Avni Godhala

The Ethical Implications of Emotional Branding

Started Sept. 29, 2025

Abstract or project description

This project investigates the ethical implications of emotional branding, a marketing strategy that appeals to a consumer's emotions through various methods to influence behavior. It has become more widely used in modern marketing because it allows marketers to create a strong emotional connection between their customers and the company. Emotional branding can build loyalty, strengthen brand identity, and most importantly, influence purchasing decisions. It also raises ethical concerns about manipulation versus persuasion, and the potential exploitation of individuals who are more susceptible or vulnerable to this form of marketing. The goal of this paper is to research how emotional branding works psychologically and to measure the extent to which these practices can be considered ethically safe and morally responsible. A case study on Pepsi’s campaign with Kendall Jenner and Nike’s campaign with Colin Kaepernick will show how emotional branding influences purchase decisions, and will review their ethically correct and questionable approaches. This paper will also analyze and offer insight into how marketers can balance persuasiveness and moral responsibility, and will show how emotional branding can be beneficial without exploiting any customers. Altogether, the research will demonstrate that emotional branding can be effective and ethically correct when applied with authenticity and respect for consumer well-being.