Chances are you looked at Frank’s bright blue eyes before you read any text (yes, they are real!).
I know I look at pictures before I read and most of us do. That is why visual content is so important. Not only does it get our attention but we remember it better.
Dr. John Medina, a developmental molecular biologist, research consultant and affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine has been study how the brain works for decades and has determined that when we hear a piece of information we’ll only remember 10% of it three days later. Add a picture and we’ll remember 65% of it. It’s the 65 – 10 rule. Big difference. (www.brainrules.net/vision)
This isn’t such good news for radio advertisers, but great news for businesses that utilize video and photos in their marketing. Of course the world is saturated with visual stimulus so whatever you are showing must be top quality and compelling. Our brains are pretty good at tuning out, ignoring and forgetting, too.
I guess we could call that the 35 – 90 rule.