Images of fuller shelves will calm panic buying
WE’VE all seen photos in the newspapers and images on TV of empty shelves, and shoppers rushing through supermarket aisles to pick up the last loo roll in town. According to some new research from Edinburgh’s University Business School and Southampton University, it seems that these photographs and news stories about panic buying encourage more shoppers to go out and follow suit. As part of the research, respondents were showed fictional news items and images of empty or full shelves. They were then asked to record their level of panic and intention to stockpile, among other variables. Dr Ben Marder, a senior lecturer in marketing at Edinburgh University Business School, which conducted the study, reckons editors should rethink their use of these images. He said: “In these uncertain times, using images of empty shelves is a critical mistake in trying to calm panic buying. As such, we urge news and Government communications to be cautious. “It is important to be aware that with a picture of full shelves, the message that there was no need to panic buy succeeded. “In addition, the fact that news articles receive more clicks if they used images of empty shelves shows that measuring the success of stories by the number of clicks can detract from the media’s ability to convey important social messages.”
Dr Rob Angell, associate professor in marketing research from Southampton University, agreed on the importance of getting these articles and stories right if we are going to be able to stop people panicking through these difficult times.
He said: “When the imagery shows an empty shelf, people are drawn to the fact that others have already acted and that they are potentially behind the curve.
“This ends up negating positive and pro-social messages in the article itself.
“If a picture is worth 1000 words, then getting it right, at a time of such importance, is absolutely necessary.”