Emotional branding and consumer engagement in pandemic times in social networks

Abstract

In turbulent times, like during the Covid-19 pandemic, in which feelings such as fear, and loneliness are common, social networks became channels for seeking affection, acceptance and social information. Emotional appeal emerges as a strategy that seeks to establish a deep connection with consumers on these networks. This article investigates emotional branding practices and their relationship with user engagement on social media, in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic. Through text mining and correlation analysis, the presence of positive and negative feelings in publications from 2019 and 2020 on Facebook® was analyzed, considering three fashion brands in Brazil. The most frequent adoption of these strategies was found after the pandemic, highlighting the use of texts related to feelings of "strength", "caring", "security" and "liveliness" and the lesser use of texts related to "fun" and “animation”. A positive correlation was identified between the presence of content related to "solidarity", "strength" and "tolerance" and the engagement of users from 2020. The study results reinforce the importance of congruence between the actions of brands on social networks and the emotional needs of users.

Keywords

• branding
• sentimentos
• pandemia
• redes sociais