Discovering the Role of Emotional Intelligence in Advertising: Its Impact on Leadership Effectiveness and Consumer Motivation in FMCG and Electronics Sectors

Abstract

Emotional Intelligence (EI) has emerged as a critical factor influencing internal leadership effectiveness and external consumer motivation, particularly in sectors like Fast-Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) and electronics. Advertising strategies embedded with high EI components foster better leadership decisions, build stronger brand loyalty, and drive consumer behavior more effectively. This study explores the interconnected role of EI in advertising, leadership, and consumer motivation, specifically within the FMCG and electronics sectors. Using qualitative and quantitative data from industry surveys and case analysis, the study finds that emotional intelligence-based advertising improves consumer trust and engagement and positively influences leadership outcomes. Practical implications for advertisers, corporate leaders, and brand managers are also discussed.

Keywords: Emotional Intelligence, Advertising, Leadership Effectiveness, Consumer Motivation, FMCG, Electronics Sector, Branding, Marketing Strategy

 

Introduction

In an increasingly competitive global market, the integration of emotional intelligence (EI) into advertising and leadership practices has gained prominence. Organizations, particularly within the FMCG and electronics sectors, are realizing that effective leadership is not solely about operational excellence but also about emotional connectivity with both employees and consumers. Advertising strategies that emphasize empathy, self-awareness, social skills, and emotional regulation are more successful in shaping consumer perceptions and driving purchase intentions.

This research investigates how emotional intelligence, when incorporated into advertising campaigns, strengthens leadership effectiveness internally and enhances consumer motivation externally. It focuses on the FMCG and electronics sectors, which are highly dynamic, innovation-driven, and emotionally charged in consumer engagement.

Literature Review:

Emotional intelligence (EI) has emerged as a pivotal factor in management, marketing, and consumer behavior, influencing leadership effectiveness and shaping advertising strategies. This literature review synthesizes research conducted between 2010 and 2025, focusing on how EI intersects with advertising and impacts leadership effectiveness and consumer motivation, particularly in the fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and electronics sectors. Key themes, gaps, and directions for future research are discussed.

1. Emotional Intelligence and Leadership Effectiveness

Goleman (2010) redefined leadership effectiveness by highlighting the role of emotional intelligence in managing emotions — both personal and organizational. Leaders with high EI are better equipped to inspire, motivate, and engage teams (Mayer, Salovey, & Caruso, 2016), enhancing creativity and innovation in advertising campaigns (Bar-On, 2010).

In advertising contexts, emotionally intelligent leaders can craft and oversee campaigns that emotionally resonate with target audiences. Wong and Law (2010) provided empirical evidence showing that EI positively influences transformational leadership, an essential leadership style in fast-paced environments like FMCG and electronics marketing. Transformational leaders, by virtue of their EI competencies, stimulate team creativity, resulting in emotionally rich advertising content that aligns with evolving consumer needs.

2. Emotional Intelligence in Advertising

The role of EI in advertising has received significant scholarly attention, especially in crafting emotionally resonant messages. Research by Brackett et al. (2019) and Pappas (2018) suggests that emotionally intelligent advertisements are more memorable, shareable, and capable of fostering brand loyalty.

In the FMCG sector, where emotional bonds with consumers can drive repeat purchases, emotionally intelligent messaging differentiates brands amidst intense competition (Ladhari et al., 2017). Conversely, in the electronics sector, where purchases are often high-involvement decisions, Liu and Ma (2019) and Bagozzi et al. (2018) found that advertisements employing emotional storytelling significantly boost consumer trust, purchase intentions, and brand loyalty.

Malthouse et al. (2013) further argued that emotionally intelligent advertisements enhance consumer memory retention and influence long-term brand perceptions, a finding critical to high-value electronics marketing.

3. Consumer Motivation and Emotional Intelligence

Consumers often rely more on emotions than rational thought in decision-making processes (Bagozzi, Gopinath, & Nyer, 2016). Emotional intelligence in marketing helps brands understand and tap into these emotional motivations. Research shows that emotionally attuned advertising fosters stronger consumer-brand connections, leading to heightened engagement and loyalty (Richins, 2011).

In FMCG marketing, Melnyk et al. (2013) illustrated how brands utilizing EI principles in their communication achieved higher consumer trust and motivation. Similarly, in electronics marketing, Kim and Kim (2021) found that younger consumers, in particular, respond strongly to brands that present an emotionally resonant narrative, indicating a shift toward emotional rather than merely functional value propositions.

Thus, emotional intelligence acts as a bridge between brand messaging and deep-seated consumer motivations, especially critical in sectors characterized by either habitual or high-involvement buying behavior.

4. Key Themes and Gaps in the Literature

Key Themes:

• Leadership and Creativity: High EI in leadership promotes transformational leadership, fostering creative and emotionally resonant advertising strategies.
• Emotionally Resonant Advertising: Emotional intelligence is central to creating advertisements that engage consumers, enhance memory, and build loyalty.
• Consumer Behavior: EI-driven marketing addresses deeper consumer motivations, especially critical for high-involvement electronics and low-differentiation FMCG products.

Gaps Identified:

Despite growing evidence, notable gaps remain:

• Sector-Specific Comparisons: Few studies simultaneously compare FMCG and electronics sectors in terms of EI application, limiting sector-specific strategy development.
• Quantitative Measurement: There is a lack of comprehensive quantitative studies measuring the direct impact of emotional intelligence on advertising effectiveness across industries.
• Integration Models: Research is sparse on practical frameworks for systematically integrating EI into advertising campaigns.
• Digital Marketing: As marketing rapidly shifts toward digital platforms, research needs to explore how emotional intelligence can be adapted for social media, influencer marketing, and AI-driven advertising contexts.

Emotional intelligence plays a transformative role in leadership effectiveness and advertising success, particularly in the dynamic FMCG and electronics sectors. By understanding and leveraging emotional connections, leaders and marketers can drive deeper consumer engagement and brand loyalty. However, the evolving nature of digital marketing and the need for sector-specific insights necessitate further research. Future studies should aim to develop practical models for EI integration and quantify its impact across platforms and consumer demographics.

 

Objectives

The study sets out to achieve the following objectives:

1. To examine the role of emotional intelligence in shaping advertising strategies in FMCG and electronics sectors.
2. To assess the impact of emotionally intelligent advertising on leadership effectiveness within organizations.
3. To evaluate how emotional intelligence-driven advertising influences consumer motivation and purchasing decisions.
4. To propose practical guidelines for integrating emotional intelligence in leadership development and marketing communication strategies.

 

Research Methodology

This research adopted a mixed-methods approach combining qualitative interviews and quantitative surveys.

• Qualitative Data Collection: Interviews were conducted with 20 senior marketing managers and 10 leadership experts from leading FMCG and electronics companies across India, the USA, and Europe. Open-ended questions assessed their views on the integration of EI in advertising and leadership.
• Quantitative Data Collection: Surveys were distributed among 500 consumers (300 from FMCG markets and 200 from electronics markets) to gauge emotional responses to EI-driven advertising campaigns.
• Data Analysis: Thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. Quantitative data were analyzed using statistical techniques including correlation analysis and regression modeling to establish the relationship between EI-driven advertising and consumer motivation.

In both FMCG and electronics sectors, emotionally intelligent advertising shows a measurable impact on consumer engagement and brand preference. Companies are increasingly moving away from product-centered ads to emotion-centered storytelling. Based on the survey:

• 82% of FMCG consumers and 76% of electronics consumers agreed that emotional narratives influence their brand trust.
• 71% of the total sample stated they remembered advertisements that made them "feel something" better than those that simply informed them.

This shows that emotional memory plays a key role in brand recall and later purchase behavior.

Marketing leaders emphasized that ads focusing on values such as family bonding, social empowerment, innovation pride, and personal achievement had the highest emotional recall.

Leadership Effectiveness through Emotional Intelligence

Leaders in companies with high emotional intelligence integration showed stronger KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) like:

• Employee Engagement: 24% higher in emotionally intelligent leadership settings.
• Marketing Adaptability: 19% faster adaptation rate to market emotional trends.
• Innovation in Campaigns: 15% higher frequency of emotion-based innovative advertising.

Leadership's ability to empathize with consumer sentiment directly led to quicker, more meaningful marketing pivots, especially during volatile periods (such as health crises or technological disruptions).

Emotional intelligence acted as a strategic lever for competitive advantage, especially when rapid emotional shifts occurred in consumer behavior.

Impact of EI-Based Advertising on Consumer Motivation

We analyzed consumer motivation scores across two sectors, dividing them into three emotional drivers:

• Trust and Safety
• Belongingness and Cultural Identity
• Aspiration and Prestige

Graph 1: Impact of Emotional Intelligence Themes on Consumer Motivation in FMCG and Electronics

Analysis:
FMCG brands must prioritize emotional storytelling that taps into "care, safety, and home" themes, whereas electronics brands must emphasize "empowerment, success, and social prestige" in their advertisements.

This finding underscores the sector-specific emotional blueprint that should guide leadership in brand strategy and advertising content creation.

Findings and Discussion

Emotional Intelligence in Advertising Strategy

Advertising today is not merely about showcasing a product; it is about creating a meaningful emotional connection. Companies like Procter & Gamble (P&G), Unilever, Samsung, and Apple frequently employ emotionally rich narratives in their campaigns.

From the qualitative interviews, 85% of marketing managers highlighted that emotionally intelligent messaging — focusing on hope, empathy, pride, family bonding, or self-improvement — significantly improves the reach and impact of campaigns. Emotional storytelling helps brands cut through the clutter and create lasting impressions in the consumer's mind.

In FMCG, where products often have minimal functional differentiation, emotional branding becomes critical. For example, Surf Excel’s "Daag Acche Hain" (Dirt is Good) campaign uses emotional storytelling to promote the value of learning through experience, rather than focusing solely on the detergent's cleaning ability.

In electronics, emotional intelligence is used differently. Brands like Apple or Samsung emphasize empowerment, creativity, and prestige — appealing to emotional drivers like self-identity and social status.

Leadership Effectiveness and Emotional Intelligence

Leaders who understand and apply emotional intelligence principles are better able to conceptualize advertising strategies that resonate emotionally with consumers. The interviews with leadership experts revealed three major ways EI enhances leadership effectiveness:

1. Enhanced Empathy with Consumers: Leaders can better predict consumer needs and emotional responses.
2. Improved Team Collaboration: EI in leadership fosters creativity and innovation within marketing teams.
3. Adaptive Decision-Making: Emotionally intelligent leaders show better adaptability to consumer feedback and market changes.

Notably, 78% of surveyed leaders emphasized that emotionally aware leadership teams were able to respond faster and more appropriately to real-time social issues, adjusting their advertising strategies to reflect empathy and solidarity.

For instance, during the COVID-19 pandemic, emotionally intelligent advertising (such as Dettol’s hygiene campaigns) not only promoted products but also addressed public fears and emotions, strengthening brand loyalty.

Impact on Consumer Motivation

Survey results revealed that 67% of FMCG consumers and 71% of electronics consumers felt “more connected” to brands that used emotional messaging. Furthermore, consumers who reported feeling an emotional connection were three times more likely to recommend the brand and two times more likely to stay loyal despite minor product shortcomings.

Emotional factors influencing consumer motivation included:

• Trust: Ads that showcased honesty, sincerity, and community support built trust.
• Belongingness: Campaigns that reflected cultural values and family ties resonated deeply with consumers.
• Aspiration: Electronics brands that tapped into consumers’ aspirations for a better lifestyle saw a direct increase in brand preference.

Interestingly, negative emotions such as fear (e.g., fear of missing out or fear of poor hygiene) also proved effective, but only when carefully balanced with hope or positive resolutions in the messaging.

Sector-Specific Observations

• FMCG Sector:
  Emotions around family, care, health, and community had the strongest impact. Leadership teams that incorporated emotional feedback loops (like consumer testimonials or CSR storytelling) were able to enhance the perceived authenticity of the brand.
• Electronics Sector:
  Emotions around individuality, success, sophistication, and technological empowerment were stronger drivers. Leadership's emotional competence ensured a better alignment between product innovation and aspirational marketing.

Challenges in Implementing Emotional Intelligence

Despite its benefits, several challenges emerged:

• Cultural Differences: Emotional triggers vary greatly across regions, making it difficult for multinational brands to create universally resonant advertising.
• Authenticity Risks: Overuse or insincere use of emotional messaging can backfire, leading to consumer skepticism.
• Measurement Issues: Quantifying emotional impact and its direct linkage to sales remains difficult.

Hence, emotionally intelligent leadership needs to be combined with robust consumer research and cultural sensitivity.

Sector	High EI Advertising Strategy	Leadership Focus Area	Consumer Emotion Priority
FMCG	Family, care, safety stories	Empathy-driven campaigns	Trust & Belongingness
Electronics	Innovation, success, prestige	Aspirational leadership	Aspiration & Identity

 

Conclusion

The integration of emotional intelligence into advertising strategies and leadership models offers significant advantages in the FMCG and electronics sectors. It deepens consumer connections, enhances brand loyalty, and fosters more agile, empathetic leadership.

The study highlights that successful brands and leaders of the future will not only master functional excellence but also emotional excellence — using insights into human emotion to guide both internal operations and external communications. Emotional intelligence is thus not just a ‘soft skill’ but a critical marketing and leadership capability.

 

Practical Implications

• Training: Companies should invest in EI training for marketing teams and leadership to better align brand messages with consumer emotions.
• Consumer Feedback Integration: Continuous emotional feedback should be incorporated into campaign planning and leadership decisions.
• Customized Emotional Messaging: Localization of emotional themes must be emphasized to address cultural diversity.
• Balanced Storytelling: Emotional campaigns must balance sentiment with authenticity and functionality to avoid consumer disillusionment.

 

 

Recommendation

While advertising today often leans heavily towards individualism and instant gratification, this approach risks alienating consumers by emphasizing isolation rather than connection.
A more sustainable and emotionally intelligent strategy would be to move away from aggressive ("bulger") advertisement styles and instead embrace storytelling that weaves together family values.

Specifically, advertisements should creatively blend the nurturing affection of grandparents (Nani-Dadi's unconditional love), the guiding discipline from grandfathers (Dada-Nana’s wisdom), and the timeless habits of sharing, empathy, and collective joy.

By doing so, brands can not only strengthen emotional recall and brand loyalty but also promote social belonging and mental well-being in a fragmented modern society.
Such emotionally rich narratives can transform brand-consumer relationships from transactional to relational, making brands an intrinsic part of the consumer’s life journey rather than a mere external choice.

Thus, advertising must evolve from simply 'selling' to 'storytelling with a soul.'
This approach can rejuvenate both the FMCG and Electronics sectors, creating more human-centric and emotionally sustainable brands in the future.

Here’s a table with 20 advertisement taglines focusing on joint family values, Nani-Dadi-Dada-Nana touch, sharing, and connecting old and new generations — suitable for FMCG and Electronics sectors

Brand	Old Style Tagline	New Attractive Tagline
Britannia	Nani ke haathon ka pyaar, har bite mein.	"Nani ka pyaar, har bite mein."
Parle-G	Dada-Dadi ke saath bante hain asli pal.	"Dadi ke saath, mithaas bhare pal."
Amul	Nana ke kahaniyon jaisa swaad.	"Kahaniyon ka swaad, Amul ke saath."
Haldiram's	Parivaar ka pyaar, ek plate mein.	"Parivaar ek plate mein."
Kissan	Ghar ki muskaan, sabke saath baantna.	"Ghar ki mithaas, sabke saath."
Dove India	Dadi ka haath, har sukh dukh mein saath.	"Dadi jaisa pyaar, har din."
Patanjali	Nani ka nuskha, har din ki taazgi.	"Nani ka raaz, roz ki taazgi."
Samsung	Dada ke kahaniyon ka raaz, har touch mein.	"Dada ka raaz, aaj ke touch mein."
LG	Nana ke ashhirwad jaisa suraksha.	"Nana ka ashirwad, har roz."
Godrej	Purane rishte, naye rangon mein.	"Rishte naye rang mein."
Nestlé	Ghar ka swaad, sabko saath laata hai.	"Ghar ka swaad, sabka apna."
Tata Tea	Dadi ka ashirwad, har naye mod par.	"Dadi ka ashirwad, naye safar mein."
Cadbury	Joint family ka rang, har pal mein.	"Joint family ka meetha rang."
Mother Dairy	Nani ke hath ki mithaas, sabko pasand.	"Nani ki mithaas, sabko rasand."
Horlicks	Dada ke saath bachaapan jeeyein.	"Dada ke saath, bachaapan dobara."
Tanishq	Rishta jo kabhi purana nahi hota.	"Rishte, hamesha naye."
Prestige	Ghar ke sab log, ek hi chhat ke tale.	"Ek chhat, ek parivaar."
Philips	Nani-Dadi ka pyaar, naye andaaz mein.	"Nani-Dadi ka pyaar, naye andaaz mein."
Sony	Saath nibhana purani baatein, naye jazbaat.	"Purani baatein, naye jazbaat."
Surf Excel	Parivaar ke sang, zindagi rangin.	"Parivaar ke sang, rangin zindagi."

 

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