Marketing Psychology and Consumer Behaviour
How does the surrounding of an object play an important role in its perception?
Does object and the background hold any relation?
What would be an impact of the figure ground relation on Consumers?
Figure & Ground refers to the interrelationship between the stimulus itself (i.e., figure) and the environment or context within which it appears (i.e., ground).
Tweet
Some people will immediately see the tree and birds when viewing the logo for the Pittsburgh Zoo & PPG Aquarium, while others will see the gorilla and lion staring at each other.
The Figure & Ground Principle is similar to the Closure Principle in that it takes advantage of the way the brain processes negative space. Our perception of the figure ground relationship allows us to organize what we see by how each object relates to others. It ensures that, viewers prioritize their perception, so they do not miss out something of immediate importance.
The Figure and Ground can have different perceptions when used alternately, as shown in the two IBM logos below. The left image has Figure or focal point, the is the letters IBM, represented with spaced horizontal white lines sitting on the blue background, while the image on the right has the similar spaced horizontal blue lines against white background. They are exactly same with just the play of figure and ground colours.
Our brain distinguishes between the objects it considers to be in the foreground of an image (the figure, or focal point) and the background (the area on which the figures rest). Things get interesting when the foreground and background actually contains two distinct images, like the one of Pittsburgh Zoo.
Figure and Ground is a prominent Gestalt concept used in marketing which requires the Consumer to focus on the advertisement longer. This technique is used to differentiate which elements of an ad are the figure in focus, or the ground/background behind the figure.
This Breaking Bad ad uses figure and ground to draw attention to the advertisement. What did you notice first – the white broken glass or the faces of Jesse and Walter in green? Two different images are perceived which convey different components of the TV series to the consumer – the meth lab and the two main characters involved. Without even realising, marketers have captured your attention through use of this technique.
Melbourne Food and Wine festival uses figure and ground in this ad. From one perspective the wine bottles at the bottom are the figure and the white space the ground, and from another perspective the white fork is the figure, and the black area is the ground. This ad demonstrates that this festival is producing both wine and food, which is reinforced by this clever use of figure and ground. This technique shows us how marketers have the ability to communicate different messages to consumers without them even realising.
Scary right!! Marketers do have a lot of control on gullible Consumers.
The Figure and Ground is the most used Gestalt Principle, used by brands, marketers, and advertisements. The placement of the brand name and logos on various media and places have a huge impact on the Consumer’s Perception of the brand, as hitting the sweet spot in the frame of the viewers is no less than hitting the jackpot.
Figure and Ground has become an important tool in digital marketing. Negative space has long been a staple of good design. Leaving white space around elements of a design is the first thing that usually comes to mind, but then there are designs that use that white space to infer an element that isn’t actually there, as seen in Federal Express Logo, the arrow hidden between the E and X in the logo, which is a good example for white space use.
In the Colgate logo, the brand name Colgate with a gentle curve below it in white used as the figure against red background, is indicative of smiling face with white teeth is another such example.
The Apple iPod, Silhouette Campaign, which just had black shadows or outlines of people holding white iPods, just enjoying music against bright coloured backdrop and song playing in the background is also a good example of the Figure Ground Principle.
Figure and Ground Principle is not only limited to brand logos and TV Ads, but it has a much larger scope in Marketing. It is an important principle used to decide the placement of products in departmental stores and supermarkets. In the olden times, in Western Countries it was a common practice to use good vines as display in front of wine shops, to show how great quality is there wine of, but this practice in today’s time is used in all Restaurants and Bars, which have good sound systems installed so people can enjoy their meal along with good music, make it a delightful experience. For example, an authentic Italian Restaurant serving Italian cuisine and wine, would have some good Italian Music playing in the background, to give its customers the perception of its authenticity on Italian Cuisine.
Well, isn’t it mind boggling, but don’t worry we Marketers have some more tricks to keep you hooked!!
Related Posts
Gestalt Psychology and Its Impact on Consumer Behaviour: I – Closure and Continuation
Gestalt Psychology and Its Impact on Consumer Behaviour: II – Proximity and Similarity
Gestalt Psychology and Its Impact on Consumer Behaviour: IV – Common Region and Symmetry & Order
Marketing Psychology and Consumer Behaviour
Murtaza Choolawala
Geologist, Marketer
Hi, I am Murtaza, an enthusiastic researcher. Always curious to learn new things and to connect with people. Tech and Marketing are my obsession, and Research and Analysis are my Passion.
Marketing Psych 
2 thoughts on “Gestalt Psychology and Its Impact on Consumer Behaviour: III – Figure and Ground”