Why a Picture Really Is Worth a Thousand Words According to Neuroscience

Decades' worth of scientific research demonstrates that people are much better at remembering pictures than words. Recognition memory tests from the 1950s found that people are able to correctly identify 98% of images they've seen before, compared to 88% of sentences and 90% of words. Visuals might just be the most important and most neglected marketing tool we have.

In the 1950s, psychologist Roger Shepard used recognition memory trials to test subjects' recall of words, sentences, and images. He found that people can recall 10,000 distinct images with 80% accuracy and differentiate between similar images with 96% accuracy. For marketers, this means that visuals must be a priority to create memorable experiences.

To maximize the impact of visuals in marketing, pair information with images, make images meaningful, and think multisensory. Research suggests that these strategies can significantly improve memory recall and help make your brand more memorable.