Whether you’re creating an ad for television or simply for social media you’ve probably wondered how the various elements, influence the viewer. In addition to basic determinants such as well-chosen text, headline, or even an attractive offer that you are trying to advertise, there are other equally important factors. One of them is precisely the image, which can encourage with the help of a video, but also graphics. So how do you use image marketing to make it most beneficial?
1. Focus the viewer’s eye on the key element
When creating an ad, almost every one of us knows at the outset which parts of it should play the most important role. For example – advertising, the latest model of the phone, whose advantage is the ability to take high-quality photos, we want the recipient to pay attention to it, and not on the hand of the person holding this smartphone. This high-quality device should focus the eyes of potential customers, because this is the product we want to promote. So what to do not to distract the attention of our recipients? The answer is simple – if there is a person in your ad, their gaze should lead the eyes of the recipient. Going back to the smartphone example – the person who is advertising the phone, and any others who may be standing in the distance, should be looking at your product, service or other key element. This rule also applies to photos you plan to use when creating an ad on Facebook or another portal.
2. Commercials like young children
As it turns out, not only intuition, but also scientific research done with the help of magnetoencephalography confirms that the human brain definitely reacts faster to an infant than to an adult. After all, it is children that we associate with sincerity and selflessness. Using an image of a toddler in your advertisement will easily help you to catch the attention of the recipient, although he or she will do it rather unconsciously. However, still remember that it is your product that should play the most important role and redirecting the recipient’s eyes from the child to the key element can be much more difficult.
3. Women can increase sales
Depending on our target audience, photographs of people can have a significant impact on the audience’s response to a product or service. Usually it is the photo of a woman that influences the outcome of an ad more favorably, especially when the target group is men. The male brain without any control is more responsive to such a message, even when the offer remains the same. Interestingly, on the female gender the figure of a woman in an advertisement does not exert any emotions, including the unconscious ones. Another issue is the use of a rather bolder version of women in advertisements. Although this often helps to further persuade the male viewer, one should definitely be careful with this. Currently, more and more attention begins to attract the way of presenting the image of women in advertising or social media, so it is worth considering what we want our brand to be associated with, and only then proceed to implementation.
4. Pictures of people help evoke emotion
The use of human images can be particularly important when we want to generate empathy among our audience. This is why, looking at the promotions of various non-governmental organizations, such as Amnesty International or Human Rights Watch, we may come across images of victims. These organizations, in an attempt to reach a wider audience, often show the victims in photographs. Such a procedure arouses greater sympathy and allows the recipient to identify with those who need their help.
