26th Aug 2015 by Leanne Bryan

10 Yetis Insight Blog: How to Use Concept Images to Smash a PR Campaign

Concept images are the sugar frosting on the PR campaign. Stories get picked up quicker and they go down a lot better when a concept image is involved. It makes a message pretty, well-rounded and – basically – provides a journalist with a multi-media story which makes a nice break from a lot of words on a screen or page; so they are generally far more receptive to stories which feature a visual element.

In terms of engagement of the readers, mixing things up is really key. In the midst of bland stories, a different type of media will catch the eye and draw attention. It also plays to the modern short attention spans; we don’t always have the time or inclination to read reams of text, so a concept image which can convey an idea or message at a glance adheres to our easily distracted, visually-led consumption habits. This is another thought which the journalist will have as they are keen to gain online shares and likes across social media to expand the reach of their story, but is also no doubt central in your client’s thought process as they look to see the impact on the end user.

If the client in questions is especially SEO-savvy and keen to boost their position in the SERPs, concept images are a good place to start. This is not only due to the advantage they have when it comes to online pickup and, ultimately, link generation, but also because they can be hosted on the client’s site. If you go this way about it, the journalists running it will have to embed it from the client’s site or link back (if they are nice).

This isn’t always possible and often it can be more convenient to send out the whole package for the journalists to post as they choose. All is not lost in this instance – consider sending a sequence of one or two images and perhaps hosting more exclusively on the client’s site, suggesting journalists link across to direct interested readers to the further portfolio.

We have found that, while devising a PR strategy (and particularly online PR strategies), using public relations for SEO purposes, the inclusion of concept images allows us to unleash our most fun, controversial, quirky and imaginative ideas. From the house of the future through to face morphs of celebrities, there is nothing off-limits when it comes to a concept image. The more topical and controversial ones often get the best returns, too, so they work brilliantly as a funny conversation starter. To smash a campaign out of the park, you need an image to be shareable; we consider whether we’d talk to our mates in the pub about it, as well as sharing it if we were to spot it on social media.

Case Study: Introducing the OAP Beyoncé

We worked on several concept images My Voucher Codes through the discount site's campaign with us. These typically achieved great levels of coverage, scoping fantastic results as journalists and readers alike were intrigued and entertained by our feats of imagination!

In particular, a memorable series of images was focussed around aged celebrities. Any celebrity-inspired concept image campaign is likely to be successful and, providing it’s also topical and humorous, you have a recipe for success. On this occasion, our in-house graphic designers mocked up their predictions of what leading popular celebrities would look like when they got older.

Beyoncé, Gaga, Justin, Kim K – even our dearly missed, fully formed 1D were at the mercy of the designers! Some certainly fared better than others, as you can see below!

The images sparked plenty of media attention, resulting in pick up on some great nationals including the Daily Mail and Express, reaching out to millions of Britons.


Case Study: Visualising the Ideal Beach Body

Sunshine.co.uk is an online travel agency and one of our longest-standing clients. We regularly conduct surveys on their behalf relating to all things beach and holiday. On this occasion, we investigated which celebrity body features were most sought after by the British public and, to help visualise the ideal beach bodies, we got our designers to work once again to put these physical traits together and build the overall perfect beach bodies for men and women.

This was a great way to give the standard press release extra spark, enabling readers to look at the overall body with all the features put together and decide whether or not they agreed with the results of the research. As a result, the research achieved coverage on the likes of the Mail Online, which is the most widely read publication in the UK (and huge in the US too) and was perfect for sunshine.co.uk’s target market.


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