How Pretty Is Your Picture? (Koinophology)
An Overview and actionable results of the first part of the research will be posted some time today in the NextStage Members’ Area. The full paper is available at NSE Consumer Research Paper – The Selling Face: A Study of Face and Body Biases in Marketing Communications, Part 1
Meanwhile…want to have some fun? Below is Appendix C of the paper, examples of koinophologically modified images. Before you ask, yes, NextStage’s Evolution Technology suggested how the images should be modified to produce the desired results. What was particularly gratifying was doing a “spot test” with some neighbors and getting the same results we got with a large world model in our real test.
Very exciting.
So, take a look and share your responses as comments. This could be fun…
Which of the two faces below is preferred and for what purpose? Both faces can be used to market to culturally defined audiences, although the face on top (left in the Appendix) will sell one type of product and the face on the bottom (right in the Appendix) another. Further, each face is gender targeted; one will elicit stronger positive female responses, the other stronger positive male responses.
Which hand communicates more positively that life has been full and rich and well lived to Boomers? Which negatively?
Which face is “smiling for the camera” versus “really smiling”? Which face is communicating “I’m doing a job” versus “I’m really happy”?
Which child is having more fun?
Which child would cause mothers to purchase more milk? Fathers?
I’ll list which images are koinophologically modified after we get some responses.
You can find my
Interesting stuff Joseph. Being a student of cognitive psych, I am always fascinated by the fact how easily we are influenced.
Just for fun, I am going to take a shot at your photos :-). I might get it all wrong but I it will be worth the try.
On the first one, I would say the left is geared towards males and the right targeted at ladies. The left one has a “softer” & feminine feel to it where as the right picture has a more “shrewd” and calculated look.
The hand – I would say the bottom one communicates a richer & plush life where as the top one shows a life of “labor” (negative?)
The smiling face – I would say that the top one or the left one is natural where as the bottom one seems to be exaggerated and for the camera.
The child – the bottom one (I think) appears to have more fun.
The Boy – My guess is that the bottom picture would make mothers buy more milk.
Enjoyed.
Ned
Ned!
Thanks for reading and commenting! I didn’t know you were a cogsci student. Do I have things for you to read…
I’m going to reply to you privately (and please don’t share the answers). The real question is “which image is modified v which image is natural?”
Again, thanks for reading and commenting.
Joseph
Hiya Joseph,
Glad to hear from you. Yea, I have been formally a cogsci student for some time now but my fascination towards that and related ‘mind’ areas started decades ago.
Here is an interesting observation (a 1 man sample). I had written down two responses, one impulsive and one based on ‘careful thought & analysis’. When I compared them with your “answers”, I scored higher on my impulsive responses :-).
Goes to show why it is not all about analysis :-) and the fact that sometimes your mental models and experience-based thinking can lead you to the wrong path.
Regards,
Ned
Thanks, Ned! Yes, what you write — the right v left brain responses to marketing — is what this research is all about. – Joseph
Absolutely correct. All that glitters is not gold :-)
Great perception exercise.
BTW, when I came back to the page, I noticed that the image in the top right-hand corner of the page had changed. It was my own photo!
How did that happen? Or is that part of NextStage’s magic?
Howdy and thanks for commenting.
Not ET magic, sorry to say, just had your image in the system and it was plucked at random.