Coca-Cola was patented in 1887

Coca-Cola is clearly one of the best branded companies in the world. Their marketing has constantly focused on emotion rather than logic, even in ads like this one from way back in 1971.

But what would they look like if they chose to focus simply on features instead? It’s not good.

In reading Talia Wolf’s new book “Emotional Targeting“, she shares this humorous (and clearly fictional) example:

Unfortunately, that page reads like a lot of business websites. As she says in the book:

“Decision making — especially at the highest levels — isn’t as data-driven or as simple as it might appear.”

Data can be very important, particularly at the later stages of the buying process, but emotion always comes first. If you lead with just facts, you’re much more likely to be ignored.

(I know you’re thinking “Sure, but I’m just a boring B2B company so facts are all that matter”. I think you’re wrong, and her book focuses heavily on B2B positioning and is a great read.)