The Importance of Imagery in DOOH Advertising

Have you ever heard the saying that a picture is worth a thousand words? Even though pictures are digital and can be manipulated in all sorts of ways the saying still rings true, especially in Digital-Out-Of-Home advertising.

Multiple images can be put together or layered to tell and entire story or to get a point across. In the digital signage industry or any other, pictures play a huge part in content design, sales, and marketing. When specifications are put on paper they are just words and numbers or components of a final product.  It is not until a visual representation has been created that the project really comes to life. For example you read: Crispy Duck Wings – toasted peanut, sweet chili Ommegang BBQ, buttermilk dip. It sounds like it would be a good dish, but until you see this:

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The mind can only do so much visual representation without a stimulus. It can now be seen how they are cooked, the presentation, the size, and how they are garnished. It can also show how much the company cares about the product they are trying to sell. According to Pearson Prentice Hall 65% of the population are visual learners; so why not capitalize on this statistic. Imagery is an attention grabber; more times than not, the individual will gravitate towards pictures before reading the written text. It immediately shows the viewer/reader what the product will look in front of them, they can then make a quicker decision of if they want to choose it or move on to the next thing. Imagery is a great tool in product marketing, visual concepts, choices, and overall representation; but it can also be used against the company or individual. Going back to the duck wing example used above, if this picture was displayed:

Food Photography

You probably would not want to eat them. So there is the importance of imagery and a GREATER importance of good imagery and pictures. With technological advances in hardware and software every smartphone has a camera, but not all are created equal.

This image below was taken with a smartphone:

Food Photography

It looks very professional, the food presentation is laid out nicely, it is crisp and clear, rich and colorful, and shadows and light have been used accordingly.

Food Photography

This is another smartphone image; notice how the color is not correct and it is washed out. There are also things in the background and the angle the picture was taken at is not good. You always want whatever is being sold to be depicted correctly. Regardless if it is food, a TV, guitars, or a car. Make the product look the best it can, because an image really can tell a thousand words about your company and how much pride is put into what is being sold.