How your banners can incorporate ‘visual storytelling’ tactics

AdWeek recently reported on a resource released by NewsCred and Getty Images that seeks to educate marketers on ways to make their visual displays more effective and communicate a real message to their audience.

Referencing the brands that these companies cited in their new paper entitled "The Power of Visual Storytelling," the article notes some of the ways that ad campaigns have keyed in to the most important principles of visual marketing.

This includes important qualities like political relevance and direct interaction with the consumer. Some of the examples include an ad series begun by Squarespace that the AdWeek piece describes as effective because it appeals to the natural desire to engage our senses.

"We live in an age of information overload, yet our senses still yearn for stimulation," the piece writes. "When we feel fascinated and inspired, we want to share the feeling with others."

Building on this, a piece in PopSop recently looked at the ways posters have tried to be more involving around the world. In addition to the audio posters that recently appeared in New Zealand as part of a larger coordinated campaign, this article showcases several instances where the display becomes part of the message.

One of the more eye-catching ones is the relief organization Misereor, which used a promotion that dramatized the experience of using credit cards to give money by having customers swipe their credit cards down a poster. This would result in a video display showing what their donation did, such as slicing a loaf of bread.

Even in the world of common display items like fabric banners and window displays, companies can see huge rewards if they get creative with the resources allowed them.