Claudia De Luca is a renowned expert in marketing, entrepreneurship, and career development. She is an experienced Lecturer, the founder of ContentSpecialist, an online business focused on educational services, and the author of her upcoming autobiography, as well as the highly anticipated ebook on Self-confidence released in January 2025.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) has significantly transformed consumer behavior by enabling brands to understand and respond to emotions in ways that were previously unimaginable. By leveraging machine learning, natural language processing, and sentiment analysis, AI-driven systems can detect, interpret, and even anticipate consumer emotions. This shift has led to more personalized marketing strategies, enhanced customer experiences, and deeper emotional connections between consumers and brands. Companies now utilize AI not only to track purchasing patterns but also to gauge consumer sentiment in real time, allowing for more empathetic engagement.
Examples
One of the most prominent ways AI influences consumer emotions is through personalized marketing. AI-powered recommendation engines, such as those used by Netflix and Amazon, analyze users’ past behavior, preferences, and even sentiment expressed in reviews or interactions to tailor product suggestions. This personalization creates a sense of being understood, fostering trust and emotional attachment to the brand (Huang & Rust, 2018).
Similarly, AI-driven chatbots are increasingly designed to recognize emotional cues in customer interactions. For example, Bank of America’s virtual assistant, Erica, can detect frustration in a customer’s tone and respond with a more empathetic approach, enhancing satisfaction and loyalty (Davenport, 2020).
Sentiment analysis tools also enable brands to measure consumer emotions on a large scale. Companies like Coca-Cola and Nike monitor social media conversations using AI algorithms that analyze text, emojis, and images to detect consumer sentiment. This allows them to adjust campaigns in real time to better align with audience emotions.
AI has also revolutionized advertising through emotion recognition technology. Platforms like Affectiva use facial recognition software to track micro-expressions and gauge emotional responses to ads, providing brands with insights into how their content resonates with viewers (Kietzmann et al., 2018). This data-driven approach helps marketers refine advertisements to elicit stronger emotional engagement.
However, the growing use of AI to track and manipulate consumer emotions raises ethical concerns. While personalization enhances the user experience, it also brings up questions about privacy and emotional exploitation. The ability of AI to predict and influence consumer emotions could lead to manipulative marketing tactics, where brands exploit emotional vulnerabilities for commercial gain.
For example, Facebook’s past experiments on emotional contagion, in which it altered users’ news feeds to influence their moods, raised concerns about how AI-driven content curation affects mental well-being (Tufekci, 2018). As AI continues to evolve, regulators and companies must establish ethical guidelines to ensure that consumer emotional data is used responsibly and transparently (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2019).
How are advertisers using AI to track consumer emotions?
Advertisers are increasingly leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to track and analyze consumer emotions, allowing for more personalized and emotionally resonant marketing campaigns. AI-powered emotion tracking relies on a combination of facial recognition technology, sentiment analysis, and biometric data to interpret consumer reactions to advertisements and brand interactions. These insights enable companies to refine their marketing strategies and optimize content for maximum engagement.
One of the most widely used methods is facial recognition software, which analyzes micro-expressions – subtle facial movements that indicate emotions such as joy, surprise, or frustration. Companies like Affectiva and Realeyes use AI to assess viewers’ emotional responses to advertisements by scanning their facial expressions via webcams or smartphone cameras. This data helps advertisers determine which elements of their ads elicit the strongest emotional reactions, allowing them to fine-tune messaging and visuals for greater impact (Kietzmann et al., 2018).
Sentiment analysis is another crucial AI-driven tool in emotion tracking. By scanning text from social media posts, customer reviews, and online comments, AI algorithms can identify consumer emotions based on language patterns, tone, and even emojis. Brands like Coca-Cola and Nike use sentiment analysis to gauge public perception of their campaigns in real time, adjusting their messaging or strategies accordingly (Davenport, 2020).
Additionally, AI-integrated wearable devices and voice recognition technologies track physiological responses such as heart rate and tone of voice to assess consumer emotions more accurately. For example, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri use voice analysis to detect stress or excitement in a user’s speech, enabling a more personalized interaction.
While AI-driven emotion tracking enhances advertising effectiveness, ethical concerns regarding consumer privacy and consent remain. As AI continues to advance, advertisers must establish clear guidelines to ensure the responsible use of emotional data.
AI and key consumer emotions
AI is significantly impacting key consumer emotions in marketing and advertising, particularly trust, excitement, fear, and satisfaction. Trust is enhanced through AI-driven personalization, as consumers feel understood when brands tailor recommendations, such as Netflix’s content suggestions or Amazon’s product recommendations based on past behavior (Huang & Rust, 2018).
Excitement is another emotion AI influences by creating interactive and immersive experiences, such as AI-powered chatbots or virtual reality shopping environments that make engagement more dynamic. However, AI can also provoke fear and skepticism, especially regarding data privacy and the manipulation of emotions. Consumers may become wary of AI-driven advertising, particularly when brands leverage sentiment analysis or facial recognition without explicit consent, leading to concerns over surveillance and digital ethics (Kaplan & Haenlein, 2019).
Satisfaction, on the other hand, is heightened through AI-powered customer service, such as chatbots that provide instant solutions or predictive analytics that anticipate customer needs, ensuring a seamless brand experience.
As AI continues to shape emotional engagement in marketing, brands must balance personalization with ethical considerations to foster positive consumer relationships.
What’s next?
The future of consumer engagement and brand influence is being shaped by artificial intelligence, immersive technology, and hyper-personalization. As AI becomes more sophisticated, brands will increasingly use machine learning and predictive analytics to anticipate consumer needs, crafting experiences that feel intuitive and deeply personal.
Chatbots and virtual assistants will evolve to become emotionally intelligent, responding to consumer sentiment in real time, enhancing trust, and fostering stronger brand relationships. Augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) will further revolutionize engagement by allowing consumers to interact with products and services in immersive ways, from trying on clothes virtually to experiencing test drives from their living rooms.
Additionally, AI-powered sentiment analysis will enable brands to track and respond to public perception instantly, ensuring that marketing strategies remain agile and relevant. However, as brands gain deeper access to consumer emotions, ethical considerations surrounding privacy and data security will become central to maintaining consumer trust.
The brands that successfully balance technological innovation with transparency and ethical engagement will lead the next era of consumer-brand relationships.
Read more from Claudia De Luca
Claudia De Luca, Lecturer and Content Specialist
Dr. Claudia De Luca is a passionate University Lecturer, specializing in Brand Management and Career Development, as well as an accomplished writer and author of ebooks and articles within her field. Hailing from Italy, where she earned her initial qualifications, Dr. De Luca moved to Australia to further her education, completing an MBA, a Master of Education, and an International Doctorate in Career Development. Having faced numerous challenges and disadvantages growing up, she has devoted her life to overcoming obstacles through education and hard work. This journey has fueled her mission to inspire others—whether through her leadership in director and manager roles or as a mentor to students and seminar participants.
References:
Davenport, T. H. (2020). The AI advantage: How to put the artificial intelligence revolution to work. MIT Press.
Huang, M. H., & Rust, R. T. (2018). Artificial intelligence in service. Journal of Service Research, 21(2), 155-172.
Kaplan, A., & Haenlein, M. (2019). Siri, Siri in my hand, who’s the fairest in the land? On the interpretations, illustrations, and implications of artificial intelligence. Business Horizons, 62(1), 15-25.
Kietzmann, J., Paschen, J., & Treen, E. (2018). Artificial intelligence in advertising: How marketers can leverage artificial intelligence along the consumer journey. Journal of Advertising Research, 58(3), 263-267.
Tufekci, Z. (2018). Twitter and tear gas: The power and fragility of networked protest. Yale University Press.
