Image perception of an advertisement

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Image perception describes the processes in the body when a picture is taken and processed in the brain.

Image effects are particularly important for advertising because they have a decisive advantage over language effects: Images are captured more quickly.

The problem with visual perception is that the eyes only pick up three pieces of information the size of a 50-pfennig piece per second.

Tests on volunteers have shown that a printed advertisement takes an average of 40 seconds to read. In the event of a hurry or information overload, the viewing time is reduced to just two seconds.

Thus, the consumer is reached through visual stimuli. Images have other beneficial effects that the advertising industry can use. At first they have a stronger activation effect , so there is faster contact between the image and the viewer. Then there is the sequential effect , which states that an image is first in the chain of information intake. Because of the stronger activation, one will also remember images better than texts, whereby one speaks of memory effect. After all, images also create a stronger experience , which means that they are better suited to conveying emotional content.

The physical taking of an image

An image is scanned in irregular jumps. Here, change fixation , which lasts 0.2 milliseconds on average, and saccade , while the lack of information are taken from.

There are three to five fixations per second, information units that can be recorded. The absorption of information itself is hardly controlled mentally.

One or two short fixations that give the viewer an overview and grasp the subject of the picture are followed by two longer fixations that focus on the details of the picture. A distinction is made between active and passive stimulus recording, which means that if the observation is not very involved, the recording is unconscious and passive.

Mental and emotional processing of the picture

Images are processed through the reaction of the verbal and non-verbal memory system. The more parts of the speech are processed, the more conscious the recording must be.

An image is generally perceived in two steps. First of all, without looking more closely, a first impression of the image arises from peripheral stimulus recording, which can be described as an emotional entry into the perception process. Colors and shapes are recorded extremely quickly. This is followed by the first understanding of the image, where the image is compared with an internal schematic image. In the memory of every viewer, visual schemes are stored that relate to the typical visual properties of a situation. When looking at the picture, an unconscious pattern comparison takes place. The inner schematic image, in conjunction with the evaluation of the image, influences further perception and mental processing.

A distinction is generally made between four cases of schema comparisons.

If the picture fully matches the schema, it is schema congruence . If the picture differs in details, it will be better memorized. Here one speaks of an unusual combination . If the image resembles another schematic image, i.e. if it is identical , confusion or understanding difficulties arise , for example when combining a tropical beach and a Mediterranean coast. If the image cannot be classified into any scheme, it is referred to as schema relevance . Schema-relevant images are the most difficult to keep track of and are only accessed when viewed with active interest, such as abstract art .

As a rule, deviations from the diagram encourage longer and more intensive consideration.

Visual stimuli

In order for an image to trigger certain behavioral effects, advertising must be based not only on linguistic and visual rhetoric but also on knowledge of the laws of human behavior. The behavioral research distinguishes three types of visual stimuli that generate activation in the viewer.

Physical stimuli

Color , size and contrast always ensure activation: They cannot be overlooked. The following applies: the larger the display, the longer the viewing time. Close-ups and an oversized representation of the product are particularly effective, as is a high figure-ground contrast. In addition to their symbolic content, the colors are divided into two large groups. Red, orange and yellow are exciting colors, while blue, green and violet are grouped together as lustful colors. The color is also responsible for directing one's gaze to the key elements of the image.

Emotional stimuli

Emotional stimulus effects are particularly important in advertising. They address people's feelings and motives, and they hardly wear out. On the one hand, people activate images, especially those of faces and eyes, on the other hand, the use of key attributes is very effective. Key attributes are, for example, the faithful eyes of a dog or the flowers in a meadow as a natural attribute. Biologically determined key stimuli such as child schema , erotic stimuli or archetypal representations are very important for emotional stimuli . Archetypes are found in the collective subconscious of people and are addressed, for example, with fairy tale characters, dream images or characters from mythology. Another key stimulus is cross-cultural body language, for which every human being has a genetically anchored understanding. Other emotional stimulus categories would be freedom, security, individuality or success.

Surprising or cognitive stimuli

The cognitive stimuli or irritations violate the recipient's perception expectations. This stimulates the mental activities. By comparing it with the inner schematic, the irritating element is found quickly and fixed for longer. They are images that surprise and provoke and convey familiar things in an unfamiliar way. Thought stimuli are not as spontaneous as emotional ones, and they wear out faster than these.

literature

  • Kroeber-Riel, Werner : Image communication: Image strategies for advertising ; Original edition; Munich: Vahlen; 1993
  • Meyer-Hentschel, Gundolf: Everything you always wanted to know about advertising ; Original edition; Wiesbaden: Gabler Public; 1996
  • Urban, Dieter: Designing advertisements successfully ; Original edition; Freiburg im Breisgau: Haufe; 1996
  • Urban, Dieter: Buy Me !: Visual rhetoric in advertising ; Original edition; Stuttgart: Schäffer-Poeschel; 1995