People in Pictures... How effective is it?

[aaron_tate_hedrick]

Hello everybody,

This may be more of a marketing/advertising/human psychology question, but I think the good people on this forum will have a definite opinion on it. :mrgreen: I am in the overnight cabin rental business in Tennessee and we rely heavily on our internet presence to rent cabins. Most people find our website, look at the pictures and make a decision on whether to rent from us or not. Our photographs do NOT have models (people) in them. Since the economy is slow in the vacation business and the competion is fierce, we are trying to come up with some new ideas to get people to book with us. I think that putting some people in our photo shoots will make a significant difference, but that is a lot of time, effort and money wasted if it does not help much.

I would love to hear the opinions of anyone that knows what they are talking about.

Thanks,

Aaron Tate Hedrick

 

[The_Traveler]

Absolutely,

you need people for the viewers to relate to, to feel confortable.
Include a few shots showing all the types of people, family groups, couples, different ethnicities that use your cabins.
That will go a long way to make the people feel welcomed.

 

[jake337]

I think some photos of cabins with families holding fishin rods, maybe a family pointing out some sort of wildlife, or their ruck with boat in tow next to the cabin, maybe a campfire scene. Pictures of people having fun.

To save money on models you could possible ask some of the customers if they wouldn't mind posing for a shot to help keep their favorite retreat afloat.

 

[sm4him]

Aaron,

I'm curious; what cabins do you rent? I live, and go to church, just a few miles from Seymour--I lead our women's ministry and we've done a fall retreat in some cabins there, off Boyd's Creek for a couple of years. We've gotten good deals in the past, but not so much this year. Might be willing to look for a new place to hold it next year!

On another note: I suppose I could go either way on people or no people in the photographs. People out doing activities, swimming, fishing, hiking, might give me a more "positive" view of the area, but honestly, I'm not sure seeing someone else sitting in MY hot tub in MY cabin would do the trick. Maybe sitting on the porch, though.

I am sure that, if you decide to include people in your photos, my women's ministry leadership team would be happy to serve as "models" for a weekend, in exchange for the use of a cabin to hold one of our planning meetings in.

 

[Derrel]

"Sex sells." "Sexy sells." "Sell 'em the sizzle, not the steak." I think you get where I'm going with this...look at the advertisements for big-budget vacation destinations...they have appealing models in them...good-looking women, handsome men, and adorable children. Even the grandparents look sprightly...

I used to read Advertising Age religiously...the models and talent used in advertising make a huge difference...it's pretty well-established.

 

[HughGuessWho]

I will be in the Gatlinburg area the first week in July staying one of the amazing cabins down there. I assume you are referring to that area. Would love to assist you, if you need a "family" to set in. (for a discount, of course ).

I was going to PM you, sm4him, to get a locals insight on the best photographic locations to go to.

 

[KmH]

Without a doubt, having people in photos makes them very much more effective for advertising.

That's why something like 85% of all the stock photos that sell, have people in them.

Pick up any magazine and look at the advertisements in them. On a piece of paper note how many ads have, or don't have, people in them.

 

[aaron_tate_hedrick]

Well, I guess that settles it. We'll do some shoots with people in them. This should be interesting. Sm4him, hughguesswho, I'll let you know if we need models!

Thank you everybody.

Aaron Tate Hedrick