In recent years, great advances have emerged to boost companies, many authors and studies propose that the success of the organization not only lies in internal integration, but also that special attention should be paid to how external actors (either customers, suppliers, governments, competition) perceive the organization. For this reason, a new trend arises that drives the company to success, this area of study is called: Imaginology.
The word Imagology comes from the Latin root "imago", which means "image", and is defined as the figure, representation and appearance of a thing; and "lodge", a term that has its origin in the word "logos", which is the study, in this case of the image. This study is multidisciplinary, since it bases its knowledge on sciences such as linguistics, psychology, communication, anthropology, biology, design and the history of art and culture; with the aim of studying and manipulating the actions, stimuli and reflexes that an institution or person emits.
It is common for avant-garde and useful techniques to be adopted in the business world, for this reason today this discipline came to this area through the power of the public image to give added value to the company. Another area that imagology reached was the academic field, proof of this impact is that the public image is taught as a study in its undergraduate, master's and diploma modalities, due to the efforts of the pioneer in Mexico, Victor Gordoa, who founded College of Public Image Consultants, being the first person to put public image on the map as a professional interest worldwide.
When we enter the world of business and image, it can be said that a company since its creation, development and end; consciously or unconsciously projects its image through organizational culture, employees, facilities, results, competitive practices and leadership, among others. The elements described above are a form of communication inside and outside the company, the image must be managed to convey the correct message.
But what is imagology?
We have already seen the meaning of the word, now the bases will be laid to understand this trend that more and more companies are adopting. Imaging is not as new a subject as it is thought, according to the Czech writer Milan Kundera, this discipline emerged in the 1940s. This discipline is mainly based on the study and analysis of the public image of people or institutions, that is, it conducts evaluations of the impact of direct and indirect communication carried out by people or companies. Its objective is to know the consequences of the image, make adjustments to it to have better results.
To better understand imagology, two definitions are presented below, each one postulated by Victor Gorda and Milan Kundera.
“The systematic study of the Public Image, that is, the set of strategies aimed at analyzing the impressions generated by a certain subject towards their community, starting not only from their physical appearance, but also from their verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, from So that from these three elements, immersed in an integral design process, we obtain a coherent image between their saying, their doing and their opinion in a concordant social setting. Imagology is the science of the image and is defined as the scientific knowledge necessary to create, develop and maintain a public image ”(Gordoa, 2003)
On the other hand, the Czech writer Milan Kundera does not present a definition as such of what imagology is, however he provides a series of concepts that help to understand this area. For Kundera, imagology is the study of mental images or imagotypes.
Milan Kundera proposes that “the important thing about imagology is that this word allows us to unite under one roof what has so many names: advertising agencies, image consultants for statesmen, designers who project the shapes of cars and of the gymnastics equipment, the fashion designers, the hairdressers and the stars of the show bussines, who dictate the standard of physical beauty that all branches of imagination obey. " (Kundera, 1988)
According to these two definitions, it can be concluded that the objective of the Imaginology is to know the individual or the organization, respecting its essence and qualities, to identify areas of opportunity and enhance its strengths. Therefore, the imagology builds a comprehensive strategy in which physical, professional, verbal and non-verbal aspects are combined to convey an image full of trust and credibility.
The article presented below will develop themes based on the definitions by Víctor Gordoa, since this person focuses on the study of the public image from the individual and collective perspective; In other words, it measures the impact of the image of people, institutions, products or services.
It was already clear that imaging studies the public image, to continue delving into the subject it is necessary to continue defining terms, then it will be understood that it is the image since it refers to when it is public.
What is the image?
To introduce this topic, it is important to exemplify with an anecdote that occurred on September 26, 1960, in the United States in the first face-to-face debate broadcast on television, starring Richard Nixon for the Republican party and John F. Kennedy for the Democratic party.
In the televised debate, Kennedy looks more attractive than his Republican adversary, as he dominated this terrain better. Nixon did not prepare himself since he fully trusted his speech, he wore a gray suit that through a black and white television, made him go unnoticed, in addition he did not want to be made up, these two elements negatively influenced viewers. To this must be added that Nixon had recently come out of a knee operation, which will cause him to look weak and sweaty.
On the other hand, Kennedy, tried his image, even got to sunbathe on the morning of the debate, which caused a tan that reflects greater vigor and health than his political adversary. He busied himself choosing his wardrobe, his black suit made him stand out on television. All his interventions were prepared in advance with his trusted team to rehearse the possible answers.
The example above demonstrates the power of public image in politics. It is said that the people who followed the debate on the radio had assumed that the winner was Nixon, as opposed to the people who followed the debate on television who noticed a superiority on the part of Kennedy. (Viana, 2012)
Now, the Image can be defined as a set of beliefs held by viewers who receive messages from people, institutions, products or services.
For the pioneer of the public image, Victor Gordoa, the image is “a process of perception and can produce a value judgment in who or those who perceive it, the result is that it drives the individual to a degree of acceptance or rejection with respect to the generator from image."
In his book "The Power of the Public Image", he describes the image through four concepts:
- The image is a finished product or result, therefore it has an origin or is caused by something. It is the effect of one or several causes. The image produces value judgments in its originator, so the opinion becomes its reality. The value judgment is the mechanism that prompts the individual to accept or reject what is perceived. When the individual mental image is shared among a group of people, it becomes the collective image, causing the public image.
(Gordoa, The Power of the Public Image, 2004)
Based on the above, we can understand that the image is perception. To better understand it, the way in which the image is constructed and the elements that compose it can be defined in terms of an equation. Stimuli are the cause of public image. Next, the schemes proposed by Engineer Daniel Martínez in his article "Imagology" will be used, which explains the process of perception through formulas.
Perception process (Martínez Navarrete, 2001)
Once we define the concepts of image, from the knowledge of Víctor Gordoa, we can develop the topic of public image.
What is the public image?
Víctor Gorda defines it as “the shared perception that causes a unified collective response”, the image is the figure, representation, resemblance and appearance of a thing. (Gordoa, Imagology, 2003)
The public image can be expressed in two ways:
- Individual Collective
To understand the individual and collective concepts in public image, it is necessary to list the following points:
- The image is the representation of an internal effect, in which external factors intervene, which condition the way of seeing things, people or institutions that are being analyzed.The public image indicates a cultural value judgment, that is, our way of thinking It is conditioned to a certain level by what other people think. Public image is a form of communication, which very few companies have properly exploited, since it was mistakenly thought that the public image only worked for politicians or important people.
Experts who design public image have knowledge of various areas such as communication, marketing and psychology, which makes public image a multidisciplinary technique.
"The theory teaches us that every public image, whether personal or institutional, is subordinate to six images: physical, professional, verbal, visual, audiovisual and environmental." That is why specialists in imaging must master issues related to the areas of knowledge described in the previous paragraph, because finally, the public image, aims to be placed in the political, business, institutional or commercial markets. " (Gordoa, Imagology, 2003)
Below is the diagram drawn up by Engineer Daniel Martínez to better visualize the previous paragraph:
Public Image (Martínez Navarrete, 2001)
The public image in the organization
Before describing the topic, it is important to note that the public image being analyzed must be consistent with what is being described. An example is when a company is classified as socially responsible, the company itself attributes the image that it has responsibility towards all the sectors that influence it, but its actions transmit the opposite by exceeding the limits of pollutants that it spreads into the atmosphere. If companies carry out the actions that mark the image they want to be, we would be talking about congruence.
The 6 types of image that describe a person or company are defined below:
- Physical image. The image of every company is represented by all its collaborators. The actor that has the most weight in the public image of a company is the person in charge of it, that is, its managers, shareholders or owners. The physical image of a person is made up of their clothing, way of speaking and acting, it also includes aspects such as body language. Professional image. It encompasses executive skills, as they demonstrate the skills that people or companies are capable of. The professional image goes hand in hand with the knowledge acquired during the educational training of each person, in any area of knowledge that has been developed, including from the way of speaking with technicalities, the way of facing obstacles and the ethics with which operates in business. Verbal image.It consists of the way its collaborators express themselves and the way the company communicates messages to internal and external customers. This image must take care of the forms and words when expressing an idea. Visual image. Creating the best impression from scratch is paramount, as it will be difficult to change the idea of the first impression. In companies, the visual image consists of the shape of the product, packaging, colors, words, or any other attribute that can differentiate it from the competition. Audiovisual image. This type of image is closely related to advertising, propaganda and all aspects to encourage the customer to purchase the product or service. Environmental image. It refers to the conditioning of work spaces, taking into account the colors of the facilities, lighting, real estate,decor. All this in order to encourage greater productivity in employees.
Public image axioms
The public image expert, Víctor Gordoa, defines 13 axioms that govern the public image (Gordoa, The Power of the Public Image, 2004):
- It is inevitable to have an image. All people and things have an image, this can be positive or negative. The public image is not only focused on important people in a society. 83% of decisions are made through our eyes. We take or judge things based on what we are observing. The brain process that decodes stimuli takes only seconds. The amazing processing speed of the human brain is so fast that we generate an idea immediately. The mind decides based mainly on feelings. When we feel something, our brain interprets that it is real and true and therefore, we generate a reaction pertaining to what we perceive. The image is dynamic.The fact that the image is dynamic means that its growth must be proportional to the advance of the essence of the stimuli and the growth of the needs of the receiver. The creation of an image must respect the essence of the issuer. This means that the image must be consistent with the bearer of it, creating a wrong image will result in an unreal image that may work in the short term, but will not be efficient. The image is always relative. The construction of the image has three fundamentals: its essence, the goal to be achieved and seeking to satisfy the needs of the public. The process of creating an image is rational, so it will need a methodology. You cannot create a public image without following a scientific method, which seeks to improve it as a result.The effectiveness of an anger image is proportional to the coherence of the stimuli that cause it. It is based on the need of the mind to rig to understand; Otherwise, the answer is rejection. It is more time consuming and complicated to rebuild an image than to build it from the beginning. It is necessary to take into account that the stimuli must be planned before starting a project. While the image is better, the influence will also be. The image of ownership permeates the institution. The image of the director or an executive representing an organization will be accepted as the general image of the company. The image of the institution permeates all its members.It is more time consuming and complicated to rebuild an image than to build it from the beginning. It is necessary to take into account that the stimuli must be planned before starting a project. While the image is better, the influence will also be. The image of ownership permeates the institution. The image of the director or an executive representing an organization will be accepted as the general image of the company. The image of the institution permeates all its members.It is more time consuming and complicated to rebuild an image than to build it from the beginning. It is necessary to take into account that the stimuli must be planned before starting a project. While the image is better, the influence will also be. The image of ownership permeates the institution. The image of the director or an executive representing an organization will be accepted as the general image of the company. The image of the institution permeates all its members.It will be accepted as the general image of the company. The image of the institution permeates all its members.It will be accepted as the general image of the company. The image of the institution permeates all its members.
Advantages of a good public image in companies
There are more important reasons for using your public image than simply looking good and having a good impression of the company in the market. Companies should focus on how public image can help them implement new strategies. Below are the advantages that the company would have if it applies the correct use of its public image:
- Increased customer base Creation of a more pleasant work environment Maximize profits Attracting talent Strong marketing strategies Satisfied customers
Conclusions
The correct use of the public image in companies can have positive consequences such as increased sales and profits. The public image is not only looking good, but it is a communication tool. To carry out the correct evaluation of the public image and propose improvements, the 6 types of image must be taken into account: physical, verbal, audiovisual, visual, environmental and professional.
Nowadays, the concept that imaging is exclusively dedicated exclusively to politicians and characters who are in continuous contact with the media has to be removed, all people make use of their public image, it is a way of selling their person, image and ideas to an audience or market. Therefore, it is an aspect that has to be constantly renewed, since not doing it, the person or the company can become obsolete.
Bibliography
Gordoa, V. (2003). Imagology (1 ed.). Mexico: Grijalbo.
Gordoa, V. (2004). The Power of the Public Image (11 ed.). Mexico: Grijalbo.
Kundera, M. (1988). Immortality (Original Text "Nesmrtelnost"). Czech Republic: Tusquets.
Martínez Navarrete, D. (March 24, 2001). Imaginology. Orizaba, Veracruz, Mexico.
Viana, I. (October 5, 2012). Nixon vs. Kennedy: the day that television and politics changed.. Obtained from ABC.es:
An imagotype is one that consists of an image and text; the image is at the top and the text at the bottom. The image also works in isolation, receiving the brand in that case the isotype name. Most company brands fall into this category.
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