Consumer Emotions Spiral

Throughout the launch marketing process, advertisers continuously send cues to consumers triggering positive emotional responses towards their upcoming products or services. The consumer emotions spiral represents the desired responses to informational cues for each stage of the launch marketing process:

The intensity in emotional responses is heightened throughout the marketing campaign and towards the launch of the product. The interest sparked by speculation makes consumers curious, a feeling that turns into intrigue after an official company announcement is made about an upcoming product, growing into anxiety in the period leading to the actual launch of the product. By then, engaged audiences show decisiveness about their purchase intentions, followed by exhilaration from post-purchase satisfaction.

The lengthy process delays gratification from the time products are announced to the time they actually are available for purchase, which causes repression and increases consumer anxiety. According to Freud's theory of anxiety and affects, delayed gratification is a critical element for the successful creation of momentum.

A launch marketing campaign is, rather than a mere P.R. initiative, a true holistic marketing approach aiming to increasingly incite favorable emotions towards an upcoming product or service. These emotions not only lead to a positive purchase decision but also ensue a constructive conversation around the product, increasing the reach of the campaign through word of mouth.

A positive build-up needs to be met with post-purchase satisfaction; and such satisfaction hinges on delivering the product attributes advertised throughout the launch marketing campaign. Meeting consumers' expectations is vital in inciting exhilaration feelings that are conducive to positive word of mouth after purchasing the product. Failing to meet such expectations will likely cause the opposite reaction, leading to a quick desertion, as early adopters will be picking up on clues from innovators to make an informed purchase decision.

The launch marketing process should be inclusive of post-purchase emotions, as these are vital in guaranteeing the continuity of overall positive emotions generated throughout the entire process. Compare this to a bad movie with a great trailer. Some consumers will be fooled and rush to watch the film on opening day, but their disappointment will rapidly disseminate and cause the majority of consumers, who are considering to watch the film, to change their minds.

Launch Marketing vs. Hush Marketing

A proper launch marketing system should not be mistaken with so called "hush marketing" or "shock and awe" approaches. Public relations experts and some marketers insist in holding back information and coming out with a "bang" to surprise the masses.

The problem with such an approach is that, while effective for investors who are hanging on to corporate press releases to place their next order, companies are likely to miss out in reaching consumer markets.

In many occasions I have had my fair share of disagreements with marketing folks that insist in using the "shock and awe" approach failing to realize that some of the most effective launch marketing campaigns invested at least a year in communicating with target audiences before the actual products reached the market.

What is Launch Marketing?

It is interesting how no proper definition exists for Launch Marketing (the term doesn't even exist in Wikipedia). Marketers commonly use it to deal with the tactics surrounding the introduction of new products to market, but for the purposes of this blog, Launch Marketing is an integrated marketing system, most commonly used for introducing new products, that aims at creating hyper demand resulting in an accelerated sales pace during the early days of the product life cycle.

Common examples of launch marketing campaigns include Apple's introduction of the iPhone, the arrival of the PS3, among many other excellent examples (some of which will be reviewed in detail later on in this blog).

Introduction and Aims

In recent years several companies have been reaping the benefits of fast paced sales that result from the hype the introduction of new products to the marketplace creates. These success stories have been hardly a coincidence but the outcome of intelligently implementing an integrated marketing system that creates a fad and prompts hyper-demand for new products by the time of their launch.

Many real estate developers, during the 2005 housing bubble in the United States, deployed launch marketing campaigns more focused on promoting the big one-day opening events to kick-off sales rather than showcasing properties' attributes. The common language for these campaigns spoke about missed opportunities through both conventional and non-conventional communication channels, aiming to create hype about the projects and bring about fear of loss, driving higher impulse buys.