Puppies and Babies in Ads Tug at Heart Strings
The next time you think about what to include in your ads, see if you can fit in some puppies or babies. According to a recent survey conducted by Harris Interactive for Adweek Media, puppies and babies draw positive reactions when seen in ads.
In response to the question, “Which of the following is most likely to ‘tug at your heart-strings’ when you see it in a commercial?” 41 percent of the 2,098 U.S. adults surveyed answered “a puppy,” while 34 percent responded with “a baby.”
On the other hand, “a sweet old lady” only got a 3 percent response, while “a sweet old man” only garnered a 2 percent response. Nineteen percent of respondents said “none of these.”
There were differences between the two genders, of course. Though 45 percent of females said a puppy in a commercial pulled at their heart strings, 37 percent of males said the same.
When it came to a baby, 39 percent of female respondents said the image of one elicited a positive response, while 29 percent of male respondent said the same.
For a sweet old lady, 3 percent of females said their heart strings were pulled at, while 4 percent of males said the same. For a sweet old man, 3 percent of female respondents noted a positive reaction, while 1 percent of male respondents said the same.
Males appear to be a bit less vulnerable to these heart-tugging tactics, as 10 percent of female respondents said none of these images elicited a positive response, while 29 percent of male respondents noted the same.
There were differences between age groups as well. While puppies appear to be universally loved by all age groups (all four age groups fell into the narrow 40-42 percent range), there were notable differences for images of a baby. Respondents between 35-44 (39 percent) and 45-54 (38 percent) were more receptive to images of a baby than respondents between 18-34 (30 percent) and 55+ (34 percent).
Interestingly enough, younger respondents displayed bigger hearts for images of a sweet old lady (5 percent) and a sweet old man (4 percent) than their older counterparts.
Having children in the household also seems to matter. A puppy tugged at the heart strings for 45 percent of those with no children in their households, compared to 29 percent of those with children in their households. A baby, on the other hand, was tug-worthy for 30 percent of those with no children, compared to 48 percent of those with children.
“While it seems that a puppy is a reasonably good choice if an advertiser is looking to emotionally connect with viewers, the question is whether a ‘tug at the heart-strings’ actually drives consumers to action, rather than just providing a fleeting emotional hook,” writes Samantha Braverman, project researcher for Harris Interactive. “Additionally, from this survey it’s not entirely clear which themes most appeal to men in advertising, as these traditionally heart-warming images don’t seem to be it.”
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