Emotions: A Universal Language?

Love is an emotion that transcends language and culture. But what about other emotions? If people have an emotional response to a brand, can it be consistent across multiple languages and cultures? The answer is "yes", according to a recent study by Ipsos Health in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA.

Our research found strong cross cultural consistency in reaction to a concept for a new medication--with some variation in the specific words or emotions selected. The implication is that we can expect emotional response to be consistent across cultures, but that we need to focus on emotional themes and not just specific expressions. In other words, the key is focus on the forest and not the trees.

What we did

Our objective was to assess whether there is cross cultural consistency in emotional response. We used Ipsos' Emoti*Scape map to measure physicians' emotional response to a new medication. Respondents click on the "Emo" icons that best represents their feelings about the concept. The process is quick and simple. This study was conducted in the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the USA.

View larger image

What we found

Overall reaction to the medication's description was lukewarm, with most doctors expecting to use it to treat a small subset of patients. The emotional response was therefore muted, in all nations, with "curious /interested" being the most common item chosen. In Italy and Spain there were also a sizable number who clicked "wishful/ jealous" ("speranzoso" & "deseoso"/ "anhelante").

Very few had this response in other countries. This appears to be a cultural/language issue. But while there were differences in the words chosen, what is important is that these emotions are part of the same theme.

Similarly, a minority of people in all countries chose words that were part of the Turned-on/Eager factor. "Eager" was the most common choice overall, but "inspired" popped up in the UK, and the US, while the French were more likely to feel "excitation" and the Italians "attratto".

What we learned

We find evidence of a common emotional response across cultures, in the results of this modest test, even though there was some variation in the exact words selected. The implications are two-fold: a) Emotional reactions can be measured and compared across cultures; and b) When comparing across nations, we need to concentrate our analysis more on themes than on specifics--keeping our focus on the forest, not the trees.

For more insight into Emotions and Decision Making...

Emotional responses and motivations are the top drivers of physician's prescribing decisions, our research has consistently proven. Our publication Power and Resonance in Pharmaceutical Marketing provides insight into how positive emotional associations drive market share in a powerful way.

Emotions are at the pinnacle of the hierarchy of Brand Power