Marlborough Express - Weekend Express
Impactful images speak universal language
On September 2, 2015, the world was moved by the picture of a three-yearold Syrian refugee drowned at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea.
The image went viral, prompting public outrage and a quick international response, despite years of previous thwarted efforts to raise the alarm around the European refugee crisis.
It took one simple, but incredibly powerful, image to dramatically influence a global response. It showed that a single photo can be so powerful in conveying an issue that the public and policymakers could no longer ignore it.
There are numerous examples of how a powerful image can convey so much more than words.
Think environmental activist Greta Thunberg sitting alone outside the Swedish parliament with a placard which influenced students around the world to strike for climate action.
Remember the 1997 picture of a sea of flowers, metres deep, that singularly summed up the grief over the death of Princess Diana.
But there was a much more recent royal photo that brought many of us to a standstill; the heart-breaking picture of the Queen sitting all alone in St George’s Chapel as she farewelled her husband of 73 years. It may not have changed the world. But that picture said so much.
It said the Queen was strong, stoic and dignified, while conversely, small and vulnerable.
It suggested she’d chosen to face her grief publicly alone, rather than single out one family member to support her. It spoke of her role as a leader and one of the people, abiding by Covid-19 social distancing rules.
The image also reminded us of one of the horrible truths of the global pandemic – being kept apart from loved ones.
But what about the impact of a camera in everyone’s hand every second, capturing every moment?
The video taken by 17-year-old Darnella Frazier which helped to convict former police officer Derek Chauvin, who was found guilty of killing George Floyd last week in the US.
It’s imagery we’ll never forget, and neither should we.
There is science behind the value of imagery.
Evidently, pictures are more likely to be remembered than words because our brains encode images twice, while words are only encoded once.
And scientists claim the brain is able to process images approximately 60,000 times more quickly than it processes a similar amount of written information.
Pictures can instantly change moods, invoke feelings of happiness or sadness or, in the case of George Floyd, outrage.
In the world of marketing, it’s a given that you’re likely to get a strong response using images of babies and children that make you feel all warm and mushy inside.
Images also speak a universal language. There was no need for translation or subtitles in the image of a drowned three-yearold refugee.
Impactful images are also difficult to avoid. I didn’t choose to look at the killing of George Floyd or even of a lone and desolate Queen in mourning, but those images continually caught my eye.
In contrast, if I see a few paragraphs of text with no pictures, there’s a lot less chance I’ll take the time to read it.
Using a strong image is certainly worth a punt if you’re trying to influence someone, but definitely worth thinking about if you’re trying to change the world.
Maybe when you’re asking for a budget increase at work, just forget the lengthy paper and draw a big, sad puppy face and see what happens. Good luck.