Using cold images in advertising helps increase sales for new and modern products, according to research via Bond University
The study in the Journal of Business Research found that background imagery associated with cold, such as snowflakes and frost, make products seem fresh and new in consumers’ minds.
But the effect is only seen with product styles that are modern, rather than antique, and when the purchase is planned in the distant future.
Previous studies, investigating the role of background ad imagery, found that luxury perception can be enhanced by a photo of winter, vertical instead of horizontal images or a famous painting.
Backgrounds depicting nature is associated with the “greenness” of the advertised brand.
The latest experiments were conducted in Japan, with 740 people asked to rate the perceived temperature and newness of products against a background of warm or cold imagery.
“A wide range of products like a car, sneakers, smartwatch and table lamp were used across four experiments,” says associate professor of marketing Rajat Roy.
“Any modern product that engages futuristic design and technology may benefit from cold background imagery.
“One of the products tested was a modern-looking table lamp and, given that furniture companies such as IKEA tend to design modern and contemporary looking products, it can work for this industry.”
However, the use Japanese consumers might have had an impact on the findings.
“Information processing style can differ across cultures,” Dr Roy said.
“Eastern cultures tend to focus more on background imagery, for example snowing in the background, while Western culture pays attention to the focal object - the car shown in the advert.
“This can make the effect reported in the research more pronounced in Eastern cultures such as Japan, compared to the West.”
Future research will examine if warm imagery can invoke nostalgia among consumers.
Have something to say on this? Share your views in the comments section below. Or if you have a news story or tip-off, drop us a line at adnews@yaffa.com.au
Sign up to the AdNews newsletter, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for breaking stories and campaigns throughout the day.