Balancing Functional and Emotional Value: A Case-Based Analysis of Emotional Consumption Strategies

Abstract

Emotional consumption has become an important phenomenon in the contemporary consumer market, especially in the Generation Z and millennial groups. However, most of the existing studies focus on the description of the phenomenon level, and lack of systematic comparison of different types of paths and an in-depth discussion on the sustainable development of enterprises. This paper selects four typical brand cases, representing respectively “healing” (Jellycat), “stimulating” (Pop Mart), “sensory” (Jo Malone/Fauvism), and “personalized social” (Casetify), and systematically analyzes the different modes of emotional consumption. The results show that these brands generally achieve the improvement of market premium and user stickiness by embedding emotional value, but they also face the risks of over-marketing, consumer impulse, and emotional value virtualization. On this basis, this paper puts forward the following suggestions: first, enterprises should maintain a balance between functional value and emotional value, and avoid relying solely on emotional symbols; Second, enterprises should pay attention to product innovation and brand narrative, and internalize emotional value into longterm competitive advantage; Third, enterprises should build a trust relationship through the interaction between community management and users, to achieve the longterm and sustainable development of emotional marketing.