Images And Safari Marketing
January 12, 2010 by Johan Knols
Filed under Safari Tips
Should you rely on what you see?
Glossy brochures with extraordinary photography and websites with mouth drooling images are a lust for the eye. Do they however reflect the safari reality and how often will you see what you thought you were going to see?
Sunny images
I remember having to choose the images for a tour-operator’s Africa-brochure after I returned from the bush and worked in a grey office in Holland again. I had this particularly nice image of an elephant standing in the sun under a lonely tree in the middle of the Serengeti, with in the background the dark blue skies of an approaching storm. Knowing the weather patterns in Africa and having seen many scenes like this I thought that this image reflected the reality and was the right choice to accompany a specific itinerary. To my surprise the image was rejected by a superior with the message that “I have studied marketing and therefore I want that we only display images with sunshine, that is what people want to see”.
I have seen the same mentality in Africa. Budget mobile safaris that design brochures with images of white laid tables with flowers decorating the most beautiful dishes. Sundowner tables set up in a way that resemble 5-star hotel bars and wildlife images that would make a National Geographic photographer jealous.
Cutting it fine
Realistic client image
How far are we as an industry willing to go to create an expectation of which we know that we can never deliver in reality. Or do we leave it up to the customer, since ‘he should know’ that not everything is always as it seems?
I guess it is up to the safari-operator to be honest or to cut corners. Is it wrong to take an image from the best possible angle or with a special (wide-angle)lens? How often have you seen images of a room or tent that gave you the impression that you would be sleeping in a castle while in reality you could barely turn your ass?
I am not saying that all safari companies ‘fool’ you. I just want to tell you that you should take all images and even videos with a grain of salt. Although images in brochures can give you a good general feeling, never expect everything to be exactly as shown. Needless to say that the image with the cheetah on the bonnet is a guarantee that the same thing will happen to you.
Did you ever have an issue where the truth was slightly bent, than I would like to hear from you!
In the meantime I wish you happy drooling with making the choice for your next holiday in Africa.
Dear Johan,
Thank you for such an interesting and educating article.
There are a plenty of safari companies doing such things. Its a very good observation as it is common with many companies in Africa. For example there is a company that displayed an image of a tribe in South America whereas the information was regarding the Masai in Kenya. Another example was when someone put an image of a tiger on his website and lied that its a Leopard.
As a matter of the fact, this becomes a shame and loss of credibility to the entire country and the continent as a whole.
I just wanted to appreciate your works in this regard.
Thank you.
Kato Isa
Tour and Travel Centre
Kampala, Uganda
Hi Kato,
Thanks for your very swift reply. I have also seen brochures from South Africa and the image was one taken in the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania. Soem companies have no idea how damaging this can be as tourists are very well informed nowadays.
Hi Johan
I say, tell it like it is! Rather down-play a venue and allow the guests to have a surprise than promise the Best and deliver sub-standard. I have lost clients because they wanted a specific venue included into their Tour which I cannot recommend at any cost! Offer tours with honesty and integrity and you’ll win favour with the venues, staff and most importantly, your clients.
There is the saying – the cropped picture looks good, but what happens when I zoom out? Tourists are well informed but are also ill-informed.
I appreciate your blog – it gives more people insight into the Tourism Industry as a whole.
Hello Jennie,
Can you tell the readers how you guys go about portraying your company with images? Do you make them yourself or does some professional take them and if the latter is the case, do you give him/her instructions as what you want or does the photographer decide that him/herself?
Well Johan, I believe taking a picture that captures the type of experience a client will have is more beneficial, so we take the pictures ourselves. We only use a designer to put together banners and logos; everything else is our own depicting a tour I recommend. However, each venue promotes their own pictures on our website and they would obviously select their best pictures for that. So, when someone likes what they see at …. lodge, but can only afford the standard room rate, I politely point out that the images seen on the site, were of the suite and should they want to see what the standard room looks like and what the view out their window will be, I’ll send them the images – I cover my back, after all, I’m not into one-time bookings, I prefer people to re-book and to recommend me to their friends and acqaintances!
I believe it is more important to find out what the client wants to experience – if it is a romantic getaway – then the bedrooms & bathrooms become my top priority when selecting a venue according to the type of safari they would like to experience, likewise, if their are children, their ages are considered, even if the client at first wants a particular place, I try to offer them a choice.
Gone are the days of booking people on a tour, no, these days I take time to help guests book a tour, so I guide them more than force them to choose Option 1, 2 or 3!
So there you have it, we keep it as real as possible!
Al good points:) It’s also worth mentioning that tour operators who provide images and video from real travellers are giving safari goers a genuine appreciation of what to expect – something that Acacia Africa is actively encouraging. Also, no one safari experience is the same and while there might be an excellent shot of a leopard in the Serengeti – the next set of game viewers might leave disappointed, but then that is the beauty of the safari not knowing quite what’s going to happen, which is why travellers return again and again.
Hi Johan,
sadly so true. Where’s the line between good marketing and false advertising? We all smile in photos – but we don’t get a double to take our place, do we?
Well, in tourism, that’s rather the norm. What you see is not always what you get.
“Clients” in brochure photos look soooo fake. Dream-bodied ultra-happy early thirties in-crowd. Never see those anywhere though, when I go to an X-hundred Dollar a night game lodge, the crowd tends to be a tad bit older. And not quite so spritzy.
Look for the little things – getting bigger. It’s all relative, I guess. Swimming pools are magically enhanced through optics – or maybe they shrink in real space because life speeds up and holidays are getting shorter (?!?)
And why do the forerunners of ultra-green zero-emmission carbon-neutral private reserves produce high-gloss catalogs to distribute on trade shows?
And encourage their guests to come on a short break fly-in safari? Serious – are you gonna book this lodge instead of that because they have worms recycling their kitchen garbage???
Think I’ll develop the negative emmission game lodge concept. See if that sells even better.
Rant, rant. Will take my meds now. The ones with the 3D dream beach on the wrapping.
Hi Chris,
I had a chuckle reading your comment. Great! And yes, I never thought about the beautiful blond sitting on the bed in a tent and that I never get to see anywhere I go in Africa. I also have my doubts jumping in that lodge-pool which water is more blue (photoshop) than the surrounding skies. Brochures can be funny!
Hi Johan
Great subject. Scary where this is going, as you say. From personal experience, more and more people prefering the authentic safari option. Getting out of hand this idyllic tourism thing. More emphasis needs to be put on giving back to the continent.
Hope you surviving the freezer!
David
Hello David,
Although my brain is starting to freeze slowly, I have to admit that I am on your side and less emphasis should be put on the cosmetics and more on the core of what a safari is about. Enjoy the pool at the lodge! (I guess I don’t have to send you a pair of skates…..)
I’m making a hacker proof web site – not posted yet. However, I can give you a link that shows for the most part Africa and some India wildlife photos for your review. My e-mail address for my to be web site (I don’t lok at it, is: monahanphotography@arr.net
I mainly have a question for my story to compare a luxury Botswana inside reserves safari to a South Africa outside reserve camping safari, plus going on foot for a very lone trek in search of wildlife. Would this be appropriate?
I am making this short as not to bore you. In Botswana all are allowed off-road and to communicated with others in the reserve re: sightings, yet drivers are selfish in timing (We didn’t tell others for over a hour re: Cheetah. They (to me) went overboard watching a Cheetah eat its prey for hours and wild dogs’ habits stalking their prey. South Africa (Kruger National Park which is played to the utmost as a wonderful park in South Africa is not true), no one is allowed off-road, and who wants to take a photo of an animal walking across the road? — Not me.
Botswana was wonderful, minus client arguments and disagreements. We had 3 photographers and a local driver in a 4X4 Land rover. In Kruger, South Africa I was with 2 friends in a van, and had to twist like a pretzel to take a photo out of a window.
I have sold photos to a magazine publisher. He wanted more photos this year, but I broke my right hip, so he will have to wait until next year when I go to Kenya and Tanzania to photograph the Great Immigration – I can’t wait.
Would you like a sample script of my adventures, as both are as different as night and day? I’ll be happy to give you a rough draft, unless you want the entire story comparing both locations in Africa.
Thank you in advance for reading my condensed adventures, Bonnie Monahan
Hello Bonnie,
You mentioned client arguments and disagreements in Botswana. What were does about?
Bonnie,
Comparing Kruger National Park to private concessions in Botswana is a bit like comparing chalk to cheese.
The cost of staying in Kruger National Park (not the luxury lodges in Sabi Sands etc.) is around 10% of staying in private concessions in Botswana, it is therefore hardly surprising that you see less.