Magnetic Marketing: The Psychology Behind Content That Truly Resonates In 2025

Magnetic marketing in 2025 means pairing consumer psychology with digital strategies to create results that move the dial forward. 

With so much innovation and disruption in the marketplace of late, a return to marketing basics feels necessary – almost revolutionary. When there’s so much change for brands and consumers alike, it’s more important than ever to be standing on a firm foundation of marketing knowledge. 

What’s more foundational than the psychology behind consumer behaviors? By learning the psychology of engagement in the digital age, we can tap into the power of emotion, harness it with strategy, and confidently craft content that resonates. 

After all, research shows that engagement isn’t just about what you say; it’s about how it makes people feel – and how deeply it connects to their subconscious desires. 

Let’s dive into the psychology behind storytelling and emotional resonance with real-world marketing examples that demonstrate how brands can make their content unforgettably magnetic.

The Psychology Behind Content That Truly Resonates In 2025

Why Storytelling Works

We all innately understand the power of a good story: the wedding song that moves us to tears, the TED Talk that changes our perspective, the magical feeling an old childhood movie stirs up after all these years. Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways to connect with an audience. 

When consumers engage with a brand’s story, they enter a state called narrative transportation – that feeling when you become so immersed in a story that you momentarily lose track of time and reality. And that feeling is powerful. In fact, studies reveal that compelling narratives increase our oxytocin levels, increasing feelings of trust, empathy and connection. 

National brands do this so well. LEGO’s strategic storytelling approach, for example, was found to significantly increase their brand loyalty, according to a 2024 study by Vartikar. Why? LEGO doesn’t just sell toys – it creates expansive worlds and invites consumers to be part of the story. Whether through commercials, branded films, or interactive platforms like LEGO Ideas, the brand has made storytelling an essential part of its identity.

“By integrating storytelling into marketing approaches, brands can effectively engage consumers, build emotional connections, and foster long-term loyalty,” according to the Brand University study of LEGO’s narrative transportation. 

Key Takeaway: Instead of simply listing the features of a product or service, try to invite consumers to see themselves as part of a story. For example, a local Santa Clarita fitness studio could share client success stories through video testimonials and social media highlights, showing real, local people achieving their goals. 

Cultivating Emotional Resonance 

Most of our purchases are driven by emotion. We get frustrated and throw money at a problem. We get a promotion and go out to celebrate. We learn about a disaster on the other side of the world, yet we still donate. 

Emotionally charged marketing content is shared two times more often than neutral or factual content, according to a 2024 study on Emotional Contagion in Marketing. Additionally, a neuromarketing study revealed that ads with strong emotional content drive 31% higher engagement levels compared to rational, fact-based marketing. 

Airbnb’s Made Possible by Hosts campaign is a perfect example. Instead of focusing on booking accommodations, Airbnb highlights real guest experiences, making the brand feel personal and relatable. Launched after the pandemic, Airbnb’s campaign shifted the focus from a transactional relationship to an emotional one, cultivating deep trust with its audience.

Key Takeaway: Consumers don’t just buy products — they buy experiences and emotions. Brands that evoke trust, nostalgia, and excitement create lasting impact. For example, a Santa Clarita family law firm could create an educational content series — videos, blogs, emails and posts — that simplifies complex legal topics, helping clients feel more informed and empowered. By providing value through knowledge, they build trust and establish themselves as a reliable resource before a client even steps through the door. 

Leveraging Subconscious Desires

As humans, we’re all wired with a set of cognitive biases – mental shortcuts that influence our decision-making and behavior, often without our realizing it. In marketing, these cognitive biases are used to shape consumer behavior and engagement. 

For example, humans are hardwired to seek information, avoid loss, and satisfy curiosity, which is why FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out) can have such a profound impact on us. FOMO is rooted in loss aversion, a cognitive bias where people feel the pain of missing an opportunity more intensely than the pleasure of gaining something equivalent. According to behavioral economist Daniel Kahneman’s Prospect Theory, people will go to greater lengths to avoid loss than to pursue gain. This is why limited-time offers, exclusive drops, and scarcity-based marketing tactics work so well—they trigger the urgent need to act before it’s too late.

Also consider the Zeigarnik Effect, a psychological phenomenon where people remember incomplete tasks or unresolved narratives more vividly than completed ones. This bias explains why we binge-watch TV shows, keep reading cliffhanger novels, and eagerly wait for the next iPhone release. In fact, Apple strategically uses teasers, cliffhangers, and exclusive leaks to build excitement before its launch events. Because the brain dislikes unresolved stories, consumers become hooked, eagerly awaiting the next reveal. When brands leverage these cognitive triggers effectively, they create content that keeps audiences hooked and motivates them to take action. 

Key Takeaway: Keep your audience engaged by creating suspense and curiosity around your brand. Use teasers, incomplete narratives, and “to be continued” content to maintain intrigue. For example, a Santa Clarita real estate agent could create a video series featuring behind-the-scenes glimpses of a home before a big reveal. By gradually showcasing unique features and dropping hints about the listing’s standout qualities, they can generate excitement and keep potential buyers eagerly awaiting the final tour.

Opting For The Hero’s Journey

If consumer engagement is driven by storytelling, emotion, and subconscious desires, then what better way to captivate them than by creating a narrative that puts the consumer front and center? One of the most effective techniques in marketing is the Hero’s Journey, where the consumer is the hero, and the brand is the mentor that helps them succeed. In fact, a 2024 study by Fernández-Castrillo & López-Varela confirmed that empowerment storytelling increases consumer engagement because it allows audiences to see themselves as the protagonist.

Take Nike’s Find Your Greatness campaign for example. Instead of featuring famous athletes, Nike highlighted everyday people overcoming challenges, making the campaign relatable and empowering. But this technique also works particularly well for small businesses looking to connect with their local community on a deeper level. 

Key Takeaway: Brands should position themselves as guides that empower their audience to achieve their goals. For example, a local hospital or medical provider could share video stories of patients who opted for routine screenings and caught disease at an early stage. By positioning the patient as the hero and self-advocate, the campaign is more persuasive than if it had positioned the doctor as the hero. 

Converting Engagement With Psychology

Engagement is valuable, but it must lead to action. When your engagement is meaningful, it will. But you still have to remember to ask. 

Duolingo’s notification system has perfected this strategy through gamification. A study on engagement-driven CTAs (Śledź & Pachurka, 2024) found that Duolingo’s messages — such as “Duo the owl is sad you haven’t practiced today! 🦉” — are effective because they tap into the loss aversion bias. Additionally, Duolingo’s playful “guilt-tripping” strategy keeps users engaged and committed to their language-learning journey.

Key Takeaway: Make your CTAs as engaging and psychologically compelling as the rest of your campaign. Use storytelling, humor, or loss aversion to increase conversions. For example, a Santa Clarita physical therapist could create an interactive ‘Mobility Challenge’ where participants receive daily exercises, progress-tracking tools, and educational content on injury prevention. At the end of each email, provide a “P.S.” that teases the next email. 

By leveraging scientific insights into storytelling, emotional triggers, and consumer psychology, brands can create content that doesn’t just attract attention — it inspires deep, lasting engagement.

Want to craft a marketing strategy that truly resonates? Let’s talk. Or you could just go with last year’s plan … 

Visual Marketing Education 

At SchlickArt, we know your marketing visuals are only effective if you actually use them. That’s why we help you create powerful photography and video – and then we teach you how to share it. With each session, we’ll give you our best tips based on your specific marketing goals. We provide the education and resources you need to brand your content, integrate it into your marketing strategy, post it with intention, and maximize engagement along the way. 

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About SchlickArt

SchlickArt, a luxury visual marketing company based in Santa Clarita, started in March 2012 with the simple idea that empowerment creates a kind of authenticity that shines through every camera lens. Built on a philosophy–rather than a product, service or person–SchlickArt has rapidly evolved, meeting fractional CMO, business and strategy planning, professional portraiture, business photo and business video needs as diverse as the community we capture. It’s the desire to take care of you, the client, that drives us at SchlickArt. 

Kirsten Quinn

A lover of strong coffee and yellowed pages, Kirsten Quinn-Smith is a professional content writer and owner of WordSmith Content Marketing here in Santa Clarita. She believes great content can forge a loyal, authentic and beneficial relationship between you and your audience – and grow your business. With each piece of writing, Kirsten's goal is to position you in the content spotlight through audience-centered, strategy-based writing that actually sounds like you. Why? Everyone has a story, and every story deserves to be heard.

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