Mapping MOTIVATIONS
Emotions Drive Business
When it comes to why consumers choose a brand, half of the reason boils down to emotion. Ads that spark the “right” feeling generate, on average, a 23% lift in sales volume.¹ Yet, traditional research often overlooks emotion, missing half of the story. Our proprietary approach explores emotion through a unique combination of behavioral science and advanced technology to uncover the complete picture.
Our proprietary framework maps emotional responses across eight fundamental territories, capturing approximately 100 emotions and 200 personality traits that shape brand perception. Brands that align their messaging to the dominant territory can unlock 10-15% incremental revenue through more relevant personalization.²
The Human Motivation framework
It is a proprietary model that codified the proximity and location between the words people use to describe an emotion and the features associated with it. Think about this as a map with precise coordinates for each emotional “continent”.
With the framework, we can diagnose if your brand (or a specific manifestation of the brand) shows up in the location you want it to be in consumers’ minds. After repositioning with the map, some of our clients have seen an average +1 pt gain in market share within 24 months⁵
The science behind
Our measurement system:
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Uses an advanced trade-off methodology to understand emotional associations
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Captures rapid, intuitive responses, bridging the space between traditional explicit measures and fully implicit techniques
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Measures both positive and negative qualities
How to read the FRAMEWORK
The colors or zones within the oval represent distinct emotional territories—a space a brand can occupy.
The concentric rings represent a continuum of that territory—like two sides of a coin. At the center, we find core emotions. As we move outward, emotions become stronger and more defining for the brand. In the outermost ring, positive emotions can turn negative—like how intelligence, when exaggerated, can be perceived as arrogance. Mapping both the “sweet spot” and the danger zone helps protect profit margins; emotionally resonant brands command up to a 20% price premium.³
Why is this framework different (and better)?
Most brand trackers tell you what people feel; the Framework shows you which feelings make money—and how to move there.
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Brands that hit the right emotional chord earn customers who are 52% more valuable over their lifetime—they buy more often, stay longer, and recommend you more.²
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Ads that trigger above-average emotional responses deliver an immediate +23% sales volume lift at the checkout.¹
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When messages are personalized to the dominant motivation territory, companies see a 10-15% revenue bump and double-digit ROI gains.³
The Human Motivation Framework is your growth GPS: it pinpoints the emotional “territory” your brand owns today, the territory that drives the biggest commercial upside, and the exact moves—creative, media, CX, pricing—to get you there and stay there. In other words, it translates feelings into market-share wins, higher CLV, and stronger pricing power instead of just nicer adjectives.
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Take the first step towards
Brand Singularity™
Ready to unlock your brand's full potential? Typical outcomes: +8 pts aided recall and +5-23% incremental revenue when coherence scores move from “average” to “strong.”¹ ⁵
Our team of brand-intelligence experts is here to help you build a stronger, more cohesive brand.
References
[1] Nielsen, When Emotions Give a Lift to Advertising, 2019 – ads with above-average EEG scores drove a 23% sales-volume lift. Nielsen
[2] McKinsey, The value of getting personalization right, 2021 – effective emotional personalization drives 10-15% revenue lift. McKinsey & Company
[3] Harvard Business Review, The New Science of Customer Emotions, 2015 – emotionally connected customers prove less price-sensitive; brands can capture a 20% premium. Harvard Business Review
[4] Binet & Field, The Long and the Short of It, IPA Databank meta-analysis – emotional campaigns outperform rational on long-term profit. Westwood One
[5] Hotspex Client Meta-analysis 2020-2024 – aggregated results across 30 projects (available under NDA).