Place future-related items on the right
Place future-related items on the right
People like future-related products and images more if they’re positioned to the right, and past-related ones if they’re on the left. The effect reverses for those who write right-to-left.
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This fascinating research from the Sauder School of Business (University of British Columbia) applied a known psychological principle to marketing to see what happens (i.e. if something is where we expect it to be, it’s easier to process so we like it more).
As always with Ariyh’s tips, while you go through this keep an open mind and think of different ways in which it could be tested and applied to boost your business.
Researchers do the initial hard work for us, but we’re the innovators that make it happen in the real world (years before anyone else, I must add 😉).
Previous tip: What makes a voice persuasive (All tips here)
Place future-related images on the right and past-related ones to the left
Impacted metrics: Customer acquisition
Channels: Ads | Website | Packaging | Marketing communications
For: Mostly B2C
Research date: January 2013
Recommendation
For many products, time is a relevant component (e.g. new tech solutions, antique vs modern furniture, diet, or workout products that progress over time).
If something is associated with the past (e.g. vintage-inspired jewelry, how you are before using the product), position it on the left in ads, websites, packaging, or other marketing material.
If something is associated with the future (e.g. new augmented reality glasses, how you’ll be after using the product), position it on the right.
When you’re selling in a market where the main language is written right-to-left (e.g. Pakistan, Egypt, Israel, Iran), do the opposite.
Effects
When time is a factor, people evaluate products as better if future-relating products are placed on the right and past-relating products are on the left in an image.
For example, in experiments:
A weight-loss product was rated 37% better when the ad showed the ‘after’ on the right and the ‘before’ on the left, compared to the other way around.
When people were asked to imagine themselves shopping for antique furniture, they rated an antique lamp better when an ad showed it on the left side of the image (past) than on the right.
The effect is weaker for people who have less need for structure (who tend to be more creative thinkers) and stronger for those that prefer structure (who tend to be more analytical).
The opposite happens for those who primarily write from right-to-left (e.g. Urdu, Arabic, Hebrew, Persian). In this case, the future should be represented on the left and the past on the right.
Bonus: a recent study found that to maximize the effect of before vs after ads (e.g. weight loss), you should include images of intermediate steps to show progression.
(Effects of an antique lamp and a modern lamp when they were shown on the left or right side of an ad - Click to zoom in)
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Why it works
We instinctively represent time across a horizontal dimension, with the past on the left and the future on the right (unless we’re used to writing from right-to-left, then we do the opposite).
It’s easier to process information when something time-related (e.g. text, images) is located as we would expect it on this horizontal timeline.
When something is easier to process, we like it more.
Limitations
The researchers only measured product attitudes (e.g. how good or reliable people rate it). In theory, this should translate into better sales, but this was not directly tested. Pay extra attention when testing to how it affects actual sales.
Results are mainly based on only three different ads. However, the effect of time and position has been established in other studies (e.g. words referring to the past are categorized faster when they appear on the left side of a screen), so the principle should be solid.
Companies using this
Marketers and designers don’t seem to be aware of this effect. However, they may unconsciously be using it in many situations (e.g. the vast majority of before-after ads show the future version on the right).
Steps to implement
Think out of the box. There may be more time components in your product and brand than you may initially assume. For example:
Is your brand associated with progression and innovation (e.g. online-event startup Hopin) or something where a connection to the past is important (e.g. rum from 1950s cuba)?
Do people buy your product because it’s new (e.g. smartphones), old (e.g. wine, whisky)? What about products that are new but reminiscent of the past (e.g. the Fiat 500)?
Think of how you can use this effect to your advantage in all your marketing communications. For example:
Are you running an email campaign explaining how your product benefits customers? Show where they are now (and their pain) on the left and how it will be solved by your product on the right
Are you displaying various versions of your software on your website? It’s better that you show old versions on the left and new ones on the right
Remember to flip this around if you’re in a right-to-left language market.
Study type
Lab and online experiments. Canada
Research
Chae, B., & Hoegg, J. (January 2013). The future looks “right”: Effects of the horizontal location of advertising images on product attitude. Journal of Consumer Research, 40(2), 223-238.
Affiliations
Sauder School of Business, University of British Columbia. Canada
Remember: This research could be disproven in the future (although this is rare). It also may not be generalizable to your situation. If it’s a risky change, always test it on a small scale before rolling it out widely.
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