BuzzFeed measure the success of their content by what people click on. This real-time behaviour is driven by a raw emotional connection to the headline of the content, so how people respond is individual and unpredictable. With their simple one-dimensional measure, BuzzFeed establish a direct link between appeal and performance: the greater the appeal of the clickbait, the better the performance of the content.
There is learning to be had here with how researchers approach the evaluation of more emotional claims. Current methods of evaluation may be more of a handicap than a help, as they force respondents to wear a ‘rational hat’ in an emotional context. For example, when we are exploring the Beauty category, we often focus on rational, factual things – claims about shiny hair or reduced split ends – whereas if we test the emotional and esoteric ("It makes me feel good” or “makes me smile”), these claims fall flat. But is this actually the fault of the claims, or the fault of the standard methods by which they are measured? Is there something to be learned from Buzzfeed’s emotional clickbait?
Just like clickbait, the questions we ask must allow for an emotional response in themselves, and allow for intrigue without necessarily providing complete understanding. So we need to give emotional claims a level playing field and an opportunity to succeed. By asking better questions, we will free our responders to better understand the most compelling emotional ideas for a brand’s positioning and messaging.
