Sight Without Vision: Technology’s Ability To Turn Back Time

Posted by chelseacolaluca on March 20, 2015 in Uncategorized |No Comments

Many creative strategies seek to evoke a memory from within their audience. Attempting to associate an individual’s positive relishing of the past with their product or service. The ability to pull from within people’s center is often reliant on visual cues – consider all the films that’ve left tears in your eyes, struck by the potency to your own life.

Vision is fragile; 20.6 million American adults have experience their eyesight slowly fading, no longer able to see the items that transported them back in time (source). Pictures of lost loved ones lose their purpose, as one becomes completely reliant on memories to recall the images they once took for granted. The slow regression of vision into a world of darkness is paired with redefining the concept of sight. A new form of imagery comes into formation through utilizing sound and touch.

The immense population of those suffering from vision loss creates an opportunity and a challenge for marketers as gaining these consumers’ loyalty is only possible through innovation. The objective remains creating an association between an organization and someone’s strung together moments, but the methodology must adapt to match the circumstances of this unique target audience.

“Technology is just a tool, people give it purpose.”

Reads the closing message in Pirate3D (a 3D printing company from Singapore) mini documentary. The short follows the life of five people who’ve slowly lost their vision and long to see, just once more, a visual of utmost importance has slowly faded.

A man who dedicated his life to directing reminisces on his last film, recalling a still shot who’s beauty leaves him captivated even in recollection. The short cuts to a 3D printer in action, the audience is able to visualize the model of the room coming into formation.

The dignified director is handed the final still shot replication, and through using his hands, tracing over each object, the memory comes to life again – an expression similar to someone seeing an old friend covers his face. A young man who’s lost his sight due to glaucoma is able to once again “see” a photograph of him and his father. He grasps the figurine of a man tossing his young boy to the sky within his hands.

The short, in its totality, clearly communicates the extent to which 3D printing can positively alter individuals’ lives. Those watching can place themselves in the featured footsteps, considering the photographs they treasure, imagining the sadness of those memories drifting, and then their hearts swarming with joy when recalling them once again. Pirate3D establishes 3D printing as source of overcoming what one thought was impossible, a message that is easily retained in comparison to 3D articles of “printing pizza” or “scientific capabilities.”

The use of 3D printing to evoke memories could be a strategic endeavor for brands seeking this target audience. For example, an item alike headphones, could feature a figurine of someone swaying at a concert attached to their packaging. The target audience could tap into their fond memories of attending concerts, similarly to the masses that experience this nostalgia through visual cues. Beach towels, which are typically selected based on design, could bare tags featuring a pail and shovel figure, allowing the visually impaired to still be enticed by a particular brand through emotional connection.

From print, to billboards, to 30-second spots, advertisers constantly use imagery to stir the minds of potential consumers, yet it is crucial to remember that beauty can be in both the eye, and the fingertips of the beholder.