In an inspiring demonstration of academic rigor meeting real-world application, final-year student Nokashere Victor Obasuyi from the School of Business and Entrepreneurship at the American University of Nigeria (AUN) has completed a research project with significant implications for institutional communication.
Titled “The Impact of Emotional Appeals in Advertising on Brand Loyalty,” Obasuyi’s study investigated whether emotions such as inspiration, pride, nostalgia, and fear influence brand loyalty among undergraduate students. Supervised by Prof. Yusuf Kani, Dean of the School of Business and Entrepreneurship, the research analyzed data gathered from the AUN student body.
The findings revealed a counterintuitive outcome. Within this context, traditional emotional advertising appeals showed no statistically significant impact on building brand loyalty. Instead, clarity, credibility, and tangible value resonate more strongly than purely emotional storytelling. “This is not a story of hypotheses disproven, but of context discovered,” said Prof. Kani. “Victor’s work provides local, empirical evidence, allowing us to move beyond reliance on models developed in Western contexts.”
The analysis also identified an important shade, fear-based appeals interact differently across gender groups, suggesting a complex layer in audience reception that warrants careful consideration.
The implications extend beyond academia, attracting the attention of AUN’s Marketing & Communications leadership. Mr. Yusuf Mohammed, Executive Director of Marketing & Communications, noted the practical value of the findings. “These context-specific insights are valuable, particularly the indication that informational, credibility-driven, and value-based messaging may be more effective with our undergraduate audience.”
Reported by Udoh Victoria Clement