To start the process, we needed to be able to identify the diverse range of emotional triggers that brands convey to consumers. This isn't simply a range of emotions that people can feel on a day to day basis, but conceptualisations based on the messages received through interaction with a brand across any of its consumer touch points.
To establish this, a number of studies were conducted that asked consumers to assess different types of branded stimulus and describe the types of emotions that they associated with each. After a number of studies across a wide range of consumer brands the same emotional equities started repeating themselves. New equities were few and far between and it soon became apparent that we had a fairly exhaustive list. This provided a robust starting point for the lexicon (incidentally we have added very few new descriptors to the lexicon since its inception).
Having identified several hundred different emotional triggers based on different brands it was time to understand the relationships between them. Again, a number of consumer studies were carried out which encouraged consumers to sort the emotions into similar groups (or territories). This data was then analysed to produce clusters of associated equities. The emotional equity that showed the best fit with the cluster became the emotional territory and the other descriptors in the cluster became expressions.
The clusters were mapped out and a graphic representation was created to show the territories and expressions whilst capturing their relationships with other emotional territories. This tool is one of the vital components to our quantitative emotional equities profiling methodology.
Abundant internal testing and numerous high profile studies have now demonstrated the power of the Emotional Lexicon and its value in helping researchers to truly engage with consumers at the conceptualisation phase of choice making process.
Tags: lexicon, process, emotion, trigger, conceptualisation