Using multiple images to offer customers different perspective on a product or service can confuse them, a new study finds

A picture speaks a thousand words! But using too many of them can have negative consequences, according to the findings of a new study. Researchers from the University of Chicago found that using multiple images to offer customers different perspective on a product or service can confuse them.

"The use of photos showing the advertised product or service from multiple perspectives is very common in ads. However, we show that these multiple perspective ads can have negative as well as positive effects," the study authors said in a press statement.

The researchers did four experiments. They examined how ads using pictures taken from either the same perspective or from multiple perspectives impact product evaluations by customers.  In one experiment, a group of participants were asked to view two ads of resorts, which included four photos. One ad contained photos of the resort from a single perspective and the other from multiple perspectives. Participants were then asked to form a story about their own experience at the resort.

Researchers found that the participants who viewed ads with pictures from different perspectives had more difficulty coming up with a storyline. They were also more likely to form a negative evaluation of the resort.

"If the purpose of the ad is for consumers to immerse themselves in a particular experience, the use of pictures from multiple perspectives in the same ad should be avoided. When photos from multiple visual perspectives have to be included, we suggest brands should try to use an informational approach over a storytelling approach," the authors said.

Findings of this study suggest that advertising companies should make ads more from an informational perspective rather than weaving a story around the message where sometimes the purpose is lost.

The findings were published online in the Journal of Consumer Research.