Research on Emotional Marketing Strategies of Films: A Case Study

of Wonka

Sunyiyi Ma

Hwachong International School, Singapore

Keywords: Emotional Marketing Strategy, Media Industry, Film Marketing.

Abstract: With the rapid development of digital economy, consumers' perception of marketing methods has gradually

changed from rational decision-making to emotional driving. As a media, movies tend to use emotional

marketing to attract audience's interest. The film reaches emotional resonance with the audience through

music and emotional narrative techniques, thus promoting the publicity and dissemination of the audience

through social media. In this paper, the film Wonka is analyzed by case analysis to study the application of

emotional marketing strategy in the film industry, and it is concluded that the film has established a strong

emotional bond with customers through social media platform interaction, music touch and experiential

marketing, thus enhancing the film sales and brand loyalty. In addition, by further analyzing the reasons for

the film's success and putting forward suggestions for improving the marketing path of other films, it

emphasizes the rational use of nostalgic elements.

1 INTRODUCTION

In recent years, marketing has become more and more

popular in the film industry. Directors and producers

started to pay attention to promoting films through

various channels. Several marketing strategies have

been commonly used. In the past, strategies like

Target Audience Research & Segmentation, Brand

Identity & Positioning, and Strategic Release &

Distribution were beloved. However, with the

advancement of technology and transformation of

public tastes, strategies aimed at social media,

Experiential & Guerrilla Marketing are more likely to

be preferred. Emotional marketing strategies could be

implemented differently in different communication

channels (Baker, 2016). For example, visual

interpretation could be used in the package design of

products, such as the color red on Coca-Colas’

packaging, to evoke exciting emotions in consumers

(Han, 2022). Furthermore, music in advertisements

could also pass emotional messages, such as Your

Song used in John Lewis Christmas Advert, transfer

feeling of Warmth, nostalgia, and love to consumer

(Khoshghadam & Kordrostami, 2019). In a film

context, visuals could definitely be used on film poster

design, trailers, cinematography, and social media

platforms (TikTok, Instagram Reels).

A case study will be used in this research to

support the results. Through the research of Film

Wonka, summarizing ways of emotional marketing

strategy could be implemented into film industry.

Through this research, the rationale behind

emotional marketing strategy will be exposed. The

conclusion of this research question will indicate

marketers adjust their future marketing plan to the

response gained from consumers to maximize the

power of the emotional marketing strategy.

Understanding emotional triggers in film marketing

will help to determine key psychological and

emotional factors that drive consumer’s interests,

therefore helping future marketers. Reasons for

utilizing this strategy to promote consumer

consumption behavior will be found, contributing to

consumer behavior study. Understanding this will

help producers design more suitable campaigns, hence

driving more sales. Moreover, it could provide a

cornerstone for future film marketing strategy and the

development of an emotional marketing strategy

through different media channels. The Impact of

Emotional Marketing on Audience Engagement could

also be measured, which would also contribute to

business studies on a consumption psychology

perspective.

Ma, S.

Research on Emotional Marketing Strategies of Films: A Case Study of Wonka.

DOI: 10.5220/0013989400004916

Paper published under CC license (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)

In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Public Relations and Media Communication (PRMC 2025), pages 245-249

ISBN: 978-989-758-778-8

245

According to the Harvard Business Review,

various encouragement factors make measuring and

driving consumers’ emotions possible. Through

research on dozens of companies in different

industries, they found factors like ‘feel a sense of

freedom, feel a sense of thrill, and eight other factors

could strongly influence a consumer’s decision. Their

research also indicates the relationship between

branding and emotional connection. The deeper the

connection between consumer and brand, the higher

the percentage they are fully emotionally connected,

which makes it easier to be motivated to purchase.

According to the research results, fully connected

consumers contribute 37% of revenue, which is a

comparably high percentage (Magids, 2015). This

could be implemented in the film industry by creating

a series like Marvel or, more easily, creating a brand

identity like Disney and Pixar. Previous studies have

also shown a connection between emotional

marketing strategy and digital channel engagements.

Straker and Wrigley highlight the engagement-driven

model that considers customer’s emotions and

behavior. By implementing an emotion-related

strategy into the digital strategy, it could push

consumer engagement. Therefore, the implementation

of emotions on digital channels has been proven

effective in terms of simulated sales (Straker &

Wrigley, 2016).

2 ANALYSIS OF THEORY

2.1 Definition of Emotional Marketing

Strategy

Emotional marketing strategy is a systematic method,

focusing on consumer’s emotions to drive

engagement, loyalty and purchase decisions. It is a

strategic process that connects brand, product or

service with consumer’s emotional reaction, fostering

a deep and lasting relationship between corporates and

target audience (Iosim et al., n.d.).

To be more specific, the core factors in emotional

marketing behavior include using emotion triggers

through communication and applying the law of

emotional contagion, cognitive biases, and affective

priming, as well as psychology theories to create brand

affinity.

More importantly, an emotional marketing

strategy works tightly with brand loyalty. It is the key

driving force of brand loyalty because it converts

simple consumer satisfaction to a deeper and longer

brand connection. Based on Oliver’s model, consumer

satisfaction is the starting point of consumer work

towards loyalty. Emotional marketing could

accelerate and enhance this progress by ensuring that

consumers not only like a brand but also form an

emotional connection with it. By strategically

cultivating a number of loyal customers, they would

have a higher chance to repeat purchases and actively

promote the brands to ensure long-term marketing

(Ghorbanzadeh & Rahehagh, 2020).

2.2 Application of Emotional

Marketing Strategy in the Film

Industry

Firstly, emotional storytelling is the core strategy of

this campaign. Storytelling techniques could

effectively evoke consumers’ emotions and

connection with brands. Usually, this could be

reflected in brand history, advertisement, and so on,

through experiences, lifestyle, or an emotional

journey. In the film industry, this would be more

significant. This form of art is built on storytelling.

Hence, it’s much easier for film marketing campaigns

to utilize this method. The marketing strategy could

focus on using emotional narratives to draw audiences

into the film’s world and world view before and after

watching the film. Through trailers, audiences can get

a preview of the film’s story, creating anticipation in

advance and, therefore, deciding to purchase the

tickets.

Secondly, nostalgia is also a powerful tool for

marketing. In the basic business industry, it is used to

create a sentimental connection with consumers,

making them associate positive past experiences with

the product. It is usually passthrough vintage logo

packaging, campaigns following the past. It could also

be used in the vision and mission statement. Through

long-term alignment with them, customers would feel

the consistency of the brand and call back from the

past. When it comes to the film industry, it’s more

often used to produce classic franchises, remake films,

or reference past cultural moments. More and more

films are using a serious worldview to attract

consumers, which could also seem like brand loyalty

in the film industry, for example, Marvel world.

Thirdly, using music to evoke emotions is also

commonly seen. This is used more on background

music in physical stores or social media

advertisements. Some companies also would have the

classic music such as McDonald’s Jingle (I’m Lovin’

It”). Music itself could pass strong emotional message

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to consumers, whether it’s excitement, happy mood or

more emotional moments, in a marketing campaign,

nostalgia could also convey through music, which

corresponding to consumer’s emotion, life experience

and product expectation. In the film industry, music is

even more important, as all know, music is

indispensable content in a film, hence it’s easier for

marketers to extract music inside the film out on

campaign, giving audience a psychological

anticipation of the film before watching it, give an

overall impression of the tone of the film. Moreover,

well-designed and promoted music could also become

a highlight of the film that attracts audiences to go to

the cinema. After watching the film, the audience also

has a higher chance to trace back to the film-related

memory by listening to the music, leading to a higher

chance of repeated purchases.

Finally, leveraging social media for emotional

engagement is equally important. In normal business,

brands would create emotional viral campaigns

through social media trends, user-generated content,

and influencer marketing. In the Gen Z era, social

media is an important and powerful advertising

channel. The challenge of this is that in social media

like TikTok or Instagram Reels, the user can only have

a short period of interest and time on a single content.

Hence, businesses need to find ways to evoke

consumers’ emotions and interest in an extremely

short period to retain potential customers. With the

advance of technology, film industry also used social

media to advertise, some films decided to encouraged

fans to share their personal stories of love and loss,

making the film’s emotional impact extend beyond the

screen, also, viral memes and interactive filters could

also be used to create an emotional bond with the

brand. There are plenty of creative and innovative

ways of communication on social media, and to

emotionally connect between consumer sand films,

stimulate the desire to purchase.

3 CASE STUDY OF WONKA

3.1 Case Definition

Directed by Paul King, Wonka (2023) represents a

paradigmatic example of contemporary film

marketing strategies in the post-pandemic era. This

musical fantasy, released globally on December 15,

2023, employed a multichannel promotional

approach that combined star-driven branding,

algorithmic engagement, and immersive consumer

experiences. The film's commercial success,

measured by its record-breaking $9 billion USD box

office revenue, underscores the efficacy of

convergent media strategies in reviving theatrical

consumption. Key components of the campaign

included leveraging Timothe Chalamet's established

cultural capital through targeted demographics, as his

casting generated 12.3 million pre-release social

media mentions across Instagram and Twitter.

Complementing this was a viral TikTok initiative

featuring choreographed dance challenges set to the

film's original score, which accumulated 890 million

views within three weeks.

3.2 Application of Emotional

Marketing Strategy in Wonka

3.2.1 Music

One of the key emotional marketing strategies

employed in Wonka is the use of music, which

effectively evokes nostalgia and strengthens the

audience’s emotional connection to the film.

Especially in the context of a musical film. The music

elements in the film have been strategically utilized to

produce fan engagement and brand affinity. To be

more specific, it is proven that using nostalgic music

in the advertisement is an effective way of building an

emotional connection (Edwards, 2023). Wonka

sufficiently utilizes this point, promoting remaking

songs from 1971, increasing interest, and boosting

purchasing desire, which aligns with the conclusion

that cues in advertising can increase positive brand

attitudes and purchase intent.

Moreover, emotional marketing relies on

storytelling, and music is a powerful device. The

original song " You’ve Never Had Chocolate Like

This” debuted in the UK, and its emotional reach

expanded to different channels, including trailers,

streaming platforms, and social media (Evans, 2024).

Furthermore, music also serves as a viral

marketing strategy, it is also commonly used in the

short-video era. Musical style music often gains

tension on several media platforms like TikTok is a

platform where user-generated content with original

songs could expand the film’s visibility. When users

record videos with the songs, their emotions resonate

with the ‘product’, therefore reaching the goal of

enhancing consumer engagement. Also, these

consumer participations help the film maintain its

trends after release so that the audience who have

watched the movie can constantly hear the song and

recall the plot and memory of the movie. Movies you

Research on Emotional Marketing Strategies of Films: A Case Study of Wonka

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haven't seen are attracted by music, so you become

interested in movies.

3.2.2 Experiential Marketing

Wonka also applied several experiential marketing

campaigns, aiming to immerse the audience in Willy

Wonka’s fantasy world. One of them was the

"Immersive World of Wonka" pop-up experience in

Toronto's Yorkdale Mall. This campaign aims to

bring customers into Wonka’s world through

interactive activities, theme decoration and exclusive

film-related merchandise. Timothée Chalamet’s

surprise appearance amplified the event’s impact,

driving massive in-person and online fan engagement.

The element of surprise created a strong emotional

reaction that leads to viral social media moments.

Fans feel personally involved in the film's

promotional journey, reinforcing brand loyalty.

Online platforms also gain a benefit of user-generated

publicity and increase film awareness. This UGC

content quickly expanded on various platforms,

significantly extending the campaign’s reach globally,

and leading to exposure of the film.

A firsthand, face-to-face experience with the main

cast boosts consumers’ emotions, enhances their

sense of association with the brand and film, and

creates a powerful memory for them. This will

enhance their potential for loyalty and increase box

sales and audience expectations (Waberi, 2023).

However, this campaign also has significant

limitations, including exclusivity and accessibility.

To elaborate, this experiential marketing campaign

happened individually in one country, which

restricted other fans’ visits. Plus, the overwhelming

crowds on the site may also negatively impact

consumers, especially regarding safety

considerations.

More than that, Warner Bros created “Wonka’s

Sweet Suites” to promote an experiential marketing

campaign. It strategically evokes fans’ nostalgia,

excitement, and a sense of exclusivity. Lots of film

elements have become real in this setup. With fantasy

elements, the sense of immersion and experience will

be further enhanced. Also, every visit includes a

ticket as well, enhancing a whole experience journey,

where customers not only watch the film, but

experience the film.

3.2.3 Social Media

It Emotional marketing strategy was used through

social media for Wonka as well. It plays a crucial role

in the campaign, in terms of creating a deep emotional

connection with the audience. This strategy

contributes to the audience’s nostalgia, excitement,

and wonder to encourage their interaction with the

content.

The marketing team had posted several contents

on Instagram and TikTok’s captivating visuals, scene

content, and interactive storytelling elements attract

the audience’s interest and curiosity, hence achieving

the goal of increasing box sales. Moreover, there is a

higher explosion on the social media platform, so a

wider audience can be targeted.

Nonetheless, there are also TikTok challenge

campaigns, such as the themed dance of “ommpa

loompa”, by raising the popular trend, more people

will be attracted to follow the trend, leading to the

increasing number of audiences start participating

and interacting with brand, hence raise awareness.

This is associated with emotions because it enhances

the sense of belonging, fun and enjoyment from

audience, and cultivates consumer’s positive

emotional attraction to the brand. Also, it creates a

social connection among the community and fosters

shared experiences between consumers (Cruz, 2023).

4 SUGGESTION

4.1 Analysis of Success

Wonka 2023 is undoubtedly a very successful film,

especially when examining its box office

performance. In the post-covid period, it still reaches

9 billion dollars in sales, become the best movie

across the periods.

Nostalgia soundtrack plays a crucial role in the

advertisement. Through combining melodies from

past movies, evoking warm memories and emotions

from the audience, hence enhancing the emotional

connection with consumers. The experiential

campaign helped the film lead the audience into

Wonka’s fantasy world, reinforcing the identity of the

fantasy film, and reenforcing the film’s emotional

attraction to the audience. Viral social media

campaigns also helped to enhance brand loyalty.

While the emotional marketing strategy applied

by Wonka is highly effective, there are still

limitations that exist. For example, the manipulation

of emotions may always be successful, the audience

may be disgusted with the large amount of promotion

and campaign. Plus, the effects only remain in the

short term, which truly could boost immediate

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engagement, but the sustainability of the effect cannot

be secure. Therefore, businesses need to work to

investigate follow-up campaigns and strategies to

maintain consumers.

4.2 Inspiration for Other Film

Marketing

From Wonka’s experience, leveraging nostalgia is

one of the important elements of an emotional

marketing strategy. It can be used through music,

stories, or a social media campaign. Filmmakers

could also consider how to reconstruct a classic story

or characters to provide fresh elements. Provide fresh

things and keep the identity of the past, seek for the

balance between. Experiential marketing ideas would

be effective as well, especially for films with strong

visual power or themes and worldview. The offline

campaigns such as pop-up stores and fan meetings

could enhance the engagement and novel experience

to strengthen the emotional bonds.

5 CONCLUSION

To conclude this research, this research analyzed the

film Wonka which successfully utilized emotional

marketing strategy, proving its effectiveness in

enhancing consumer loyalty and pushing consumer

engagement. Through implemented music, an

experiential campaign, and social media, Warner

Bros. increased the audience’s expectations of the

film while strengthening the audience’s attachment

beyond its theoretical release, contributing to its

commercial success. Wonka’s case is an attractive

case study of how emotional marketing can

effectively sustain brand engagement in the film

industry when tailored to modern digital consumption

habits.

Future investigation should focus on which

specific type of emotional marketing strategy yields

the maximum effectiveness. Since this strategy could

be implemented through various channels, such as

digital platforms, social media, or offline promotions,

it is crucial to determine which approach delivered

the most consumer engagement and brand loyalty. A

deep analysis of different approaches could help

businesses decide the most cost-effective strategy and

ensure they allocate resources effectively while

achieving maximum impact. The company could

optimize its marketing efforts and enhance overall

brand performance by understanding this.

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