How do we create emotional connection for a product?

People talk a lot about emotional attribute of a product, about the power of its ability to evoke strong emotions in customers. Research also shows that up to 95% of purchasing decisions are made subconsciously, further demonstrating that when a brand taps into a customer's emotions, they will immediately make a purchase.
These things sound ideal, but...
What is an emotional connection, exactly?
How do we identify the right emotions to build it?What creates this emotional connection between the product and its consumer?

According to neuroscience research, the human brain does not perceive brands or products in the same way it perceives people. In other words, the relationship between a customer and a brand is not a human-to-human connection.
Therefore, emotional connection is not about making customers love, admire, or empathize with the brand.

Let’s consider a specific example.

Have you ever noticed men’s deodorant commercials? There’s a familiar pattern: a young man uses the product, and suddenly, women from all over the world are drawn to him. It's obvious that no deodorant spray can do that. So why do brands keep using this type of content?
Because they’re not selling the product’s function—they’re tapping into a desire. At a basic level, men use deodorant to smell good. But underneath that, there’s a deeper motivation: the desire to feel confident, attractive, and socially accepted. The product solves a functional problem, but the communication focuses on the emotional outcome.
Instead of describing the scent in detail, brands create exaggerated, even unrealistic scenarios to make that desire instantly recognizable.
And that’s the key point:

Emotional connection in branding doesn’t come after the rational message, it exists alongside it, from the very beginning.

The product still delivers its functional benefit. But what makes it compelling is how clearly it connects to what the customer wants to feel. That’s what turns a simple product into something people actually care about.

The emotional attribute of a product refer to the symbolic meaning a brand creates in relation to the consumer’s desires. This meaning acts as a layer that shapes how the product’s functional benefits are understood, experienced, and valued.
In this sense, a product is never purely rational or purely emotional. Both dimensions work together:

Emotional attribute do not replace functional attribute, they give them meaning and reinforce them.

Returning to the question in the title - “How do we create emotional connection for a product?” - you first need to answer two key questions:

• What is the customer’s goal when buying this product? What deeper desire is expressed through its functional use?
• What is the purpose of your product? What specific problem in the market is it designed to solve?