The Power of Visual Communication

The Power of Visual Communication
16/11/2021
Rok Mele

According to numerous studies, people remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, and an impressive 80% of what they see. So it’s no wonder that visual communication through graphic design, photography, and video occupies the dominant position in the modern marketing mix.

Ever since the success of social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, it has been clear that visual impressions keep users glued to their screens and never let go. Many companies have also recognized this and are therefore relying on social media marketing through visual ads in the form of images and videos, among other things.

Visual impressions can be additionally enhanced by colors, sound, and text, connecting several senses and thus increasing the attention of future customers.

However, not only on social media platforms but also in advertising on other channels, in corporate design, and in the furnishing of stationery stores, visual communication has a remarkable power that a company should by no means do without.

But what exactly do we mean by visual communication? How can visual impressions best be used for effective marketing? What elements of visual communication exist and how can they attract the attention of customers?

Images have power: the power to attract, persuade, and sell.

What does visual communication mean for modern advertising measures?

Visual communication refers to all types of communication in which information is conveyed visually. Modern marketing simply wouldn’t work without visual communication: unlike verbal and written information, visual messages can be processed much faster, better and easier by the human brain.

Nowadays, content has to be easily digestible and preferably in the form of photos, videos, infographics, tables and models as well as illustrations. Because let’s face it: very few customers want to read through pages of text or have products and services explained to them verbally for ages – this is especially true of mass-consumed goods and services.

Clarity, vividness and accuracy are three aspects that must always be present in visual communication in today’s world. The faster information is conveyed, the greater the chance that customers will remain interested and subsequently make a purchase. This is also confirmed by a study conducted by Animoto.

Even complex issues can be visualized in a creative and clear way using visual communication tools – there are only a few limits to the possibilities: This is also true for industries such as the medical sector, mechanical engineering and information technology, among others.

What are the concrete advantages of visual communication in marketing?

Images and videos are perceived earlier than text and speech. This is important: because as the saying goes, “The first impression is decisive!” The high speed of perception of visual impressions also has the advantage that they cannot simply be ignored: While words and speech can be relatively easily tuned out, images and videos always have an effect – even if it is only subconscious.

In addition, visual means of communication also attract more attention in contrast to written or spoken words: images and videos captivate people and ensure that they absorb the information they contain more consciously and sustainably. This is also because photos and videos activate certain areas of the brain more effectively than words and speech.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

The proverb is universally known: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” This expression doesn’t come from anywhere either: because visual communication through pictures and videos is, according to scientific findings, much more understandable to most people than text and proclaimed speech. There is also the credibility effect: people tend to believe visual impressions more than spoken and written. They want to “see the information with their own eyes,” so to speak.

Finally, people also retain images and videos better in their memory: because these are stored twice in the brain – once on the right as visual material and once on the left in word form.

All these reasons contribute to the fact that visual communication in marketing is the most effective means of spreading messages and attracting new customers in the long term.

In which areas does visual marketing have the highest effectiveness?

An effective marketing strategy with a focus on visual communication covers numerous areas and includes a wide range of advertising measures. This starts with a company’s logo: here, the design, color choice and typography are of paramount importance for recognition value and visual appeal.

One of the most important platforms for visual communication is, of course, the company website. No wonder: because it only takes about 0.05 seconds for visitors to subconsciously already form an image of a website and form an opinion. Of course, this is also decisive for whether users continue to stay on a website or leave it again.

Above all, websites with many meaningful videos and images as well as a modern and appealing design and only as much text as necessary are convincing all along the line and can contribute significantly to a company achieving more sales and thus also profit.

Great eye-catching content is key to stopping people in their tracks, halting the newsfeed scrolling, and being remembered.

However, visual communication is subsequently important not only for the digital realm, but also for physical offices and salesrooms: here, too, the corporate design should be clearly recognizable and customers as well as business partners should feel at least as comfortable on site as they do on a company’s website.

Of course, visual communication is also relevant for outdoor advertising: after all, it is the public space where people spend a lot of time and where you can reach new customers and increase the loyalty of existing customers with eye-catching outdoor advertising at strategically sensible locations in the form of posters, screens and info screens.

The same is true of online advertising and TV advertising: online, for example, on social media channels such as Facebook, Instagram or YouTube, and TV advertising on a wide variety of channels that are most likely to reach the target group. Here, too, you can stand out with outstanding ads and encourage viewers to buy products or use services.

The key word here is “holism”: visual marketing is used everywhere by successful companies and is present in both obvious and less obvious areas. Only companies that can create a synergy of direct and indirect marketing through visual communication achieve the best results.

Effective visual marketing by our creative agency in Vienna

In today’s world, visual communication is the most effective way of attracting prospects and converting them into customers in the long run: because images and videos have an unimaginable power in modern marketing that no one can escape and that can have great effects on the success of any business.

Visual marketing can occur in all areas of communication: It influences consumer behavior and supports it through the power of images that people simply remember, thus significantly increasing the recognition value of a product.

So something is clear: visual communication is an integral part of a successful marketing strategy and can take a company’s success to the next level.

© 2022 ROKD, Agentur für visuelle Kommunikation e.U.

Cut through the noise: Advertising with a Bang

rokd_den-larm-durchbrechen-werbung-mit-knalleffekt_cover_photo_01
Cut through the noise: Advertising with a Bang
14/11/2021
Rok Mele

The sensory overload on the web makes contact with customers difficult. Visual communication breaks through that barrier and attracts attention.

Impressions are constantly pelting down on us. That was already the case in the past. But since the digital world has come into being, the influences have become much greater. Every day, we have access to as much information as our great-grandparents did in their entire lives. The constant digital noise is chattering, flashing and shining all around us. Something is constantly demanding attention. If we were to give this unfiltered attention to every pop-up, every advertising jingle and every marketing email, our mental health would be ruined. The brain is designed to concentrate on the essentials for good memory performance. Everything else is blanked out. Like through a sieve, sensory impressions are filtered by the brain according to importance. Only what seems important enough reaches the consciousness.

In this noisy world, it’s hard to catch customers’ attention. It’s not uncommon for them to have two or more screens on at the same time and struggle to focus on many tasks at once when multitasking. Between you and me, that’s not possible. Multitasking is an illusion. Or better, as researchers know, only possible to a limited extent.

Therefore, the first goal in marketing is to capture the attention of the audience.

It is possible to go for a walk and make a phone call at the same time, as physical activity is automatic. And one can drive a car while performing different actions at the same time. The situation is different with decisions and visual stimuli. It is impossible to make two decisions on two different subjects at the same time or to watch two movies at the same time. Here, the only possibility is to direct attention alternately to one task. What gets priority is again decided by the consciousness filter.

Therefore, the first goal in marketing is to capture the attention of the audience. Because this is the only way that the advertising messages are perceived at all and stored by the memory. To get through the awareness filter, real marketing experts have to get to work.

In a world deluged by irrelevant information, clarity is power.

Don’t shout louder, communicate better

Clever marketing strategies see the company and its customers as individual realities and create customized solutions. What leads to roaring success for one person may be completely ineffective for another. Marketing knows no general rules that can be applied equally to everyone. With a lot of intuition and know-how, it is necessary to recognize where the customers are to be found, what moves them, and whether their attention is to be gotten with trumpets and trombones or by whispering.

Visual Communication

A picture is worth a thousand words – and above all, it’s an unbeatable way to communicate directly, even with the “lazy” reader. Whereas reading texts requires a certain level of basic interest and personal commitment, images simply work – without any personal input at all. This makes visual communication the ideal medium for advertising. Especially in the digital space, visual content is a valuable information carrier for impatient swipers, clickers, and scrollers. A fraction of a second is enough for an image to achieve its (advertising) effect.

Visual content is ideal for all consumers. Through videos and images, users can get close to a brand effortlessly. With visual storytelling, customers have the chance to not only learn about the product or brand in the shortest amount of time, but also to become emotionally attached. Bonding at the emotional level is the real argument that convinces to buy. After all, it is well known: People don’t buy the goods, they buy what the goods do for them. Most of the time, this is not about practical things, but about emotional needs that are satisfied by the purchase.

In the right place at the right time

To stand out from the flood of information, choosing the right medium is important. It’s not just about the “how”, but also the “where” and the “when”. Or, ideally, the perfect combination. Optimizing content for the device your target audience uses is one of the basic requirements in successful marketing. After all, the message should reach the audience effortlessly and clearly. Knowing which customers will be using certain devices in certain places on the web and when is an important part of marketing strategy. This makes advertising campaigns more efficient and therefore more cost-effective for the company. The motto is: quality not quantity.

With visual storytelling, customers have the chance to not only learn about the product or brand in the shortest amount of time but also to become emotionally attached.

Emotional bond

What will stand out for the target group from the background noise and be so interesting that it is worth the hundred percent attention? The answer is always: the right emotions. Visual advertising can convey emotions in a single image, a short message or in a film in a more surprising, innovative, interesting or original way than any other type of communication. The emotions and positive expectations towards the product or service will influence customers even after the purchase. They will also persuade friends and family to look at the product as influencers on a small and large scale, they will leave better reviews on the Internet and forgive any mistakes more easily.

A study by Antonio Rangel from Stanford University also showed that good marketing goes straight to the brain and has a long-term effect there. This proved how small the connection between the subjective experience of a product and its actual qualities can be because the mere expectation of good quality stimulates the emotional centers in the consumer’s brain.

Breaking through the noise is only the first step

So targeted advertising through visual communication not only has the purpose of persuading customers to make a purchase decision but also brings lasting benefits. But it all starts with breaking through the noise and being seen by customers.

Cut through the noise and reach your target audience.

© 2022 ROKD, Agentur für visuelle Kommunikation e.U.

We are rokd.

We are rokd.
25/03/2021
Rok Mele

Rokd (pronounced as rocked / ·rokt· /) is first and foremost an idea. An idea of connecting creative individuals that work together to create experiences worth experiencing. People who don´t see it as just another job, but as a calling to create amazing things and better themselves every day, while also giving something back to the community and enriching the world we live in. There are many ways to do that, but ours is based on visual communication. Why? Because visual communication captures the attention best and that is the key. Visual communication can have a significant impact on a brand’s marketing, sales, and the ultimate success of a business as it attracts attention arouses interest, and creates desire. It is key to a modern brand and its ability to reach an audience.

So we came about rokd, an independent creative agency that concentrates on visual communication and supports brands in branding, content creation, and strategic communication. As individuals we are strong, but as a team, we are even stronger, because our mix of different views, cultures, and backgrounds of expertise makes us uniquely adaptable to any situation and project. We came together in the beautiful city of Vienna, where we set our base. We work locally but definitely, think globally because the world is now a “huge village” where everyone and everything is interconnected.

Curiosity about life in all of its aspects, I think, is still the secret of great creative people.

We use our skills in media and marketing and combine expertise with hands-on sensibilities to deliver visually engaging story-driven content with a clear strategy that connects brands with audiences around the world. We think of ideas that push the right buttons for brands that want to change the world.
We think of ourselves as visual storytellers and creative problem solvers. And although we work hard, we also don´t forget to have fun while doing it, because what would be life without a little rock ‘n’ roll in it.

How we can help your brand or company? We can support you in your communication, strategy, content, and everything related to making you cut through the noise and reach your target audience. So, without further ado, click on the “Let´s rock” button and get in touch with us, we would love to hear from you!

© 2022 ROKD, Agentur für visuelle Kommunikation e.U.