Marketing is hardly a simple endeavor, especially in today’s landscape where its effectiveness is susceptible to many variables. Industry experts, including Musselwhite Marketing and Consulting, believe that the complexity of the field is not a hindrance to success, however. It all boils down to one thing: visuals still influence the effectiveness of marketing efforts in the biggest way. What follows is definite proof.
A Visual Predisposition
Countless studies prove that the human brain learns much better with visual stimuli. Words on paper or on a computer screen are considered abstract; they’re harder for the brain to retain. This is because the brain is largely an image processor, with a good part of the sensory cortex devoted to vision. The word processing area seems minuscule compared to this. An effective use of visuals can shorten the learning time, improve message comprehension, and increase information retention.
Shifting to the marketing field, it’s easy to see how this predisposition plays out. Rows of black and white text are pitiful in terms of recall. Compared to colorful visuals, that is. A study by Xerox shows that color doesn’t only capture attention, but also increases a reader’s attention span by a good 82 percent. This is excellent, considering that the attention span of a typical person is shorter than that of a fish.
As for hearing information, it’s not exactly helpful, either. This might explain why companies these days seem to be abandoning radio marketing/advertising for good. People remember only 10 percent of whatever information they hear three days after. Pair that information with a relevant image, however, and the retention probability shoots up to 65 percent. It’s further proof of the effectiveness of audio-visual presentations as marketing tools.
Taking Advantage Of Natural Learning Patterns
Marketing encourages businesses to innovate in terms of their efforts. But this doesn’t give them leave to completely deviate from what works just for the heck of it. Visual stimulation still rules the marketing scene, unless evolution inadvertently plays a part. Heightened image processing capabilities are what enabled humankind to survive, after all — early humans didn’t have complex language and acute hearing. They relied on their eyes then, and they’ll rely on their eyes now.
