Emotional appeals attempt to stir up either negative or positive emotions that can motivate purchase. Emotional advertising refers to advertising that tries to evoke emotions in consumers rather than to make consumers think. Emotional ads mainly consist of non-verbal elements such as images and emotional stimuli. Emotional appeals focus on fear, love, humor, sex, music, fantasy, surrealism, safety and social states like gaining status or rejection. It is generally accepted that consumer’s emotions are important in decision-making and advertisers try to persuade people by affecting their feelings.

Advertisers using rational appeals in their messages focus on the consumer’s practical, functional or utilitarian need for the product/service. They may explain the features and benefits of the product and some facts about the products, such as giving information about the warranty of a product and explaining how many years it can be used. Showing how many dishes may be washed by a detergent and emphasizing the low price is another example of the rational appeal. Here the message is given in an informative and verifiable way by the use of facts, data etc. to persuade the buyer. Common rational appeals include comfort, convenience, economy, health, touch, taste, smell, quality, dependability, durability, efficiency, efficacy and performance.