Tom’s Guide
January 2017-March 2020
I was the Photo Director for the NYC office of Future PLC, I used Product methodology to help me find solutions and measure success while working with the website, Tom’s Guide. The business model for Tom’s Guide is based on affiliate purchases, it’s the commissions they make when a editorial reader clicks on a button from a Tom’s Guide product review that links them to Amazon or Best Buy for instance and proceeds to make a purchase at those stores.
Tom’s Guide…Before
Previous photographer used the video studio as the backdrop for all photography.
Soundproof boards make an awful backdrop.
Many photos were the e-commerce or press photos provided by the brand. It lacked the sense that the product was actually reviewed and the editorial review lacked authenticity.
When I started in 2017, the site did not have a strong photographic identity. One photographer was on staff and he also worked on video projects. The video studio with the sound proof padding were frequent backgrounds for the products being photographed. The photography styling was uneven and when the photographer was unavailable, the staff frequently used brand e-commerce and press photos to use on their reviews.
Tom’s Guide…After
I did research to understand Tom’s Guide’s and their readers. Digging deeper revealed that there was a common thread among unrelated internet users that Tom’s Guide was not a real review website created by writers performing an honest review of each product. A common Google search at the time was “Is Tom’s Guide legit?” What could I achieve by changing the photography, when there was so much more that needed to be addressed than just the visual issues of the website? Product management began to take on a much more urgent and interesting career focus for me. As a photo director I would only be allowed to pursue visual solutions, but as a product manager I could address most of the issues that afflicted the website.
Being the Photo Director, I created a new workflow and a more human-centric style of photography so that the site reflected that a real human being did the review and tested the product. The photography on the site should convey authenticity and the considerations made by the writers in their review. My success metric depended on an increase in revenue and engagement. During my tenor at Future, Tom’s Guide saw a +15% increase in revenue from their affiliate purchases and a growth of UV by +48%.