Return on Emotion
A proven emotional metric that predicts real business outcomes
What is Return on Emotion?
Return on Emotion® (ROE) is Brand Revolution’s proprietary, research-validated framework for measuring what truly drives human connection and business outcomes. Rooted in the understanding that emotion fuels the vast majority of decision-making, ROE quantifies the emotional conditions that lead to trust, engagement, and action.
This simple, five-question tool measures the emotions that matter most: Acceptance, Activity, Adventure, Hope, and Motivation. In a multi-event study, ROE toward fellow participants proved to be the single strongest predictor of intent to refer, partner, and spend, outperforming traditional metrics like Net Promoter Score when it came to real deals, sponsorship conversions, and attendee-to-attendee business.
ROE doesn’t just tell you how people felt. It tells you whether those feelings are likely to turn into meaningful, measurable results.
FEEL
SOMETHING.
How is it measured?
ROE is built on five proven emotions that directly predict whether people will do business together after an event or experience:
Accepted (vs Rejected) – feeling genuinely welcomed, included, and valued
Active (vs Passive) – having the confidence and opportunity to contribute
Adventurous (vs Hesitant) – a desire to engage, explore, and take part
Hopeful (vs Hopeless) – optimism about future possibilities and outcomes
Motivated (vs Uninspired) – feeling energized and compelled to act
Scoring is intentionally simple. Participants rate each emotion on a 0-10 scale. The five scores are averaged and multiplied by 10 to produce a 10–100 ROE score.
An ROE score of 86 or higher consistently signals a strong likelihood of referrals, partnerships, and real revenue flowing between participants, sponsors, and brands.
Return on Emotion
How did the other participants make you feel?
80–85 strong Below 80 room to improve
Three ways to put ROE to work immediately:
Design smarter experiences from day one
ROE gives you a clear emotional blueprint. By intentionally designing moments that spark Acceptance, Activity, Adventure, Hope, and Motivation, you move beyond guesswork and start creating experiences that are built to connect and convert.
Combine capabilities across Brand Revolution
ROE is most powerful when applied holistically. By weaving emotion-driven thinking across Studios, Events, Experiences, Merch, and more, we create layered touch points that reinforce connection at every stage of the journey.
Measure and optimize after every event
One score tells you what matters most. ROE provides a proven, repeatable way to understand whether your experience created the emotional conditions for revenue, referrals, and lasting partnerships—and where to improve next time.
