Empathy in Marketing: Our Favorite Ads

At Indie Consulting, we believe all marketing should drive performance. Performance is driven through taking an empathetic approach to our audiences, messaging and consistently questioning how we can provide value. Empathy-based marketing, for us, is about walking in not just consumers, but also our clients’ shoes, to better understand needs and the best ways for us to connect. By using a combination of emotion, creativity, and data, we are consistently trying to find the best ways to provide value to our audiences. 

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Great marketing has the ability to tap into people’s emotions and communicate the brand’s core values, even when it doesn’t directly tie in the products or services they offer. This week, we are taking a look at some of Indie’s favorite empathy-based marketing ads and campaigns that have inspired us from recent years.

Seasonally Relevant: Etsy Mother's Day

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This Mother’s Day ad from Etsy acknowledges that Mother’s Day may be a difficult holiday for some. Etsy is giving their consumers the option to opt out of Mother’s Day emails, empowering them to choose what’s best by respecting each consumer’s individual experience. 

Pandemic Relatability: Uber

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Uber’s ad, a response to the COVID-19 pandemic, gives a look into peoples’ homes and lives during quarantine. It’s as relatable and relevant you can get -- every person going through the pandemic understands what Uber is trying to say. They are thanking customers for not riding with them and showing that they understand it’s a hard time. Acknowledging this makes consumers feel seen and know that Uber understands the current reality. 

Positive Everyday Moments: Ikea 

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Ikea has taken the approach of highlighting positive, everyday memories made at home to encourage customers to make their home a place they love to be. Ikea is empathizing with customers by acknowledging how much time is being spent at home, and suggesting ways to improve their spaces. It’s not an overly persuasive ad for people to buy their products -- Ikea simply empathizes with all the special moments that can be shared in a home. 

Culturally Relevant: Always #LikeAGirl Campaign

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Always’ #LikeAGirl campaign is a culturally relevant topic that centers around keeping girls’ confidence high during puberty and beyond. The ad features boys being asked to run, throw, or fight like a girl, and young girls being asked the same thing. Young girls watching are inspired because they see other girls, just like them, who are strong and confident when they find out there is no such thing as doing something “like a girl.” Always was able to put themselves into young girls’ shoes and made their message about empowering young women instead of focusing on the products they offer.