The Language Of Emotion: Ad Slogans In Native Tongues Connect To Consumers' Emotions

“In our globalized world, consumers are exposed to marketing messages in many languages. But a new study in the Journal of Consumer Research says messages expressed in people's native languages are most effective at triggering emotional reactions.” ScienceDaily (Dec. 22, 2008)

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            This experiment was carried out in the Netherlands by Stefano Puntoni, Bart de Langhe and Stijn Van Osselaer. Their experiment consisted of studying the effects of different slogans on participants whose 1^st language was different than the one from the slogans (language in the slogans was participants in their 2^nd language). According to their results, in general, when a message is expressed to a consumer, if the message is shown in his native language; the participant is more likely to perceive that message more emotionally than if it was shown in their second language.  

            Researchers believe that these results have nothing to do with the participants skill with the language or the ability to understand an advertisement when hearing it in their second language. However, it was found that the ads that were in the participants first language have an emotional advantage on consumers due to the fact that emotions are also linked with memories, therefore, as researchers believe. When a person is reading or hearing a word, a memory is triggered unconsciously in which that word pays a role. As consumers have more personal experience with their first language, the words they use have more personal memories, hence why a marketing message in a native language is perceived to be more emotional.

            Other findings showed that this effect is more likely to appear in women than in men as women have a stronger emotional memory.  This is a good thing for marketing as they can use this to catch the attention of women and advertise their products. Also, it was found that it did not matter which one was the first language (Frenc h or Ducth). The slogans were always perceived more emotionally in the first language than in the second. A real life application for this would be when trying to make business with a foreign company as if there is someone who speaks and knows the slogans in the first language of the business man then they are more likely to empathize and become eager to make business.