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How cute is too much cute?

Hi, I’ve got your attention!

Cuteness is a subjective term describing a type of attractiveness commonly associated with youth and appearance.

But that’s not something you should be worrying about.

In the world of social media, cute content has always dominated the feeds right from the origins of most social media platforms.

Did you know that the first prototype of Instagram was actually called Burbn? Which was inspired by co-founder, Kevin Systrom’s love of fine whiskeys and bourbons? So much for that trajectory!

From its inception, the photo-sharing app especially spread a lot of content that ranged from cute cats, dogs, babies, food, and lots of Starbucks coffee cups!

But why are we inherently and instinctively drawn towards small babies, kittens, and puppies? Why do their tiny bodies and huge heads fire up our parental responses?

The culprit is the same chemical that our brain is so addicted to. Dopamine.

Our brain is hardwired to make itself feel good. And looking at cute pictures helps us achieve that. It’s rather interesting because you may not consciously know that you’re feeling this way. But marketers know you are!

And how do marketers use emotional marketing to get your attention?

The emotional draw towards something that is cute or likable predicts whether that picture will be successful to drive an intent to make a purchase.

But aren’t there a lot of emotions involved?

Well..yes.

According to scientific research conducted by the Institute of Neuroscience and Psychology at the University of Glasgow, there are just 4 basic emotions that humans function on Happiness, Sadness, Anger, and Surprise.

We’re looking at the emotional benefits of marketing happiness!

And for lack of a better term Cute Marketing.

So why does Cute work?

https://giphy.com/gifs/loop-instagram-like-2WeNMjmtLSyr7aE1YQ

What is the first thing that a majority of people do when they see something cute? You and I both know that we’re going to share that adorable baby yawn with almost all our friends making them go awww! So basically anything cute is highly sharable.

When we look at something cute, our brain stimulates the area that is associated with the process of motivation. This also creates a warm feeling of memory recall. Therefore, cute is memorable.

Since we’ve already established that everyone loves all things that are cute, it is also the most widespread form of visual content as it appeals to all ages and moods.

If you have a visual that is highly shareable, memorable, and has the propensity to reach a huge audience, you can incorporate goals such as driving potential customers to your product page, website, or app store easily.

Okay so where does all of this fit in your marketing strategy?

When you share “cute content” it enables brand recall. And the best way to attract customers by creating content and experiences tailored to them is using inbound marketing.

The cycle goes something like this:

Entice

This is when you attract people who you want to start conversations with.

Engage

Here’s where you start conversations and set up solutions to their problems to increase the likeliness to buy.

Enchant

Here’s where you impress by providing the right solution and support and closing the loop.

Here’s one thing to remember, even if your business gets no value from these strategies, you’ve provided value and delighted the viewer.

And a happy customer is your best advocate.

So interactions at every level count.