I am a fan of the use of true photography as I feel it is easier to make a connection with the consumer if they can relate to the advertising. As much as animation and illustration are effective at conveying a sense of being or an emotion of some type, they are still rather removed from the consumer. They are effective at conveying humor and other emotions, but a connection can only be made through real, true to life photography. The consumer needs to be capable of seeing themselves in the ads. As many people have criticized the Internet of being unable to provide an emotional connection, this evolution of the creative product provides a better means of bridging this gap. […] The consumer is drawn to the real world. The online world has typically been viewed as one of technology and fantasy. The Internet is a community of real people, so why can’t the advertising be more like the people who are using it? I was speaking with our Creative Director a few weeks back, and we both agreed that an online ad unit should not represent a picture on a digital page but that it should represent a window into something that goes far beyond the digital page upon which it is placed.

(Online Spin)