As a means of assisting service organisations in making informed decisions on the form, channel and content of advertising, Forethought has developed theTaxonomy of Emotions. The Taxonomy of Emotions effectively and accurately assesses a wide range of specific emotional responses to advertisements. Whilst some advertisements are predominantly rational (seeking to convey information rather than foster emotional linkages), those that are more emotionally based seek to activate specific emotions in order to promote desired behavioural outcomes.

The Taxonomy of Emotions framework can be applied either pre or post ad launch. It can assist in establishing which emotions to target by predicting behavioural outcomes, but also acts as a ‘reality check’ by comparing the intended feelings the advertisement aimed to elicit with that of the actual response from the target audience.