Advertising photography is a term used to describe a subgenre of photography in which the primary focus is selling a product or service. Unlike traditional commercial photography, which merely showcases your products in a standard fashion, advertising photography is a lot ‘flashier’. Advertising photography tells a story, grabs attention, creates a feeling, and, most importantly, is far more enticing in terms of generating sales.

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The Importance of advertising photography

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Imagery is everything in marketing. Imagery inspires, motivates, and can have a powerful physiological impact on your target audience. Using advertising photography in your marketing campaign has several benefits.

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‍1.) Brand Awareness

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When your brand is at the forefront of consumers' minds, the likelihood of generating sales is much higher. Brand awareness is so crucial that 89% of marketers claim it is their top priority. Your brand will be much harder to forget with high-quality, powerful advertising photography!

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2.) Creating an emotional connection

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Most of the time, we buy products and services based on emotion. A UK-based Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA) study highlighted the dramatic contrast between emotional and rational marketing. In 1400 marketing campaigns, emotional campaigns sold nearly twice as much! With 40% of people responding better to images than text, it is no surprise that global brands use advertising photography to build a solid emotional connection with their target market.   

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3.) Visual content is easier to digest

We digest visual content much better than any other form, such as text. We process it much faster, 60,000 times faster, and with 80% of people remembering what they see compared to the 10%-20% of reading, advertising photography is a must for your business!

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4.) Changes consumer perception

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Advertising photography is also a fantastic way to change consumers’ perceptions of your products or service. Take a look at the image below of a Heinz’s marketing campaign. This campaign was highly successful, enhancing the public’s perception of the freshness of their ketchup without any words needed!

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5.) Viral Potential

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Advertising photography can be used in many forms, it could be printed on a poster, or it could be used digitally. With the popularity of social media in today’s world, all your business content has viral potential! But considering that you can get two times or more engagement on social media when using images, photography will likely increase your chances!

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How to take incredible advertising photography

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Although advertising photography has a wide range of benefits, you will only see these benefits if you know how to take good advertising shots! There are several things you can do to take incredible advertising photos!

• Make your product the focus of your image.
• Use natural light.
• Use a tripod.
• Use competitors for inspiration.
• Take shots from different angles.
• Choose the right camera.
• Take time to edit your photos.
• Use brightness, contrast, and colours to set the mood.
• Make sure your photos speak for themselves without the need for text.
• Make sure your advertising photography aligns with your brand identity.
• Learn the rules of thirds.
• Use props.

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