As discussed in class, please provide three reasons why visuals are important to web content. Please ensure you go into detail for each item. (6 Marks)
1. Visuals are stored in long-term memory
People are more likely to remember information associated with visuals. The images help to explain the concepts and increase the retention of information. This means that visuals improve comprehension and recall of data.
It is easier for the audience to remember ads or content with visuals.
Yeti’s ad shows the cooler floating on the water, demonstrating the quality of the product and how the food will be kept in good condition. The color is vibrant, the image is striking, and shows how the cooler performs in extreme conditions. The idea is to impact the audience so that they remember the brand when they need a cooler, but it also serves to associate the Yeti brand with good quality products, reliable, that serve their purpose in an exceptional way. That idea will be recorded in the memory of users in the long term.
https://www.taginks.com/work/yetimisadventures
Bose’s bright ad also includes an image evoking the user experience of its noise-cancelling headphones. It is a powerful visual that explains the concept with images. The text used in the ad is very small. The concept is clear and easy to store in our memory. The image is memorable. The association between the use of the product and the activity of the audience is in the message. The woman looks very happy doing physical activity while wearing the headphones. That idea is the one that will remain in the long-term memory of users.
https://www.adsoftheworld.com/campaigns/bose-wireless-headphones
2. Visuals transmit the message faster
The human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than words. In the digital world, people are scanning and filtering messages and content very quickly all the time. Marketers have a few seconds to grab their attention and get the message across. That is why visuals help to get the information that they want to transmit to the target audience in less time. The people can sense the scene they are visualizing in 1/10 of a second. This is really fast. It is what we do every time in everywhere, we asses quickly what is going on around us. We scan the room or the space to find cues that communicate danger, happiness, tension, calm and so on.
The visual can tell the audience the story in seconds. It is the same when people find a billboard when they are on the road. The billboard must be able to share the message as soon as possible. The car will not be back to see the message. It has to resonate with the audience right away and provide the key points that the billboard wants to communicate.
Wayfair for example uses visuals to access its departments. The images communicate to the audience where to access their products categories. It is easier and convenient to access. This will provide a better experience to customers.
In this digital ad Domino’s Pizza let the audience know about its deal and how the food look. The audience in a couple of seconds know that the company has a deal that includes more than pizza and more than one product. The text is minimum in the ad. As customers we are aware about the promotion now. The food looks tasty and ready to eat. The message is transmitted and decoding fast by the audience.
https://www.eviabeler.com/project/dominos
3. Visuals improve comprehension of the message
The images provide key information about the message, making it easier to understand what the content we are seeing is about. It helps us make sense of what we see and better understand the content in the visual.
For example, in this Quaker ad is the woman eating Quaker oatmeal for breakfast to have enough energy to do all her daily activities. There is not text explaining all these details, but the images tell the story. Make it easy to communicate the message without words.
https://www.behance.net/gallery/86778353/QUAKER-OATS-PITCH-WORK
The Athleta ad also provide a lot of information without words. The product is for all women, no matter their size, color, style, personality and so on. All the women in the image have a power pose. They have a strong presence in the ad, and the brand wants to associate with this feeling, concept, women power, self confidence, inclusion, and diversity.
There are also visuals that make it easier to understand the information such as graphics, infographics, mind maps, diagrams, and organizers among others.
https://cocacolaunited.com/blog/2015/12/09/relationship-local-bottler-coca-cola-company/tcc-infographic-portfolio-4/https://www.aircanada.com/content/dam/aircanada/portal/documents/PDF/en/infographic-cargo-en.pdf
RBC uses calculators to promote products. Here there is an example of the Tax Free Save Account Calculator. The company shares the results with a graphic to make it easy for users to understand the data.
https://www.rbcroyalbank.com/investments/tfsa/tfsa-calculator.html
