“‘Curiouser and curiouser!’ cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English); ‘now I’m opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!'” – Lewis Carroll

Advertising is more than just creating a eye-catching print, or special effects commercial in order to sell a product. There are more complex tasks at stake when attempting to create an effective ad. The creator of that commercial or print ad must successfully appeal to the audience’s emotions. Emotional appeal, according to behavioral psychologist John B. Watson, is the most effective way to create an advertisement. More specifically, Watson states that appealing to the three emotions of love, fear and rage will influence consumer behavior the most (Watson 2000). The use of these appeals can be found in any advertisement, from commercial products to political ads. However, I feel there’s one key human emotion/feeling that is missing in these analyses.

The television channel Syfy, automobile companies, and even Apple Inc. have been successful and targeting the audience’s curiosity. Syfy’s pitch is “Imagine Greater”. Any auto ad makes the viewer want to test drive and experience the product themselves. Apple appeals to the curiosity in viewers solely by the simplicity of their ads. The audience wishes to learn more, try the products out, and discover the other opportunities from the company. To me, human curiosity is far more advantageous to advertisers than simply fear or love. If I see a commercial for a new hair product, I’m more likely to purchase it for the simple reason of “I want to try it out.”

In many ways, movie and television show trailer creators have grabbed a hold on the feeling of curiosity. Every time we see one of these trailers, we begin the suspenseful thinking of what it is about, what might happen in the story line, and whether we deem it worth our time and money to see it. That is our curiosity in play, arousing our senses and drives us to want to attain knowledge or emotional satisfaction.

Whether advertisers and psychologists view curiosity as a feeling or an emotion, it should be ranked just as high on the scale of what to appeal to. Sure, our emotion of love drives us to go buy a new Gucci perfume or the most recent Modern Warfare game, but curiosity is what brings us as human beings to try new things and explore new knowledge and stimuli. And that is what advertisers should be focusing on, especially if it concerns a new product in an already crowded market.