respectively. The EmoMap created in the study shows that although the Migros gnome arouses more emotions than the snow monster, the latter is closer to the perfect Christmas feeling. It must be said that both characters are still far from the perfect Christmas feeling.
This differentiated insight thus corroborates the mere-exposure hypothesis from the first study section - it could well be that after repeated repetition, the snow monster triggers emotionally in a similar way as the gnomes. But how could both Finn and Nevi get closer to the gold standard?
The ideal figure would be a mix of the two
The Migros Santa Claus covers the dimension of power better. The Coop snow monster, on the other hand, better covers the somewhat more important dimension of safety. The perfect figure would therefore be an emotional mix of both.
A closer look at the individual emotion profiles should provide some insight: Neither Coop nor Migros meet all facets of the perfect Christmas feeling. This is primarily composed of the two emotion dimensions security and power, with security playing a slightly stronger role than power.
The dimension of security includes Christmas-related feelings such as being with family, familiarity, or the calming effect of a snowy landscape. Power, on the other hand, includes sparkle, shopping and celebration.
The snow monster from Coop captures the feeling of safety much better and thus has an emotional advantage. The somewhat less decisive dimension of power, on the other hand, is massively better covered by the Migros gnome.
According to Zutt & Partner, the ideal Christmas figure would be an emotional mix of the two artificial figures. Coop and Migros could therefore learn from each other and adapt the emotional aspects of the other figure.
According to Zutt & Partner, another option would be to design a completely new figure based on the Christmas emotion - this approach is not reserved for Coop or Migros alone. This option is also open to any other retailer such as Lidl or Aldi.
The results of the study are based on a qualitative EmoCompasssurvey conducted in January 2021 by Zutt & Partner, a Zurich-based consultancy specializing in neuromarketing.
The determined mood movements of 50 persons living in the German-speaking part of Switzerland were analyzed. The survey was conducted in online individual interviews - completely non-verbal via neuropsychologically coded patterns. Working with abstract colors and shapes allows for tapping into emotions at a deep individual level of association and almost to the exclusion of cognition (rational thought) and of pure likes and dislikes. For the methodology the findings from neurology like synesthesia, patchwork-like working of the brain as well as fuzzy logic are used.
Detailed results, interpretations, further information on the study and initial approaches to solutions are available to interested parties at a Workshops.
