Reveal the inner workings of your products and how components are assembled

Researchers from University of New Hampshire, Singapore Management University, and University at Buffalo have published a new study that examines how anatomical depiction in advertisements can boost consumer confidence in product performance and increase perceptions of product worth.

The study, forthcoming in the 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.

Imagine you are shopping online and see two images of noise-canceling headphones. One shows the headphones just as you would see them in the box at a store, while the other shows the internal parts of the headphones laid out so you can see the ear pads, speakers, and battery.

This marketing technique helps customers understand how a product works and gives them confidence that the product will deliver its core benefit. Ultimately, it enhances what potential customers are willing to pay.

Ever since Leonardo da Vinci pioneered the drawing technique that shows the interior of machines, the method has been used for various practices, including visual displays of consumer products such as Do-It-Yourself (DIY) furniture (e.g., IKEA), car repair manuals (e.g., Haynes Manual), toys (e.g., LEGO and Meccano), 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 high-profile product failures making headlines, anatomical depiction in advertisements can boost consumer confidence in product performance and increase the perception of product worth.

This is especially vital because traditional ideas like warranties and money-back guarantees are proving costly, and other approaches to provide complicated product information run the risk of increasing confusion.

The study explores the effectiveness of using anatomical depictions in marketing with nine experiments in various settings, including an online peer-to-peer selling platform, social media advertising, and online and lab studies. The experiments cut across different product categories like tech gadgets (smartwatches, headphones), wearables (shoes), home appliances (hair straighteners, air purifiers), and furniture (mattresses) with varied consumer samples.

Customer segments receptive to anatomical depiction

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

Kim adds, “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.

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

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 visualize 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.

Firms intending to use anatomical depiction might be better served in targeting consumer segments who are relatively more ready to adopt technology. It is important to remember that anatomical depiction could decrease confidence in product performance for extremely technology-anxious consumers.

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

How confident consumers feel about a product’s performance significantly influences their decisions to adopt it. This research shows that anatomical depictions provide a subtle and effective way to persuade consumers.

This method is versatile, working well across various communication channels, including digital, print, and multimedia. Importantly, this research has broader implications for how products are presented during the adoption phase, which can influence consumer confidence and risk management.

Marketing scholars can extend this study by exploring ways to sell products that do not have a clear internal structure. For example, a slice of pizza may not necessarily have a clear internal structure and the anatomical composition of a pizza may not play a critical role in impacting actual taste.

Examining processes in such contexts could yield new insights into how anatomical depiction affects different, but conceptually related, outcomes such as perceived taste and food valuation.