ABSTRACT
Photography is a dominant mode of communication in advertising. Since photographs in advertisements became widespread in illustrated papers and magazines between 1920 and 1930 (cf. Johnston 2005; Ramamurthy 2009), photographic images of products, persons, and settings have complemented the written word as persuasive means in different formats of advertising (see for example Leiss et al. 2005). In digital media, social software facilitates new ways of communicating by means of photographs that have become popular not only among individual users, but also among companies to advertise products and brands. Photo sharing platforms and features such as liking and hashtagging allow marketers to use photos to connect with consumers and to involve consumers’ photos in advertising campaigns, for example by arranging photo contests or by promoting hashtags with brand names or slogans to be connected with consumers’ photos. In these ways, photo-sharing platforms suggest new kinds of photographic practices and photographic images in advertising.
