Authenticity; the key to better photography

88% of consumers say that authenticity is a key factor when deciding which brands to support and stay loyal to.^[1]

As consumers, we want to understand the real meaning behind a product or service. It is disappointing realising a piece campaign photography creative isn’t truthful in its message. How can we ensure effective and honest communication when online and offline platforms are filled with rich content competing for our attention?

Authenticity in communications can often have more of a profound impact than well-crafted yet clearly virtual CGI media- despite CGI still being a truly effective form of marketing. We crave the human to human connection that comes from truthful, and sometimes honest, messaging.

So how to achieve this? There are multiple paths we can take to articulate authenticity to an audience. One of the most visual of which is photography. When constructed and delivered correctly, photography can provoke a far greater positive reaction than an CGI-generated image. The audience seeks to understand how a product or service could fit within their daily routine and feel a deeper connection. Consumers often find themselves asking: How could I benefit from it? Is it worth it? Am I the target audience to use it? This is where photography can be a powerful tool.

Photography captures the true essence of a product, service, or brand. With the right direction, a potential customer or business can understand exactly how the product will impact their life – just from a photo. Viewers are actively searching for campaigns that showcase originality and ; those that utilise imagery, producing an emotional connection. However, achieving a successful and powerful campaign for your audience requires strategic steps.

Organisation is key.

Organisation underpins all successful photography shoots. The overarching brief should be dissected ahead of time, to develop an efficient and meaningful shot list. Between agency and client, collaboration is needed. This understanding of which shots and emotions in particular will help them achieve their objectives.

These conversations should centre on the primary target – the audience. Who are they, and what would they like to see from the brand? We must reflect their wants and needs at the core of each shot taken. To provide this, we must consider and extensively plan the intricacies in expression, subject features or demographics, setting, lighting, and costume, in advance of the physical shoot.

We also need to account for the subsequent usage of the images. If the image is to take the form of a social media post, as well as an asset for a high impact piece of physical print, will the emotion and messaging stay relevant in each form? From start to finish, the shoot should explore and account for every possibility to maximise the effectiveness of the final product.

Communicating authentically through photography.

Achieving genuine portrayals within campaign photography relies on understanding the goals and intentions of those involved. Within any team, we want clarity from those we work alongside, to offer the best outcome. What are we wanting to achieve? How will it benefit us? Who do we want to influence? Photography is no different. We need to communicate these factors to align goals and create a successful shoot.

If a model is asked to show negative emotions, without insight or context provided to them – is the shoot going to result in the best end image? Most likely, no. If a photographer is asked to capture a product, with no context of the brand story or objectives – will it reach the client’s expectations? Also most likely, no. Each will miss the mark. With the next generations so highly in tune with digital content, images lacking the right emotions or context are easily identifiable and deemed inauthentic and therefore untrustworthy.

Team transparency

For a team to achieve an honest depiction, transparency is always a must. Articulating the final output and providing context to all members of the team, including the models, will translate to more authentic outputs. For example, if all understand the emotion needing to be conveyed is that of a person receiving concerning news about their health (rather than just ‘show negative emotions’), those involved will find it a lot easier to replicate and audit effectively.

When a campaign team has effectively planned and is confident in its goals, they can introduce a certain amount of flexibility into the shoot without disrupting its efficiency. People can evolve decisions on set design, costumes, and expressions to improve and enhance the outcome of the project. This improvisation naturally leads to more honest images, as new ideas arise based on the context and circumstances in that moment, and what feels the most genuine direction for the situation.

Enhancing relatability.

Our daily digital consumption saturated by vibrant media and graphic devices. More relatable or ‘real’ content is an opportunity for brands to create impact. The ability of photography to disrupt an endless scroll or catch someone’s eye in person, simply by capturing an essence of them, is incredibly valuable. Photography can be the perfect way to capture those special moments that evoke deep emotions. Real-life imagery can genuinely demonstrate an authentic dive into the emotions and experiences of any situation, going beyond the capabilities of CGI and placing the campaign or brand directly in the lives they mean to target.

Authenticity within campaign photography.

As our world adapts to changes in content creation and the perception of media, honesty is a key to success. We can often create efficiently through computer-generated mediums, especially with AI tools, but our creations can sometimes lack the emotion our communities desire. The use of photography is a vital element to connecting with an audience. Emotions captured in a genuine image aim to target the viewer, immersing them within campaign by incorporating relevant experiences. Models, products, costume, setting and more all create a precise sense of relatability to the audience, going above and beyond to draw conclusions about converting or finding out more.

TMC collaborates effectively with campaign teams to deliver high-quality photography shoots that capture the authenticity of the focus point to its fullest extent.

If you are planning your next steps towards displaying brand values within campaign imagery, contact TMC to find out how to create an effective campaign to generate quality leads.

References:

1. Shifts in Consumer Shopping Habits: Authenticity, Personalization and the Power of UGC, Stackla (2021) https://www.nosto.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Stackla-Post-Pandemic-Shifts-in-Consumer-Shopping-Habits-Data-Report_FINAL_compressed.pdf