By Boisy Pitre, Emotion AI Evangelist, Affectiva

How many times have you heard someone say “I love my iPhone?” As humans, we have a propensity to become “attached” to products, be it technology, a car, food, or any other product, simply because we become fond of that product and/or the company behind it. Our choices around brands and our loyalty to them can be summed up in one succinct phrase: they are driven by human emotion.

 Companies understand that emotional attachment to their products can foster brand loyalty, and often build campaigns around this theme (remember “Have a Coke and a Smile”). Fierce loyalty translates into lifelong customers and reliable revenue. We all know that companies are in business partly to make a profit, but great companies acknowledge a mission far greater: to create products that make real, palpable improvements in the daily lives of their users and consumers. For these companies, finding that right combination of attachment, loyalty, and reciprocation is something that they are keen on finding.

Emotion AI is a key part of that search. As we become more attached to our digital devices and open ourselves up to them (with our consent, of course), they can in turn provide insights to those brands and services that we trust. This provides companies with much needed neural feedback so that they can tune their products and services to our liking. Steered correctly, this can translate into an idyllic virtuous cycle of better experiences and better products.

The evidence for this is the explosion of apps for mobile devices that deliver an experience around a specific product or service. For example, national fast food chains like Domino’s Pizza and Pizza Hut have their own delivery apps which encourage customers to create deliverable orders right from their phones. Other companies have created apps around loyalty reward programs or similar campaigns. A great deal of resources can go into the creation of these apps, which underscores the importance that these companies place on them.

Ultimately, it’s how consumers respond towards these efforts that matters. Companies who inspire fierce loyalty through brand trust and open and honest data collection will win the day. That’s why at Affectiva, we take privacy to seriously. Turning on your camera and gathering your emotional state should be something that is done with your explicit permission and complete understanding.

Companies are turning to Emotion AI not just to drive experiences, but to create a better understanding of their customers. Automotive companies are testing it to determine and optimize both passenger safety and comfort. Game designers are basing new experiences and challenges on the emotions of the player. And social robotics innovators are creating truly meaningful interactive experiences between robots and humans. Our SDKs are the perfect vehicle for bringing those experiences to apps on an array of devices.