There Really is No Substitute For Experiencing Something Firsthand

Imagine, for a moment, that you are watching an old DVD of the movie, “Troy”. Boagrius, a huge, sweaty giant of a man, is standing with a sword and the crowd is yelling for Achilles to come out and fight him. Brad Pitt has buffed up for the role, but it’s obvious that his Achilles is still no match for this leviathan. You figure Achilles is toast. Achilles comes out with a dagger in his hand, then he starts running. He dodges two swords and throws down his shield. He runs and runs, and flies through the air, jabbing that knife into the neck of Boagrius as he flies past him. Boagrius is finished.

You’ve read the description, but it’s still no match for seeing the action, which lasted a mere fraction of the time it took to read about. You have a good imagination, but the impact is not the same.

Statistics Prove The Power of Visuals

This is just one of the reasons why visuals are more important than words alone. Beyond the short attention span so rampant today, there are actual physiological reasons why images have a powerful and staying power in the human brain. In today’s internet universe, video is king. Here are a few statistics:

1. According to 3M Corporation and Zabisco, visuals are processed 60,000 times faster in the brain than text.
2. SEOmoz has found that posts with videos attract 3 times more inbound links than plain text posts.
3. 85% of the US internet audience watches videos online. Nielson says that the 25-34 age group watches the most online videos, and adult males spend 40% more time watching videos on the internet than females.
4. Over 300 hours of videos are uploaded each minute on YouTube.com.
5. Internet Retailer states viewers are 85% more likely to purchase a product after watching a video.

But there is more. According to author and communicator Bryan Paul Kelly, “Most things such as books or even PowerPoint slides filled with bullets are hard to recall… The words of even the most stirring and inspiring speech are difficult to remember.”

As Kelly points out, “The brain craves visuals.” Videos stir emotions, and long-term memory depends on emotions. That alone may be enough reason to use the many visual tools available to us. In the competitive world of the internet, anything with staying power is gold.

This holds true for building materials, especially those which are sold on the basis of how they are installed, how they work, or some other aspect which requires experiencing the action to fully grasp.  Make your product come alive and be the Brad Pitt in your action movie like the example below.

Let Your Potential Customers Experience Your Building Materials

Regards and I hope you find beauty today, even when it isn’t pretty,

-JY

Design Matters: 5 Examples of Great Products that Failed Because They Were Just Too Ugly

Human beings are visual creatures. We crave visual input, and more than that, we want input that we deem pleasing. With most products, design centers on the idea of aesthetics; the science of the appreciation of beauty.  This is not always the case with building materials, especially those which are “behind the wall” products which will not be seen once the project is completed.

Now, while it is true that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, there is a lot more to the human experience than each person’s individual tastes. Psychology tells us about a type of cognitive bias called the ‘Halo Effect’, which is a concept wherein your initial impression of someone affects your evaluation of that person.

The Halo Effect applies to more than just person-to-person interactions, though, and can determine our preconceived notions about objects as well. Simply put, if you like one aspect of a particular thing, you will gain an overall positive view of that thing. If you dislike one aspect of a thing, then you will have an overall negative view of it.

So what does the Halo Effect have to do with how your present your building materials? Glad you asked. According to the psychology of this effect, if you see a product that you think is downright ugly, you will have a negative bias towards that product. Not quite sure you believe me? Take a look at these 5 examples of great products that failed because they were just too ugly.  These examples are various consumer products which do not have to be beautiful to do their job, but they failed because they were not visually appealing, don’t let your building materials suffer this same fate.

Remember these otherwise well thought out products when you are presenting your building materials and building products to the world.  If architects find them ugly, they won’t spend the time to understand all the positive features and benefits of the products.

Regards, and I hope you find beauty today, even when it isn’t pretty.

-JY

During my time getting my architecture degree in college, I realized pretty quickly that not many people saw things quite the same way.  I have always wanted to see and understand how every little connector, part and component go together and was excited to see that many great architects of the past and present felt the same.   While most were interested in the final product of architecture – the outward appearance of the finished project – I was equally interested in all the things you never see once a building is completed.  All the materials, products, connectors, etc. are as beautiful to me as any stainless steel appliance, granite countertop or other decorative design element.

Architects tend to have 2 streams of consciousness running simultaneously

This is the way most of the architects you will encounter look at the world.  They look at everything, they see everything and they tend to maintain two tracks of consciousness :

1. The way the world is
2. The way the world could be

It is like there is a sub-title track at the bottom of their movie, constantly trying to bridge the gap between what is, and what could be.

Help them bridge the gap

Visually, this means show them how you product makes the world better.   Demonstrate your love for your products by making them look beautiful.   Explain how your product keeps that wall from deteriorating (thus becoming ugly)  by helping water drain out.  Share the root passion of how and why your product makes the world a more beautiful place.  

Regards and I hope you find beauty today, even when it is not pretty.

-JY

About the Author :

Jason Yana has 2 decades of experience in architectural technology, 3d graphics and construction marketing. This unique combination provides highly-effective visual representations of building products that fuel marketing and support efforts.

His award-winning body of work informs, inspires and educates building product customers.