Inspiration is the most valuable positive emotion for consumers and delivers measurable commercial and social benefits, according to new research from the University of Sydney Business School.

The research, published in the European Journal of Marketing, combined three studies: a national online survey of 300 US residents, a controlled online experiment using real YouTube ads, and a field experiment testing inspirational and informational digital fundraising campaigns for charity.

The studies revealed that consumers responded far more to an emotional ad campaign than an informational one, and they saw inspiration as the most powerful positive emotion among 10 options. Other emotions being measured included enthusiasm, determination, pride and excitement.

“What we’ve been able to show for the first time is that not all emotions are created equal — and inspiration is the one that most drives consumers to action,” said study co-author Professor Vince Mitchell.

“It’s well established that emotional advertising appeals generally outperform purely rational ones, and this proved true in our experiments measuring outcomes including increased ad sharing, brand recommendation and higher willingness to pay, as well as substantially greater charity donations.”

The first study surveyed 300 US participants and asked them to score 10 positive emotions across eight value appraisals, including hedonic (pleasure), motivational, and a notional “dollar value” – how much they would be prepared to pay for an experience that inspired this emotion.

Inspiration ranked in the top five in each dimension. Participants were prepared to pay $53.07 on average for an inspiring experience, against an overall average of $45.87.

Study two randomly assigned nearly 300 participants to view either an emotional or an informational ad for travel company Expedia and measured their responses. Those who viewed the emotion-based ad were significantly more likely to share it, recommend the brand, and pay more for services.

The final study involved running a real-world, one‑week Google Ads field experiment for mental health charity Beyond Blue, comparing emotional against informational ad and landing‑page variants, and recording real donation behaviour and ad analytics.

The inspiring emotional campaign generated far greater donations and an exceptional return on ad spend: the landing page produced A$7,250 from 13 donations (1,891 percent return on investment), compared with A$130 from four donations for the informational campaign. 

“The findings give clear guidance for campaign design,” Professor Mitchell said.

“Emotional appeals can increase earned media, strengthen word‑of‑mouth, and support premium pricing strategies. For charities and cause marketers, inspirational messaging can substantially improve fundraising effectiveness and return on investment.

“Marketers should think beyond generic positivity. Different positive emotions create different kinds of value, and inspiration consistently delivers motivation, sharing and monetary outcomes. For brands and charities alike, inspiration unlocks both social reach and financial return."

Declaration
This study was funded by the University of Sydney Business School and advertising agency Richards Rose. The authors declare no conflict of interest.