Candidates and Voters:
The Emotional Link

APCO Insight^® Uses Emotional Factors^© to Look at the "Brand" Relationship Voters Have with the Candidates

Marketing professionals have understood for years that consumers do not make purely rational decisions when deciding which products and services to purchase. Advertisers and marketers on Madison Avenue know well that purchase decisions are driven by the emotional connections consumers have with brands. At APCO, we were curious if the same can be said for U.S. voters when choosing this year's president.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and John McCain outperform the other candidates of their respective political parties in building an emotional connection with voters according to Emotional Factors, a new quantitative research tool from APCO Insight.

Emotional Factors measures nine core emotions that define the relationship consumers have with brands. Based on years of rigorous research in a variety of product or service categories, Emotional Factors delivers predictive insights into purchasing decisions associated with these core emotions, which include: Approachability, Curiosity, Empowerment, Familiarity, Identification, Pride, Relevance, Trust, and Warmth^©.

About the Study

About Emotional Factors

Key Findings

Role of Emotion in Driving Choice

Download the Full Report

Study was conducted January 19-24, 2008

APCO Contact

Bryan Dumont
senior vice president
APCO Insight
700 12th Street, N.W., Suite 800
Washington, D.C. 20005
U.S.A.
Tel: +1.202.778.1000
Fax: +1.202.466.6002
bdumont@apcoworldwide.com