Sadvertising: Why making people cry works

No, you’re not overly overly emotional – ads are coming sadder and sadder, and people are starting to realise.

Brands deliberately trying to make us all cry like a babies. So if you have shed a tear over a John Lewis bear ad, bawled like a baby at a video promoting an insurance company in Thailand or found your lip starting to curl at Budweiser’s latest Super Bowlcommercial, it’s not all your fault. Like Unruly Media have stated: you’re just an innocent victim of an all-out assault on your tear-ducts from marketers.

Why are brands turning to sadvertising?

Brands play with our emotions because it works. Recent research has found that the most shared ads of all time are the ones which elicit the strongest emotions. Videos which elicit strong emotions from an audience, regardless of whether they’re positive or negative, are twice as likely to be shared than those which elicit a weak emotional response. The only problem is, making people laugh is incredibly difficult. Humour, while one of the biggest drivers of sharing, is also highly subjective and does not cross national borders easily. Crying, however: much easier.

Let’s look at some poignant examples of sadvertising:

Google Chrome: Dear Sophie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4vkVHijdQk

Thai Life Insurance

John Lewis Christmas Ad

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0N8axp9nHNU

Powerade: Nico’s story

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10GD9inHQbI