5 Amazing Industries with Photography at Their Core
Photography can tell a story. Photography can evoke feelings of nostalgia, or sadness, or joy. Photography is an emotional investment for the viewer. It captures moments in time that might not be able to be recreated again. When done right, photography can make a brand look more professional and help increase conversions. This article will explore 10 industries where photography is core to their marketing strategy and the experience customers have with them on a day-to-day basis.
Tourism Industry
Tourism is one of the biggest industries for photography. The tourism industry can range from hotels to museums to restaurants, essentially any tourism-related business would benefit from high-quality photographs.
Selling tourism experiences is all about creating emotions, so it makes sense that photography plays such a huge role in this industry! The tourism industry is built on selling experiences. Creating memories is what tourism thrives on. When someone books a room or tickets to an attraction, it’s important for them to be able to see exactly what they are paying for beforehand so that there are no surprises when the moment comes if their expectations were set correctly beforehand – this is where photography comes in very handy! Tourists often have high expectations because it is their holiday and they want to have an incredible time. These expectations are often the deciding factor when choosing where to book an experience, which is why tourism businesses need high-quality photos in order to sell their experiences.
The tourism industry benefits from excellent photos because it gives them the opportunity to show off every aspect of their location so that customers will be able to trust them when booking an experience there. People use the tourism industry as an escape and often want to completely immerse themselves in another world for a short period of time. If they are not comfortable with you, then they will most likely not book an experience with you.
People also want to know what they’re getting themselves into if they’re planning on booking a room at your hotel or buying tickets for an attraction at your museum. You wouldn’t believe how many people start their trip with low expectations only to become pleasantly surprised during their stay or visit because someone took the time to create beautiful images that evoked emotion and paved memories of an enjoyable experience.
People want to know what they are getting themselves into if they book a room at your hotel or reserve a ticket for an experience at your museum. Tourists also want to bring back memories of their time spent in your city. Photos help with all this and more.
Fashion Industry
Fashion photography has become more than just an art form. It is photography that tells a story and evokes emotions from the viewer when done right, which makes it core to marketing for many fashion companies. Fashion photography can make or break a brand in this industry, so you know when a company invests time and money in photography they are serious about their product.
Take the Oiselle: “I run because when I run I can think.” by Emilie Wapnick. The marketing campaign clearly portrays Oiselle as a clothing company for women who like to work out and be active. This photography evokes so many different emotions from people, but it also tells you exactly what kind of product this company sells. They are trying to tell you their brand is about empowerment and being free to move your body however you want to move it. This photography does wonders for encouraging sales for this company!
In photography, the lighting plays a huge role in what kind of emotions are evoked from the viewer. Lighting can make or break a photo and make it look either beautiful or amateur. In fashion photography, having professional lighting is crucial to photography if you want your images looking top notch. The color palettes used throughout fashion photography play a major part in how consumers feel when they see them as well. You don’t typically think of bright colors as being sad. If photography was bright and sunny but the product advertised was dark, it would make consumers feel sad.
Food Industry
Food photography plays a vital role in marketing . It acts as a thread that connects an individual’s memory to the desired set of emotions. When marketers are aware of this, they can incorporate effective imagery into their messaging which will result in an increased chance to attract attention and gain trust from the customer. In addition, food photography is also used as a digital signature or as a marker for copyright protection. Let’s look at some industries with high demand for food photographs.
1) Restaurants
From humble beginnings catering for local festivals and markets, restaurants have evolved to become household names due to their success on social media. We all know about celebrity chefs such as Jamie Oliver and Gordon Ramsey who use social media platforms including Twitter and Facebook to promote their brand. In fact, a study by Hubspot shows that food is the most shared content on social media, which makes it even more important for users to see high-quality images of the product or service they are buying into.
Photo by Gordon Ramsey via Pinterest
Restaurants make use of food photography in various ways; Firstly, photographs of dishes can be used on restaurant websites with menu items providing an overview of what customers can expect when visiting the premises. Secondly, restaurants also take advantage of YouTube videos where their chefs demonstrate recipes (consumers like watching video tutorials). Thirdly, another form of marketing is through blogging whereby restaurants share helpful recipes and food inspiration at their customer’s convenience. Lastly but possibly one of the most powerful marketing tools of all, food photographs can be used to attract potential customers through Instagram and Pinterest.
2) Food Magazines
Food magazines play a crucial role in the food industry as they introduce new recipes and product news that potential consumers would want to know. To create awareness and interest amongst their readers, food magazines use high-quality images on their covers and feature articles. The success of food magazines is cemented by their power to make or break the restaurant business; those who refuse to take out advertising will find it difficult for their business to increase its customer base.
Photo by Zac Quitzon via Flickr (Creative Commons)
3) Television Shows
Many home cooks like myself turn to television shows such as Masterchef Australia or America’s Next Top Model for ‘food inspiration’. In fact, shows such as Masterchef have been so successful that they now have a magazine dedicated to their content. This goes to show how important food is in our media and thus, food photography is something that needs to be taken seriously by those who want widespread coverage of their business or brand.
4) Product Packaging
Product packaging is the first thing a consumer will see when looking through a store shelf; this means it is crucial for a brand to make use of high quality photographs on its boxes and labels to sell its products. You can’t rely on words alone because some people are blind or partially sighted and need images as guidance before making a purchasing decision. Once again, marketing teams understand this and as such, they make sure that their products are labelled with high-resolution images.
Food photography is often about emphasising the food that makes fast food so popular. Fast food companies usually use photography to show customers that they are getting high quality, fresh foods with lots of colour and flavour.
Similarly, food photography can also be used to give people an idea of how healthy the food is. For example, using greyscale or sepia gives a classic feel which can set up an expectation for healthy eating without being too obvious about it.
Automotive Industry
Automotive photography is a specific type of photography that involves taking pictures on cars. The art of automotive photography is one that takes a lot of skill and patience to be able to capture the best picture possible. In the 21st century, the automotive industry is full of cutting-edge technology and a staggering variety of vehicles. Automotive photography has become a key tool for dealerships in order to market their vehicles by making them attractive to potential buyers.
According to SheKnows.com, automobiles are ranked among consumers’ top five biggest purchase considerations. Automotive photography has become an integral part of how vehicles are marketed and sold to consumers , as a way for companies to attract more customers . In an article from DigitalTrends.com , “A photo shoots better than words can describe how a car looks or feels inside or outside.” In fact, photographs have been used for decades as a way to sell cars . According to Forbes , “Using high quality photos that highlight a vehicle’s best features captures the attention of people browsing through websites that sell cars.” And if you want them to look at your brand more closely, well then you have succeeded.
A magazine that is internationally known for automobile photography and reviews is Road & Track . It was founded in 1947 and its main focus is covering topics about cars, motorcycles, road tests, motorsports, new products and car culture. In their statement on product reviews , “Every photograph appearing in our pages is the result of careful planning and deliberate technique.” This allows the magazine to continuously keep up with those who want to know what’s going on within the automotive industry. They have been around since the 1940s so they have built up quite the reputation in that time.
Another magazine that is very similar to Road & Track is Autoweek , which focuses on everything automotive as well, but they are more focused on industry news and reports than reviews . Their website states, “Autoweek photographs tell stories about people and events in the global auto industry.” So it is clear that they do not only take pictures of cars in order to market them but also what goes on within the automotive world itself. An agency like this will be important for anyone who wants to become involved with marketing through automobile photography. This would be an ideal place to network and learn from others who know more than you do.
The first thing about automotive photography is choosing the car you want to take a picture of. Many people might first think of sports cars as being perfect for photography purposes, but just about any kind vehicle can work well with good lighting and enough distance from the cameras. The more expensive the vehicle, generally speaking, will offer finer detailing as well as more naturally pleasing contours for viewers to look at. In some cases it may also be helpful to have an expert mechanic fix up certain things with your car before taking pictures – perhaps putting in new brake pads or replacing worn out tires. Auto companies often hire professional photographers who have experience in automotive photography to take pictures of their cars before they are advertised to consumers.
Events Industry
Every marketing strategy, in order to succeed, needs focus. What is it that you are trying to create awareness about? Most marketing strategies revolve around a product or service – but what if your product or service was an experience?
The events industry brings this idea to life. The event business creates moments for people to remember; defining the experiences of their brand and creating defining moments in people’s lives through them helps communicate these ideas faster. Event photography can communicate multiple concepts at once, like what happens during the event (ability), how beautiful it was (quality), and who participated (prestige).
Events can happen anywhere and everything and the possibilities of events are boundless:
– Corporate events (team-building, networking, conferences)
– Festivals
– Sports
– Concerts
– National/local celebrations (Christmas, Valentine’s, etc.)
– Milestone successes or failures (graduations, promotions, layoffs)
The list goes on. Event photography helps define these moments, as well as providing a way to share them with those who couldn’t be there in person. Event photographers capture these moments – the passion people have for their craft during an art show; the dark atmosphere of a concert; the energy at a sporting event; the celebration at a birthday party; the quietness of an anniversary; the comradery at Thanksgiving dinner – and helps define these concepts through images that can speed up marketing.
At first thought, it might seem like event photography is only needed for big moments (like Roger Federer winning his 8th Wimbledon) , but moment capture can also be crucial to day-to-day marketing – even if it’s just something small.
Marketing strategies are all about communicating your message with whoever your target audience is as fast as possible so they’ll do what you want them to. Event photography provides an opportunity to communicate multiple ideas at once: moment + ability/quality/prestige = marketing goldmine . It gives value to differentiating yourself from your competitors. The biggest reason event photography is important to marketing strategies? It’s emotional . Event photography can capture people’s emotions and feels through images that turn into ideas that help define the experiences of a product or service.
Marketing strategy needs focus, which means you need to know who you are communicating with – what are their interests, fears etc.? How can you make them understand what you are selling better? People connect with stories more than anything else, so create an opportunity for event photographs to tell someone about your story – how it happened, why it happened, where it happened. The images become illustrations for your story instead of just being something pretty in a portfolio. This helps makes the concepts of quality/prestige.
Blog Summary
In this blog post, we’ve covered 5 industries that rely heavily on photography to market their products and services. Whether you are a business owner or someone looking for a job in these fields, it is important to know what kind of role photo marketing plays within the industry as well as how different types of photos can help your company reach its goals. Our team is ready and waiting to partner with you on an SEO or marketing strategy that will grow your customer base by appealing visually.
We hope you enjoyed reading about some of the most innovative companies out there. If you want more information on any one of them or would like us to cover another amazing field with photography at its core, please let us know!