Why Faces are the Cornerstone of Mobile Content

What was the last thing you touched before going to bed last night? Or the first thing you reached for this morning?

Less than a decade ago the answer would likely have been a partner, a child or even an alarm clock. In a Fall 2016 BBDO study, 73% of respondents answered that they reach for their phone first thing in the morning and for 48% their phone is the last thing they touch at night[1].

Mobile phones occupy a special place in our media repertoire. One where we’re less tolerant of advertising. KPCB data suggests that desktop ad blocking has reached just over 200MM worldwide users, mobile ad blocking has reached over 400MM users in just the last two years.

If we really do have a special relationship with mobile, one which keeps them close at night and where users are less accepting of ads, then how can we create effective mobile content?

A cursory survey of popular mobile content from mobile first platforms reveals one prevalent trend that agencies might learn from — close up on faces. Many of the top content creators on From Vine to Snapchat and YouTube simply talk to camera and allow their faces to convey much of their message.

The rise of faces in mobile content isn’t a happy accident of the front facing camera. Phil Barden, the author of Decoded, suggests that “Seeing a (good-looking) face triggers the reward center in the brain[2]”.

Another reason faces have become so popular is their ability to quickly communicate emotion. It has been suggested that the “ability to communicate subtle emotions with a simple raised eyebrow or curl of the lip may be innate [3]”. This ability combined with deriving pleasure from seeing faces shows why faces have been so important in native mobile content.

This insight can be seen playing out in campaigns such as AT&T’s “It’s Our Time” app that enabled fans to upload videos of their cheers for US Olympians at the Sochi Games.

Not all campaigns will require close up of faces. However, as we continue to seek emotional connection with audiences, correctly using faces in mobile content will help us design meaningful content for a channel that we value highly.

[1] Mobile Behaviors, BBDO (2016)

[2] Decoded, Phil Barden (2013)

[3] Why Do We Use Facial Expressions To Convey Emotions, Scientific American, (Nov 2010)