I’m a bloke and I have something to confess that may challenge your view on traditional masculinity:

I cry at the movies.

Be it via sadness, elation, release – I have sniffled at any number of films, from Toy Story to Terminator – you name it and I’ve probably sobbed to it.

And, while we’re on the subject of embarrassing confessions, I’ll proudly admit that I’m not opposed to an occasional sniffle at a moving TV ad or social media campaign too. And the one TV advertisement that is guaranteed to make me tear up every time is the perennial ANZAC Day McDonald’s spot where the aged digger is offered a top-up coffee by the server, free of charge. He says “thanks” and she earnestly replies, “no, thank you”. Quick pass me the Kleenex…

Click the link to watch: http://www.tvspots.tv/video/7681/mcdonald-s-anzac

During a recent Digital Marketing course, we explored a 2013 WestJet social media campaign where the Christmas gift wishes of travellers were delivered to the luggage carousel on their arrival. Brilliant stuff, beautifully directed and shot. I howled like a baby. Well done them. See the spot via this link – and join the 44.5 million other viewers!

But the thing is – because of this deep engagement with the Maccas ad and the Canadian airline WestJet spot (and they don’t even fly here!), I find I am a stronger advocate of their respective brands. I tell everyone. Like I’m telling you.

I also feel that I am more likely to forgive (or overlook) the sins of these brands. It makes me more bonded; more resilient. Almost like being in a family.

So, engagement is king. No news there. As an industry we typically measure this by counting ‘likes’ or re-Tweets – i.e. the behavioural consequences of engagement. But my emotional involvement with these campaigns is highly likely to be different to yours – I cry, meanwhile you may feel something much less powerful.

We need to have a better measure that really identifies the intensity and nature of the emotion felt for the brand by the individual. Yes, there are many observed biometric measures available, but these are somewhat unreliable. The answer may lie with an accurate Limbic system oriented measure that we can ask people – a semiotic, self-calibrated scale that reflects how each individual uniquely experiences emotions from brand communication.

While that kind of measure of emotional engagement in marketing may be a science-fiction-esque work in progress for the not-too-distant future –for now, at least we have the Kleenex Quotient…