Our brain depends on still pictures. Even when reading text, our brain processes the text as pictures of the words and phrases that our eyes see. Our eyes really are cameras, taking many, many still photographs every second.
We shop with our eyes, and more importantly, we buy with our eyes. (Sadly, we still pay with our wallets.) This is why product appearance, the design of the store or office, the employees’ style of dress, the company web site and all marketing efforts should work together to give customers the necessary visual information they need to make a purchasing decision.
This also means that many consumer decisions are emotion-based. Our brain attaches an emotion to things we value. Do you like the way a product looks? How do you feel about the salesperson and the store atmosphere? Do you trust the company behind the product. Will you be happy with the purchase? Will this product make me look better, be healthier, be happier?
Emotion-based marketing is about promoting the benefits of the product. Let consumers know what’s in it for them, or more specifically, what is the reward for buying a particular product. A customer always wants some sense of reward as a result of making a decision. Decisions are made after judging the values at hand more than the tangible options available.
If I buy this brand of cereal, I will be healthier (according to the TV commercial). But if I buy the other brand, I can save money. What’s more valuable to me, being healthy or saving money?
Visual clues are the best way to trigger emotional responses. Smells work too, but (for better or worse) it’s not possible to add a fragrance to a web site.
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Would you buy something based only on text (from the Ikea catalogue):
Karlstad Sofa bed slipcover $299.99
Korndal green
Easy to keep clean with removable, dry clean only cover.
Removable cover
Do not wash.
Do not bleach.
Do not tumble dry.
Iron, medium temperature.
Dryclean, normal cycle.
Mattress cover: 100% cotton
Total composition: 86% cotton, 14% polyester
Probably not.
Would you buy based only on the photo, (from the same Ikea page):
Maybe yes.
Would you book a vacation without first seeing photos of the resort? Why do they always use pictures of sunsets, couples walking along an empty beach, tables piled high with food, people laughing?
Would you prefer to order a pizza delivery from a menu with pictures or from a menu without pictures? How much do you rely on the food photos in a restaurant menu?
Would you do business with a company that has online photos of their staff or with a company that has no pictures?
Why are the people in iPod ads always dancing? Have you ever seen any iPod user dance?
Brands that engage the customer emotionally always win.
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All consumers want and need visual information before they make a buying decision. If your company web site does not use any photography, potential customers might look through your window but most won’t walk through your door. This also applies to B2B markets.
If your web site or other marketing material uses low quality photography, clip art, or store-bought stock pictures, your visual message to the public is: “We’re not concerned with our business image, we offer nothing special, we’re cheap.”
Customer emotional response = Something is wrong or missing. No special benefit or reward with this purchase.
Customer decision = look elsewhere.
Effective photography has to reach beyond the two dimensions of a web page and other marketing materials. It has to create an emotional response in the consumer that will trigger the values which lead to a positive buying decision.
Cheap photography always costs more. It will negatively affect both the business image and the bottom line. Every customer who runs away due to the absence of pictures, or the use of cheap photography, is a lost sale.
How many customers does your current photography scare away?
