The emotional side of organizational decision-making: examining the influence of messaging in fostering positive outcomes for the brand Elyria Kemp Department of Management and Marketing, The University of New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA Elten Briggs Department of Marketing, The University of Texas, Arlington, Texas, USA, and Nwamaka A. Anaza School of Management and Marketing, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois, USA Abstract Purpose – Researchers and practitioners have traditionally maintained that organizational buying requires rational decision-making. However, individuals at organizations make decisions daily applying a confluence of rationalizations and emotions. This study aims to address the roles of personal feelings, facts and emotional advertising content in the organizational decision-making process. Design/methodology/approach – In two studies, the authors apply both qualitative and quantitative methods to explore emotional and cognitive reactions to advertising. In Study 1, depth interviews were conducted with marketing and advertising content developers from a Fortune 100 technology company. In Study 2, a web-based survey was sent out to a Fortune 100 company’s buyer panel. Findings – Results suggest that advertising using emotion-based themes helps to foster brand engagement tendencies and advocacy for a brand. Findings also demonstrate that organizational status (C-level executive’s vs non-C-level employees) moderates the relationship between buyers’ reliance on facts and their receptivity to advertising using emotion-based themes, such that reliance on facts increases the appeal of emotional advertising. Research limitations/implications – This research contributes to the organizational buying literature by addressing the dearth of research on the role of emotions in organizational decision-making and providing insight into the role of advertising in business-to-business (B2B) decision-making. Practical implications – These results imply that advertising incorporating emotion-based themes provide meaningful information to B2B buyers and is especially effective when targeted at buyers at higher levels in an organization. Originality/value – B2B buying behavior has traditionally been considered a rational undertaking. This research explores how decision-making orientation and the presence of advertising using emotion-based themes help to foster engagement and advocacy for the brand. Keywords Advertising, Advocacy, Emotions, Engagement, Organizational buying Paper type Research paper Positive outcomes for the brand 1609 Received 27 September 2018 Revised 16 July 2019 19 December 2019 27 March 2020 Accepted 14 April 2020 European Journal of Marketing Vol. 54 No. 7, 2020 pp. 1609-1640 © Emerald Publishing Limited 0309-0566 DOI 10.1108/EJM-09-2018-0653 The current issue and full text archive of this journal is available on Emerald Insight at: https://www.emerald.com/insight/0309-0566.htm