Doll marketing photography: Do Companies Confuse or Mislead?

I'm highly put out by all the beautiful pics the doll companies put up by the price and then at the bottom of the page say "OH that's not the doll YOU get! You get this plain hunk of naked resin UNLESS you want to pay out another 60 to couple hundred for all the extras! Thank you for YOUR MONEY!"

The outfits, I can see being a separate price but if the face paint is extra THAT NEEDS to be a part of the base price. I wouldn't put out 13 thousand for my truck only to be told if I wanted paint it would be another 400 dollars.

It's ripping off the consumer pure and simply.

 

I do like seeing all of the PhotoShop pics, but I do feel that they can be misleading. It would be great if at the bottom of the pages they posted a front, side, and back view of the dolls "unaltered". Companies are trying to sell their dolls, but sometimes.......

You can't always wait on "owner" photos when some dolls are limited and only sold for a certain time. I've bought four that I was really bummed out with---that looked much better on the company site.

 

1) Do you feel that some companies mislead, exaggerate, or confuse through their use of photos in advertising their dolls?
Yes.

2) Have you ever received a doll that you felt was not as shown in its photographs (aside from resin color or obvious defects like breakage)? What feature(s) was/ were misrepresented?
DoC Too has like, no space between his chin and neck In side views, this looks a little odd. CH Nyll has a very lopsided face. But these sculptural things were not enough to bother me. Also, the DoD default faceups were much less grand than the photos showed.

3) If you answered "yes" to (2), did you tell the doll company and were you satisfied with the response?
No.

4) Do you feel that misleading photographs are a serious problem, or do you feel that companies aren't to be blamed for wanting to make their product look good ? Or, alternatively, do you think that there are plenty of other places to see different photographs of a doll (or even the doll in person at conventions, meetups and so forth) and therefore buyers should simply educate themselves more before they buy? Other thoughts?
I've never felt that it was a big problem, because when you're buying something sight unseen, you have to prepare yourself for a certain amount of differences. I do understand how some might be bothered by things that are deliberately not shown in company photos though. However, I have a high tolerance for these things, and am rarely bothered enough by sculptural discrepancies to do anything about it. I actually love asymmetrical or odd faces... I usually do not bond with dolls with very symmetrical faces, like Luts/CPs!

5) Do you think it would help to have a standard format of photos that would be shown by companies in addition to their pretty advertising photos - for example, pictures of unfaceupped heads taken from the front and side; body comparison photos showing unclothed bodies in a few established positions, like sitting and standing) or do you feel that enough companies already offer these?
I love it when companies do this, but it doesn't influence me buying the doll or not. I can usually tell what the doll will really be like without the smoke and mirrors

I disagree with the idea that faceups should be included in the price of the doll. Many people don't like the faceups that the dolls come with. Some companies do include everything you see in the photo of the doll. CustomHouse no longer does this, but they used to. Their standard dolls came with the faceup, eyes, wig, and a choice of 4 different outfits shown in their pictures.

If faceups are included, then what you get is a doll that is more expensive than the average blank doll. The CH doll that I bought cost $680 because he came with faceup, eyes, wig, and clothing. Now, CH makes all these extras optional for their customers, and their dolls cost less without them as a result. I paid more money without the option of not having the faceup(they were not offering their dolls sans extras at the time that I ordered). And I ended up not liking the faceup, eyes, or wig! It really just limits the customer's choices and charges them more for it, without the option of not having the extras. I think it's a good happy medium for the companies to offer faceups to those who choose it.

Actually, I think there was another debate thread which dealt with this topic, I'll see if I can remember it now...

 

It's not ripping us off. First of all, the price you're paying is for the doll itself--whose to say that just the faceupless doll isn't worth the base price? Perhaps if the faceup was included they would be even more expensive, not to mention that some of us don't want the default faceup anyway. Saying well, I paid X amount so therefore I should get Y doesn't cut it--the prices are what the prices are (based on things like cost of material; labor; building upkeep/rent; the artists time, skill and effort; and profit), you can always choose to pass up what you think is priced too high, but you don't get to dictate what those prices should or shouldn't be--that's the way it is with collectibles.

Secondly, this hobby is very much based around customization. Many people either want to do the faceups themselves, or send the head to an artist of their choosing to have custom work done. That's the idea--you take the doll and make it your own. Now if you aren't comfortable doing that, then the company gives you the choice, but it's a service and you need to pay them for it. These dolls are basically kits that can be turned into whatever the owner envisions--that's one of the things that's so neat about them, but it also means that the owner is responsible for some of the work. That's just part of the hobby. You don't have to like to customize, but you need to be aware that it's a big part of things so you know what to expect.

I think companies should show their dolls with faceups anyway (along with naked head pics), because they do give a better idea of what the doll can look like, and because those that select the faceup option need to be able to see what the defaults look like. There's no trickery involved--usually the option to select a faceup is clearly marked.

I should also say that dolls aren't trucks. What you will or won't pay for in a truck is a moot point. Dolls and trucks have different purposes and function differently.

 

Y'all miss my point, so what else is new? When I look at the website and see the 520 dollar sticker price next to a painted doll I EXPECT to get that for 520$

I find it somewhat on the unethical side to say "OH that's NOT what you get for this price!"
The doll companies should have the +faceup price listed under the picture and then tell you after you click on the link that a faceupless doll will be 60$ or whatever less.

I call it false advertising and no amount of arguing with me will change my opinion.

 

But it isn't false advertising--the information is there. They tell you what you're going to get with your order. False advertising would mean that the information either wasn't there or hidden in such a way that customers wouldn't see it. That's not the case here (and I certainly hope that people take the time to read about the doll they are planning to plunk hundreds of dollars down on). All the ordering options are listed right by the order button on most doll websites--it's kind of hard to miss. That's probably why nobody got the point you were trying to make--it simply isn't an issue.

 

1)
Two things bother me in doll photos:
i. When the dolls poses shown are obviously achieved using sueding/wiring/whatever, but no indication is given in the description. I've been collecting dolls long enough to know what's possible and what's not, but it can be very misleading to those starting out.

ii. Please don't advertise the doll with beautiful urethane/glass eyes, then put a tiny line in the description that they come with regular acrylics. Show me what the doll I'm going to receive is going to look like. Not some enhanced version which will require me to wait 6 months, pay over $65, and pray to god I don't miss the pre-order if I want the eyes pictured.

2)
No. I've had dolls I thought I'd really love that I ended up not bonding with, but the company pictures were *not* the reason.

3)
n/a

4)
It's a business, and a customer should always do research, but I do think companies should mention when doll poses are achieved using something other than the doll's own mechanics.

5)
I'd love if the companies did this on their websites, but I can imagine why their legal department might recommend against it. As long as they don't prohibit fan sites from filling the void, all is well.

 

This is apparently why boxed food in the supermarket frozen aisle has to have little labels on it that say "Serving Suggestion."

Some companies take great promotional photos and some don't. I think Volks loses a lot of sales because their dolls usually look much better in person than they ever do in their promotional photos. Dream of Doll on the other hand probably gains a lot of sales because their dolls look stunning in photos but often less so in person. This is why many people wait for owner photos before they decide to buy one of their own: advertising is meant to idealize the product. It isn't false, per se, just presenting the item in the best possible light.
I often wonder if Volks doesn't concern itself with excellent photography so that owners are delighted when they open the box rather than disappointed.

I do greatly appreciate it when companies include images of the blank nude doll or head. This really allows buyers to see what they are getting beforehand.

 

Somebody on this board once compared Volks's sales photos to high-school yearbook photos: Not terribly exquisite, and the makeup may look more or less vivid than in real life, but it gives you a basically good impression of what the person looks like.

I've never made a bad Volks decision based on their sales photos yet. However, if I had been trying to decide about poor SD13 Irvin, I would've been very put out; his resin is a gorgeous deep tan IRL, but they showed him in photos as being a horrific orange. Someday, I am going to mail them a nice supermarket-brand full-spectrum lightbulb, to give their photography department a hint.

Some companies don't show the unpainted heads unless you ask for them; that they do it on request is cool enough in my book. Ask and ye shall receive, as they say, on the "Q&A" section of many companies' websites. Of course it's extra nice when they go ahead & show the unpainted head and body shots without being asked-- or at least when they link to their work-in-progress or body-shot galleries, the way Iplehouse & Soom sometimes do.

Oho, so YOU'RE the reason why that photo of the giant single cornflake on the cereal-box is required to include small print that says "Enlarged to Show Texture". Now we know! Frivolous litigation makes Baby Jesus cry.

 

I LOL'd.
I always wondered why that was their.


I don't think they confuse or mislead at all.
Like others say, if you are going to pay hundreds of dollars it's best to do research.
Though, with limiteds, it's kind of 50/50.

And I don't think all that should be included in base price.
As much as I like company face ups, I'd rather spend that money on supplies so I can learn to do them myself. And I want to make their own clothes so they are unique.
Now I do like some of the wigs, and I am kind of sad when they are pictured with custom wigs not available.

But the acrylic eyes? They don't have to send those. I think it's nice.

 

I agree with many - all companies are there to sell, of course they want to show their best. Some just have "better" (used very subjectively here) pictures than others.

Not repeating what others had said. I just want to add that sometimes we the consumers also need to pay attention to what we are looking at. Often, we may be looking but NOT seeing.

I have bought two dolls before completely based on company photos along. One was really new, thus no owner pictures were available. The second was not popular thus no owner pictures were available. IRL, both had features that bothered me greatly. So much that I had to let them go. After getting them in my hands and I saw those tiny things that bothered me, I did go back to the company photos for comparisons. Low and behold, those features were there and since I knew what I was looking for they jumped out at me right the way. So when people study the company photos, even if they are super glamorized photos it is possible to see beyond the glitter.

Lastly, when you become familiar with each company and how they take pictures, it is much easier to know what to expect.

I am happy about companies giving us options to buy blank dolls. Because at times, their face up artists are so bad, it would just be a waste of money and time (since you have to wipe it off). I rather save that money and use that for commissioning an artist whom I like for a face up of my choice. (yes, I love custom face up, especially for Volks. kekeekee)

 

I wouldn't say the companies mislead, and they only confuse us if WE let them. But exaggerate? Of course. They're selling the look, not just the doll (which is why you'll see, for example, a whole bedroom setup in furniture/decor stores, not just the packages of bedding or whatever on the walls--while some people can look at the raw material and see where it could go, most of us need a little help, a jumping off point from which we can say "I don't like that colour" or "if the eyebrows were more natural...").

I always hope that companies are striving for the perfect balance of beautiful, artful photography and accurate representation, so I am a bit disappointed when the contrast is so high you can't see features, or when certain distinctive features are avoided or minimized (the issues of head size and profile were mentioned before). But on the whole, I feel like most companies are doing an okay job.

I would like to see more blank head shots--or perhaps if more people knew what JennyNemesis points out, that you can often see those if you just ask the company. On the whole, I need help visualising the finished face, but sometimes seeing the blank head helps me compare/contrast similar sculpts or get a feel for mods that might be needed. I think most companies are doing a good enough job of showing nude bodies.

This I do agree with! I have seen some promo pics where the displayed eyes were not available at all! It's one thing when the doll has a somewhat generic wig that's styled in a particular way, or a particular shade of blue eyes that you may have to hunt around to duplicate, but it bothers me when companies show their dolls in phenomenally beautiful, extremely distinctive accessories that are not for sale anywhere and not even available in a fullset. It's such a tease!

I may be going out on a limb here, but...you haven't ever actually bought a new car, especially on the strength of advertising, have you? Look closely next time you see a price; you'll notice worse like "from" or "starting at" appearing quite often, similar to, say, a certain doll company offering SD-sized dolls "starting at $520." Is it a little disappointing to suddenly realise that to get exactly what you've been looking at will cost you extra? Sure. Is it unique to the doll world? Hardly. Is it unreasonable? I really don't think so, especially since makeup on a doll is much more in line with, say, custom upholstery or a GPS navigation system in a car--many people get it, but many people also choose not to. I don't think anybody chooses to buy a car without paint, even if auto companies would be willing to offer the option.


Maybe a bit off topic, but I do sometimes get annoyed when people seem to be complaining about people being good photographers/digital manipulators. I do certainly recognise that it's very important to have a balance between artistry and realistic portrayal, especially when it's companies, but it sounds like some people are almost annoyed with people (whether companies or owners) who take difficult dolls and make them beautiful, because they themselves can't do the same. Although I have a terrible time photographing my DT Seola, I'm not annoyed that her company photos made her look better, nor does it bother me when I see amazing gallery pics of the sculpt. I suppose it might be different if she looked bad in person, but...I really don't mind people making beautiful pictures!

 

I don't know...I mean, yes if companies feel that a redesign of their sites are in order to prevent any possible confusion they could do that. However, at some point the responsibility is on the buyer. If they don't bother reading the description before shelling out lots of cash--well, that's not even really homework nor is it a customizer vs noncustomizer sort of thing. I really think that it falls into the realm of common sense. Some doll sites are better laid out than others, but most have a pretty similar format that really isn't that out there in terms of finding information. Companies should try and put together nice easy to navigate websites, but buyers need to take the time to read the information listed plainly on the order page--there's really no excuse.

 

You beat me to this point, though I was going to use a different analogy. I agree that showing the fully painted and dressed doll but listing the base price is NOT false advertising. The price being shown is indeed a base price, not a price with all the options, and of course adding those options is going to increase the price. I would much rather have the doll well-displayed but with a clearly visible base price, than have to start going through and removing options to strip it down to what I would be paying (I don't really care to order fullsets or default faceups).

My analogy was actually advertisements for computers; you see an ad for a desktop computer "starting at $500," you're not going to get an amazing gaming machine. You're getting a basic computer, where you can start adding and subtracting various options to get what you really want. You may be someone who wants a bigger hard drive, or a larger monitor, or more memory, but just because those are the things YOU want, doesn't mean EVERYONE wants those and wants to see that as the advertized price. Someone else might just be looking for a simple machine to do the basics, or to modify themselves (I've done this; the computer I'm using right now was originally a $400 machine, but you wouldn't know it now), and would rather see the lower price.

 

I VERY much agree with this point. I'm always dismayed when a doll is shown with either eyes and/or wig that are not available on that company's site. There are times when it doesn't matter what wig or eyes the doll is pictured with, but I find that more often than not there is some fine print saying that the doll either doesn't come with the eyes or wig pictured or that it will come with "random" eyes or wig. I would like to see the doll pictured with things that are actually available from that company.

 

I really like when there are shots of the blank heads like DollZone for instance does. Some times there's not even a profile shot on a page, and if you're getting a specific doll because of it's nose.. you need to be able to SEE that nose. From more than just a frontal shot.

I've bought two dolls that looked nothing like the sales picture. The first one has really sticky-out ears, to the point where it looks comical - and all the promo pics were of a doll with a wig that covered those ears.

Luckily I've decided it's kinda cute.. but it doesn't really fit the character.

The other one, from the same company (D&D) had ridiculous puffy cheeks, something you couldn't tell from the angle the promo pic was taken in. I sold her again because she wasn't useful at all for me for the character I had in mind for her - those cheeks were totally wrong.

Of course the companies takes pictures that should make their products look nice. But ideally there should be a glamour shot AS WELL as a plain, no faceup, several angles picture as well so you had an option to see both what the doll could become and how it is!

You can't educate yourself without the tools to do so. It's no good waiting for user pics of a new doll, if said doll is a limited. The sales pictures should be honest.

 

I HATE when I can't see the naked body standing and the kind of joints.
The face I prefere If they have a blank one to be seen too, but I can "imagine"the possibilities of the sculping only loonking the painted head though.

But the naked doll standing, front and back, sitting (without anything in the back so we can see how the doll sits)
elbows and knees joints.
Pictures that show the head as it REALLY is. Not only the angle ones ( DZ Tan Yuu is SO different from the promotional photos).

I Think they should show what they're sellyng. Because if they only want to make their products to look good, so they can show how they really are and the beauty and amazing pictures of the costumized doll. It'd be beautfull and informative.
I woudn't buy a BJD wihtout knowing it well (that's why I'm crazy searching Aces, since DIM doesn't show him with blank head, the pody poasing... they have bodies pictures, but I don't know how it moves, how the elbows are...)

I have an CP Ani with Souldoll's Body (normal joints) It's a Lovely body but she doesn't sit straight, her body turns a bit to the back. and her "lied sitting" botters me u_u''