From the academic archive. Fiona’s original academic writing. Views are personal and do not represent King’s College London. Historical examples, proposals and opinions retain their original context. Formatting has been repaired; original wording and references are preserved. Any editorial clarification is labelled separately.
Original submission details

Original title: 🌿💚✨🤝🌍🌸 Emotional Branding Example: Tropic Skincare

View original KEATS context ↗ (university access required).

The original question / King’s College London

3.9 Linking products to emotional benefits

Look for examples of how products have been linked to emotional branding and share your findings on the discussion forum:

Does the communication cover both functional and emotional benefits? Is it a product you would expect to be associated with intangible emotional benefits, or is it an ‘everyday’ consumer good that has been endowed with some ‘higher order’ concept to link it emotion?

Course task reproduced as context. The response below is Fiona’s independent academic work. KEATS source ↗ (university access required).

Explore writing on this question ↗
Fiona’s response

One brand that immediately came to mind is Tropic Skincare. At first glance, it sells skincare products, something many people would consider an everyday consumer good. However, what makes Tropic different is that it has successfully connected those products with emotions such as confidence, wellbeing, trust and self-care.

From my own experience, I wasn’t introduced to Tropic through a television advert or a shop display. I discovered it through a friend who became a Tropic Ambassador. That immediately changed how I viewed the brand. Instead of feeling like I was being sold to, it felt like I was supporting a freind. For me, that personal relationship became just as valuable as the products themselves.

Functionally, Tropic delivers skincare made with naturally derived ingredients, cruelty-free formulations and a strong commitment to sustainability (Tropic Skincare, n.d.). Those features are important because they answer the rational question of “Why should I buy this?”

However, I think the emotional benefits are what truly differentiate the brand. Tropic communicates that taking care of your skin is also about supporting your community. It creates a feeling of wellbeing rather than simply promoting moisturiser or cleanser. As Gobé (2001) argues, emotional branding builds lasting relationships by connecting with people’s aspirations and feelings rather than focusing solely on product features.

What I find particularly interesting is that Tropic has elevated an everyday product into something much more meaningful. Skincare has become associated with confidence, ethical choices, community and personal connection. I am no fan of a pyramid scheme or Aveda scheme, but in many ways, the ambassador model reinforces the relationship often starts with a conversation rather than a transaction.

As someone working in marketing, this reminds me that people rarely buy products alone. More often, they buy how a brand makes them feel. That emotional connection is much harder for competitors to copy than the product itself.

If anyone is curious to explore the brand, my friend Katy is a Tropic Ambassador, and her page is here:

🌿 https://www.tropicskincare.com/katyellison

It is a lovely example of how trust and relationships can become one of a brand’s strongest competitive advantages.

References.

  1. Gobé, M. (2001). Emotional branding: The new paradigm for connecting brands to people. Allworth Press.
  2. Tropic Skincare. (n.d.). Our story. https://tropicskincare.com/pages/our-story
← Back to the journal