Reveal the inner workings of your product to boost buyer trust

The study, soon to be published in the American Marketing Association’s peer-reviewed Journal of Marketing, is titled ‘Anatomical Depiction: How Showing a Product’s Inner Structure Shapes Product Valuations’ and is authored by Seo Yoon Kang, Junghan Kim, and Arun Lakshmanan. 

Ever since Leonardo da Vinci pioneered the drawing technique that shows the interior of machines, the method has been used for visual displays of consumer products such as DIY furniture, vehicle repair manuals, toys (e.g., Lego), and in advertising various consumer gadgets. 

In this new study, the researchers call this form of depicting a product ‘anatomical depiction’ – a technique that unveils the focal product’s anatomy, which is normally not visible to the consumer. 

In the wake of several high-profile product failures, anatomical depiction in advertisements can boost consumer confidence in product performance and increase the perception of product worth. 

“Our research suggests that anatomical depictions can help companies build customer confidence more efficiently during the product adoption phase,” says Kang. “Marketers can simply add anatomical depictions to product pages or use them as thumbnails for new products.” 

Adds Kim: “Our research also provides information about which customers are most receptive to anatomical depiction. For example, this mode of advertising works well for tech-savvy consumers by increasing their purchase intentions, but it can sometimes reduce the confidence of those anxious about technology.” 

The effectiveness of anatomical depiction depends on what consumers are looking for. When shoppers focus on high performance, such as the sound quality of wireless speakers, seeing the internal components can increase their willingness to pay. However, if they are looking for aesthetic aspects such as visual design, it may not make a difference. 

“Anatomical depictions should be used for products marketed for their practical benefits rather than purely aesthetic ones,” Lakshmanan advises. 

Lessons for chief marketing officers 

The study suggests that helping customers better appreciate the manufacturer’s point-of-view can deliver positive outcomes. For instance, the successful 2009 launch of the unibody Mac can be attributed to how Apple highlighted the novel design and manufacturing process in its advertising campaign. 

By helping consumers visualise this process, the brand was able to successfully differentiate its new line of laptops using the inner structure as a unique selling proposition. Anatomical depiction offers a similarly subtle and effective ‘visual language’ for persuasion. 

Compared to other strategies such as warranties and money-back guarantees, anatomical depiction also offers a broader and relatively more cost-effective avenue to boost consumer confidence in product performance. 

Managers should exercise caution, however, when employing anatomical depictions if their products are positioned to provide primarily hedonic benefits (e.g., a fashionable suitcase or a stylish speaker). 

You can find out more about the study here.