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A Picture is Worth A Thousand Words - ReThinc Advertising - September Blog

A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words

“The creation of a consumer influencing ad campaign has many elements,” says everyone in the advertising business. I mean, cue up Captain Obvious for that line, no? But really, effective advertising consists of things like color, words, infographics and probably most critically … images.

Yet imagery is probably the most overlooked element of advertising assets for small to medium sized companies. Professional photo shoots can be expensive, and oftentimes local brands have a hard time rationalizing the investment. Companies with smaller ad budgets can’t afford expensive photo shoots with supermodels, exotic landscapes or food manipulated to look its tastiest.

Despite the setup, the next 180 words or so are not going to convince you otherwise, nor is it going to be a step-by-step guide on how to do things on the cheap. The truth is that imagery (static or video) is important, and brands that market themselves effectively understand this.

The conscious and subconscious mind processes advertising components differently and whereas I probably should quote some notable marketing PhD right about now, I’m just going to flat out say that imagery has a profound effect on the subconscious. I teach sports marketing at ASU (aka Harvard of the West) so if that’s not good enough for you, I don’t know what is.

Having professional, appealing imagery that’s a true representation of your brand and is favorable to your target audience can make all the difference between someone engaging or ignoring that ad you spent so much money to put out there. Great imagery can draw consumers to critical and persuasive information on an ad or website. This literally can be the difference between a new customer or another ‘soft’ quarter for your business.

What I’m saying here is that whereas I understand the monetary limitations that a smaller local brand may face, I don’t think you should skimp on imagery unless you’re OK with your marketing efforts being less efficacious. (see, I told you I was a teacher)

There are options. As your agency, we have access to numerous stock photo (and video) platforms that we can utilize to promote your brand. The trick is to use good stock photography or videos that are truly relevant to your brand, your product or service, and your location.

Another important factor to consider is not to overuse already ‘popular’ images. I’m sure we’ve all seen advertisements from different brands using the same stock imagery. It’s important to avoid that if at all possible.

Another option, and one that we readily encourage to help reduce reliance on stock imagery, is to conduct a limited photo shoot with a qualified professional photographer. You don’t need Tom Brady to star in it either. Proper planning, solid lighting, and deft execution can be affordable for your brand. Where you get into trouble is when you don’t have all three of these elements.

Quality video production can also be affordable. It requires all the same elements mentioned above while also needing some touches that are NON-NEGOTIABLE. Things like professional voice overs, clean, on brand graphics, solid editing, all create a finished product you can be proud of. And know too, that in 2021 your video assets can buoy your TV, OTT, or digital efforts but can also enhance your website, your email, and your social media.

At ReThinc Advertising, we have access to all that you need to make your collateral assets appeal to your target audience. We also have the expertise to guide you to what will be the best and most affordable representative imagery for your brand. It’s just important that you as the company seeking growth that you not be short-sighted when it comes to the photos and videos you use to represent your brand.


ABOUT THE AUTHOR – Ed Olsen is the president/owner of ReThinc Advertising and Public Relations. He has lots of opinions on all things marketing. To read more of them, click here.

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