Summer means vacations, the beach, being outside, and yummy food and drink to cool down. For marketers, it means boosting interest in products and refreshing relevance and the reason to buy.
From updating eCommerce storefronts with seasonal images and videos to making social channels “pop” with summertime looks, there’s a lot marketers can do to use summer as a great promotional period.
At KittyKat, we have five new favorite themes for this summer:
Splash photography is all about capturing the moment when a liquid hits a surface, creating beautiful and dynamic patterns. The key to success is to have the right equipment and techniques.
Water can be used for a hydrating or moisturizing skin care product to create an enticing selling point. Splash photography can also be used for beverage products, from summer cocktails to plant-based milks.
Start with a plain and simple backdrop with a solid color that contrasts well with the liquid's color. This allows the liquid to be the main focus of the shot. Consider the color and viscosity of the liquid. Different colors and consistencies will create different effects and emotions, so experiment with different options.
You’ll need to have a fast shutter speed to capture the moment when the liquid hits the surface. A flash is key to freezing the action, highlighting the important parts and capturing the sharp details.
“A common mistake that people make when photographing splash shots is focusing too much on what shutter speed they use. In actual fact, it is the speed and duration of the burst of flash that freezes motion, not shutter speed.”
Don’t be afraid to get creative with your shots. More can be more and multiple splashes or using different angles can be used to showcase your products in a unique and engaging way.
Often the best way to create the visual feel of refreshing water is to create ripples or waves on the surface. After all, water is transparent and requires some movement to catch the light. At KittyKat, we are using artificial intelligence to create the sense of water when the actual product shot was dry as a bone. This leads to some beautiful results, many of which would be impossible to create in the studio.
Here’s a practical way to create a cooling scene with water. Start with a shallow container of water and a solid-colored background that complements your product. Experiment with different lighting, angles, and placements for your product in the water to create the perfect reflection. Our top tip: use a hairdryer to create different size waves and add variety to the texture via ripples.
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Working with real ice can be a pain. It’s always melting! You can stage ice with a fake acrylic option and this is one of our favored props in the studio.
Ice (fake ice, that is) makes any product appear super-refreshing and makes a potential consumer thirsty. If you’re selling a cold canned beverage, this is the perfect prop on your list.
The fake ice comes at a cost, do not let the small size and acrylic material fool you. High-quality fake ice can cost around $40 a piece. You can mix it with some real ice and spray water- to mimic icy bottles and condensation!
Studios like KittyKat always have a collection of fake ice and other props to make your product look appealing without having to invest in purchasing props for a single use.
Fruit is a perfect summer treat. Adding fruit to your prop list is a great match for cocktails, baked goods and even skincare
Fresh fruit can look great (especially with that quick spritz of water or glycerine). But it can also fade fast under the studio lights. You can go with fake fruit but the really good-looking stuff can be expensive. At KittyKat, we create terrific product looks with fruit generated via artificial intelligence. Software such as Midjourney enables fruit to be conjured up digitally, provided you give it the right instructions..
At KittyKat, we use AI software to improve product visuals and create extraordinary variety far faster than conventional photography. The trick to getting exceptional results is all in how humans “assist” artificial intelligence by serially asking the best prompts to trigger engines to create the best results. Our design team have some super fun summer promo examples with fruit (it does look eerily real, doesn’t it!)
Green is a vibrant yet calming color. It instantly takes us outdoors and can place us in the cool of the jungle or the backyard. Green plants are a great way to connect with the sustainable side of a product, as well.
If you’re selling cotton clothing, bamboo tools, plastic-free homeware or no animal-cruelty skincare or makeup, using a set and the powerful punch of the color green aids with the notion of promoting your values and business ethos.
Adding palm tree leaves, real or fake, or other greenery like banana or elephant ears, provide a beautiful backdrop and create a cool, seasonal scene to elevate your products.
Get your store and social channels ready with summer marketing ideas. By using creative water drop and splash photography, adding fake ice or fruit, or the right green imagery, you can add summer-relevance to your products' shots.
