The psychology behind why 'cute' sells

What do baby animals, my mom doing gardening, and the outfit I’m currently wearing have in common?

They're all undeniably cute.

There are few things that have a universal effect on humans like cuteness does.

That's because it creates a chemical reaction in us based on our instinctual need to care for our young. When we look at something we perceive as cute, like disproportionately large heads, big eyes, small noses, chubby cheeks (all features of a baby) our brains get flooded with dopamine and oxytocin (happy chemicals, yay!).

Our affinity for all things cute is an evolutionary response. And this is what makes cuteness a marketing weapon.

Connecting your product or service with a cute image (whatever that may be) creates a positive emotional response with your consumers. And this will make them more likely to prioritise your brand over others. Because cuties deserve all the attention!

Who does this best? The Japanese of course.

Kawaii, which is best translated as cute (or lovable), is a unique aspect of Japanese marketing. It's characterised by childlike, charming qualities, pastel palettes, and playful elements like maru-moji (rounded letters.)

Of course, this style has permeated pop culture and resonated with audiences worldwide.

Think: Pikachu, Kirby, Totoro.

And most famously, Hello Kitty. The queen of cute marketing.

The 50-year-old feline has a global valuation of $3.8 billion and boasts her presence in 130 countries. She’s labelled as a 'money-making machine.'

Why? It comes down to the power of cute.

Hello Kitty's appeal to both adults and children has made her a global powerhouse. She's the perfect example of how far being adorable can get you, in marketing anyway.

Cute has universal appeal. Think about it.

It can be applied to literally anything.

Cars? Give them soft features and big eyes and you’ve got a multi-billion-dollar film franchise.

A wrinkly green alien called Yoda? Make it a baby and the world will be obsessed with it for two whole years.

Beer? Make an ad about a Labrador puppy and Clydesdale horse, and you’ll bring tears to a grown man’s eyes.

Cutesy up your marketing campaign, and you can reach beyond your target audience as it's safely disseminated across all channels. And this works, no matter how 'masculine' or techy your product may be.

Cute content is highly shareable.

As we move further into the digital age, our metrics for success have become heavily focused on virality. We’ve all shamelessly sent a cute cat meme or video to our friends. It makes us feel good, so we send it to our loved ones, because we want them to feel good too. It’s really so simple.

Cute content increases your chances of going viral because it highjacks your audience’s affinity for things that make them 'aww.'

Audiences are more likely to remember cute content, too.

According to this study on university students, looking at cute images helped facilitate improved performance on detail-oriented tasks that required focus.

Doesn’t matter how old you are, what your political stance is, your gender, how you take your coffee… cute is cute. There’s not really any room for arguing. And if you can leverage this in your content—boom—you just expanded your audience.

And no, I’m not saying go and put a bunch of kittens in your campaign for instant success. But if the shoe fits, and you can draw a line from your product to cute imagery, I’d say give it a shot.

-Sophie, Writer