Building a brand with the right imagery

A picture may not be worth exactly a thousand words, but images are important to building a brand. In today’s environment where consumers are over-exposed to visual imagery, choosing the right images are important to capture your audience’s attention and to “cut across the noise,” according to Janice Mayo, president of OnRequest Images. “Many companies spend an incredible amount of time in developing a brand looking at colors, text size and type style, but when it comes to photography, they often lack standards for that.”

In an online Webinar hosted by the Insurance Marketing Communications Association, Bridgett Rose, brand and creative consultant for Humana, and Mayo shared how choosing the right imagery can elevate a brand and transform a company’s business.

Puzzling pictures

Choosing the right images helps to depict a company’s value and leaves a lasting impression of what the brand stands for, while the wrong images can create confusion, the speakers said.

In early 2007, Humana, a health benefits company, embarked on a “Build the Brand” initiative to improve its image. Although the company had a 46-year history, consumers couldn’t clearly define Humana’s values, and the company lacked consumer trust and an emotional connection, Rose recalled.

Humana hoped to improve its brand so that it better defined the company’s identity, resonated with stakeholders and differentiated the company from others, while leaving a lasting impression, Rose said. The company hoped to strengthen its client relationships, enhance its brand reputation, establish a corporate image and message, improve brand understanding and attitude, and increase sales quotas. In particular, the company recognized it struggled to use imagery, which weakened the brand.

“We want to be seen as thought leaders,” Rose said, yet competitors sometimes were using the same images, images didn’t always align with the brand, didn’t resonate with Humana’s target multicultural audiences, and didn’t match the size and strength of the company.

Thus, the company called on OnRequest Images, a brand imaging consulting company, to show it how brand management translates into good imagery. OnRequest evaluated the images being used in existing marketing and communications, and developed a better image library.

Analyze attributes

The first step in choosing the right images to represent a brand is to determine what attributes you want to communicate to your customers and represent your company, Mayo said.

Humana’s goal was to be perceived as a company that is healthy/active, engages in thoughtful interaction and provides guidance. OnRequest also rated Humana’s existing collection of images based on photographic quality, brand alignment and corporate compliance to ensure it met the company’s standards on use of religious symbols, relationships, etc.

Eyeing the competition

Once images have been thoroughly assessed, companies should evaluate the competition, Mayo suggested. The consultants analyzed whether Humana’s top five competitors and other companies with similar target audiences were using the same stock images.

Humana wanted to be perceived as a “breakout market leader,” so it was crucial to ensure that images were not being duplicated elsewhere.

“Besides being embarrassing for advertisers, (image) duplications can make it difficult for consumers to tell brands apart,” Mayo quoted Wall Street Journal writer Emily Steel. “If two or more companies use the same imagery, it can make it difficult to tell the brands apart.”

Tests tell a lot

In addition to evaluating images within the company, companies should seek outside feedback, Mayo suggested. After Humana completed its internal and competitive analyses, OnRequest shot about 12 custom images that it believed portrayed Humana’s attributes. The custom images were shown to focus groups and online evaluators.

Survey and focus group participants compared Humana’s existing image library to the custom photos and provided input on which best communicated Humana’s brand attributes. That feedback helped the companies to create a photography guide to aide in future production of brand-aligned imagery.

Such a guide should serve as “a creative roadmap,” Mayo said. “Any photographer can look at the guide and understand what creative feel, look, consistency and details to shoot.” She suggested the guide include details on casting/model selection, wardrobe, composition, cropping, lighting, color palette, relationships of people, angle, etc.

Words into action

Once photographers had a resource to ensure that future photos are consistent and align with the brand attributes, they shot 75 exclusive images that met the guidelines. That number provided enough variety for Humana’s targeted demographics, location and multicultural customers that could be used in communication and marketing materials, Rose noted.

More to the story

Creating images, however, should not be the end of the brand imagery evaluation and development process. Images must be accessible by the people who need them, Mayo said.

To allow Humana employees to easily share the new images, they were loaded onto an online system that is accessible 24 hours a day. The Web-based platform allows Humana to track what images are being used and by whom.

Centralized control of image assets allows for flexibility and faster speed to market; reduces corporate liability through photography release and rights management tools; and provides a greater return on investment on imagery due to company-wide access, reducing redundant image licensing or production, Mayo added.

In all, the image evaluation and new library has “helped pull the company away from a diluted brand that occurred through stock images,” Rose said. The new library creates an emotional connection with customers and members. And that has resulted in heightened brand awareness and consideration, Mayo added.

Cost-conscious tips

Mayo admitted that research as extensive as what was conducted for Humana can range from $25,000 to $100,000, but companies with limited budgets can conduct smaller scale evaluations with just as valid results, she said.

“Companies can put together a small group within a company to evaluate whether images fit their brand or not,” she said. “Ask yourselves do the models fit the target audience or not? Check out competitors’ Web sites. Ask yourself how you use imagery and (whether) you are creating a good look for yourselves.”

For more information on Humana’s brand imagery analysis and tips on boosting your brand images, visit www.imcanet.com/.