search platform VisualGPSwhich for the past three years has been capturing the opinion of the Argentine population on cultural and consumer trends, has noted a change in mentality after the pandemic towards a more holistic approach to well-being, which goes beyond physical health.
A recent survey revealed that when Argentines were asked about their life priorities, Work-life balance moved from fifth place to first, from 2021 to 2022.
Due to the pandemic, this shift has had a profound impact on the way it used to be, iStock experts say, and it needs to be seen as connecting with people in ways that are authentic, modern, and relevant.
Rebecca Swift Vice President of Creative Insights at iStock comments: “Since the launch of VisualGPS three years ago, we have been able to follow the evolution of the visual concept of well-being along with the expectations of thousands of people around the world. Before the pandemic, the most popular images and videos depicting the concept of well-being focused primarily on Physical health through ‘fitness’ trends such as yoga classes or an expensive gym membership. An emotional issue where access to wellness was vital for everyone, with mental health at the forefront of the conversation.”
Recently, the desire to “self-care” is still important, but people continue to reimagine what comprehensive, holistic health means to them. The latest VisualGPS results reveal that the concept “Connect to my community” It is now one of the most important values for Argentines, with 47% seeing well-being as consisting of meeting family and friends.
Additionally, younger generations consider maintaining a healthy lifestyle a priority, with 92% of Gen Z and Millennials planning to develop daily wellness practices. Even the youngest generation of alphas, today already values family time more with play and spending time outdoors, despite being the first 100% digital native generation.
iStock’s visual experts reveal key insights and points on how companies can incorporate these trends into their marketing and advertising materials to effectively and honestly visualize personal well-being:
Connecting with my community is a luxury
Only 1 in 10 images used by companies show people interacting with friends or spending time with their family. View photos and videos of people building relationships with emotional and acceptance benefits, including the power of friendship, bonding, mental growth, and self-reflection. Nothing nurtures emotional health more than celebrating it with the people we love.
Health is a lifestyle
To highlight wellness as a lifestyle, SMEs can describe wellness as an ongoing journey, not a destination. Show how people can make small, meaningful changes in their daily lives that contribute to their overall well-being. Consider using images that show your audience is actively seeking to manage their emotions, create productive habits, and get more out of their social interactions. Prioritize photos and videos that show activities that help reduce stress or make meaningful decisions that help achieve goals.
It represents true physical health
Physical exercise is one of the most popular visual representations of wellness, and most of the time exercise appears as walking, running, or yoga. Individual wellness dominates most shows, with only 1% of health and wellness images and videos being used by brands depicting a team sport. Therefore, luxury is shown as an individual activity rather than a societal activity. Also, single wellness pictures favor young men. In fact, less than 15% of fitness photos show older adults. However, according to VisualGPS research, visuals that show people of different ages playing a sport are the most attractive to consumers. Luxury can be better represented by showing a group of adults enjoying a sport together rather than isolated.
Technology conscious that cares
VisualGPS data shows that the 89% of millennials in Argentina are excited about the impact of technology on well-being, Such as meditation apps and fitness/health trackers. Today, even fitness devices that serve as reminders and motivation to exercise are adapting their functionality to fit a broader understanding of health.
With this in mind, when choosing visual content, consider how deliberately technological devices are being applied in places such as sports and entertainment, and how technology can enable us to monitor our health and well-being. Consider scenarios that show the use of technological devices to enhance physical well-being. However, also consider the times when people turn to technology to relax, such as using a meditation app, sleep monitoring, or simply listening to music.
Less ambitious luxury
Although aspirational visual narratives around wellness have worked historically, 64% of Argentines now prefer to buy from companies whose values align with their own. There is a huge opportunity for SMEs to communicate a more holistic visual narrative of wellness by showing real people earning emotional and social rewards as a key aspect of holistic health.
Consider photos and videos that appear candid and show people you might encounter in your daily life, including people from different social backgrounds. Show them that they interact within communities and across other groups, and picture them across multiple intersections of identity, such as age, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, disability, or body types.
