Introduction
From a very young age we have heard sayings such as: “There are no two opportunities to make a first impression”, “How they see you, they treat you”, “The image is something that we must take care of because it is the first thing that is seen of us”. they serve as a prelude to understanding the word Imagology, which is nothing more than the systematic study of the public image.
As a term it is used to define the creation and care of the public image of a person or company through the development of strategies aimed at analyzing the impression that is projected in the environment.
Now how can we realize this unusual word is closely linked to the concept of the word image but what is the image? This term has its roots in the word imago: “visual form of an object”.
In an organization, the image according to Alva, 2009 is linked to the philosophy, perception and grouping of concepts that are part of the communication process directly or indirectly between the elements involved (individuals, Products and / or goods, Services, Organizations, etc.).
However, Imagology is concerned not only with the study of the management of the image of an individual or company, but with the creation of strategies that help develop and maintain or improve a public image.
Perception and mental image
The term perception directly influences the development of mental images, which in turn are directly related to the concept of public image.
Perceiving is the ability that living beings have to notice sensations through the senses, these function as antennas that send all the impressions we feel through our central nervous system to the brain, where they will be processed and stored, forming memories which we will relive each time we perceive again what caused them.
The mental image for its part arises as a consequence of all the perceptions stored because of our experiences. These images work as a kind of recording that directly influences human preferences and decisions.
When an individual mental image is shared by a group of people a collective mental image will be created. This collective uptake will provoke a unified collective response.
Finally we can affirm that the set of collective mental images and collective reactions are part of the public image.
Public image
The public image can be understood as the impression that a group has about a person or organization, based on visual stimuli and the public information it receives.
It should be known that as individuals we are always subject to scrutiny and judgments by other people and although the public image is closely related to politics and television, the truth is that it is always present in the lives of all people, this is a form of communication and the truth is that it has not yet been used to the maximum, it has a lot of juice that can be squeezed out of it.
Public image diagram
According to the previous diagram we can see that the public image can be separated into an individual image and a group image.
The individual image focuses on how a person is perceived, the influencing factors range from the way they dress, walk, the hygiene they reflect and other aspects related to the physical appearance of each person. This is what we mean by "physical image." It is not surprising that by the 19th century, suspects were determined to be innocent or guilty based largely on their physical appearance, which is why visually pleasing or beautiful individuals were undoubtedly innocent, while people who reflected a dirty, raggedy or unattractive appearance were found guilty, leading to the conviction of innocent people.
The professional image is reflected by the study and level of knowledge that each individual owns, respect, and treatment are behavioral traits that can vary from person to person due to the impact on the professional image that is projected. Finally, the ability to express ideas, coherence and control at the time of speaking also offers a lot of information to the receiver to get an idea of the sender of the message he is receiving, in this case if the person who expresses himself does so using excessive fillers, stutters or struggles to organize and express his ideas easily will be viewed as dumb or with little knowledge of what he is talking about and may be ignored.
The image that others perceive of us is a two-edged sword, if we pay attention and care to it it can serve to obtain and emit greater security, make us a good job and win sympathy, there are studies that indicate that attractive people they can earn up to 15% more than people who are unattractive or ugly.
The group image for its part is concerned with carrying out different activities that are of benefit to obtain a good reputation relying on the visual image (how the world sees the organization, ecological, successful, strong, etc.), the audiovisual (advertising through television, radio, magazines, etc.) and the environmental image (the environment he creates when he gives lectures: music, lighting, scenery, etc.).
Working as an Imagologist is not an easy task, it requires preparation and knowledge in different areas such as communication, marketing and psychology, organizational communication, business management, promotion and sales, public opinion, public relations, environmental image, disciplines that together allow design a nice physical image that has ample chance to position itself in business, commercial and political markets, however; Just as you can create a public image, as everything is necessary to maintain it and even more so when you have already worked a lot to carve out a good image and it would be unfortunate if due to some bad decision or action all the work put into it goes overboard.By way of example, we can refer to celebrities who, due to scandals in which they are involved, lose people's liking and end up prematurely ending their careers.
Nor is it possible to create an image that substantially differs from the original essence of the people or organizations that request it, Imaginology seeks to know the individual, respect their qualities, highlight the virtues and hide the defects, that is why it takes skills and knowledge on the part of those who are dedicated to the creation and study of the public image.
There are already writings that provide us with information to form an image below, a methodology that allows us to achieve this is mentioned.
Intima System
The intimate system is actually an infinite process where evaluation will always be the next stage of investigation.
Public image engineering
By having the engineering degree as such, public image engineering is directed to the study and creation of the methods, tools and models applied to the representation of a visual image that manages to change the ideology and value judgments and to be accepted by whoever appreciates it.
Applying engineering in the Imaging area has the purpose of first identifying the objective that the client wants to achieve, to later make an analysis by carrying out the necessary investigations to recognize the idea of our client and guarantee that the concept has been understood. of the same, then choose the elements, parts, and materials necessary to later make the diagrams, models, sketches and select the techniques that will be useful to be able to get to work and have a basis to guarantee that the objectives will be achieved..
Bibliography
- Juana Lilia Delgado Valdéz, (2012). Imagology How the public image is built. GestioPolis. Retrieved 02-04-2013, Daniel Martinez Navarrete, (2012). Imaginology. Study and analysis of the public image. GestioPolis. Retrieved 02-04-2013 Karla Ivette King Nuñez. (2012). Imaginology. GestioPolis. Retrieved 02-04-2013.
