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‘Happy’ keywords = happier shoppers = better ROI on your adspend

By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2024

How consumers feel impacts what they search for, how sceptical they are, and what they click on, a new US research study finds.

A new study from the University of Georgia in the US shows consumers use ‘happier’ words to search for products when they are in a good mood. Researchers say these positive search terms result in an increased likelihood of clicking on search engine advertisements.

“There’s a lot of research about how you feel when you’re in a store [and] how you feel when you see a product,” notes Sarah Whitley, an Assistant Professor of Marketing at the university.

“But now people begin the shopping process online before they step foot in a store. They may operate differently in this online space, and we need to understand how emotions play a role.”

The study, titled ‘Positive Emotions During Search Engine Use: How You Feel Impacts What You Search For and Click On’, is published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Marketing.

Photo by Kindel Media from Pexels

Researchers found that people who were primed to be in a better mood by being shown pictures of positive things (e.g., babies, bubbles, sunshine, etc.) were significantly more likely to use cheerful words to describe their desired product in their online search.

When search engine ads were presented in response to these more positive search terms, they were about 50% more likely to generate site visits than the same search terms without a ‘happy’ modifier, regardless of product category.

Positive feeling has nothing to do with the product

“The positive feeling has nothing to do with the product they are searching for; it’s just something they are feeling at the moment,” explains Professor Anindita Chakravarty, a co-author of the study.

“When it happens [that] they’re feeling happy and need to search for a product at the same time, they are going to use more positive words when they type in their search query. And that’s when the practical implications come in.”

The difference between ad clicks generated by cheerful and neutral searchers is connected to happy consumers’ reduced scepticism about advertising.

“When people are in a positive mood and experiencing positive emotions, they have rose-coloured glasses on,” Whitley says. “Every person carries around this knowledge in their head that allows them to see how marketers are trying to persuade them – persuasion knowledge.

“When you’re in a positive mood, it dampers down that tendency to use your persuasion knowledge to avoid ads. You’re less sceptical and view advertising content more positively.”

Online marketers have long known more precise search terms and price-oriented search terms are clues that online consumers are closer to completing a purchase and more willing to click on an ad. So, they spend money to have their advertising shown when consumers search for specific product characteristics, logistics or deals that generate more return for their ad money.

Considering this new research, marketers may want to reserve some ad budget to reach shoppers in a positive mood earlier in the buying process.

“Instead of just thinking about deal-based search terms, marketers might want to consider some of these positive-emotion words in search terms that can indicate how the consumer is feeling at that moment,” Whitley emphasises.

“Because if they’re feeling positive, they may be less suspicious of your ads and more likely to click on them – and you’d have a larger ROI on your ad spending.”

You can find out more about the study here.