Now we know! Finally

[Salty]

Clocks are almost always set to 10:10 in advertisements.​ It probably isn’t 10:10 as you’re reading this, but you’d be forgiven for thinking it is if you just watched an ad for a clock or watch. Timepieces are almost always set to that exact time in advertisements, and as with most aspects of advertising, this choice isn’t arbitrary. The time 10:10 is considered aesthetically pleasing because it looks symmetrical on the face of analog watches and clocks, something anyone who prefers things to be neat and tidy will appreciate. It also helps that this position allows the company’s logo to not only be visible but perfectly framed by the hands pointing to 10 and 2. And this isn’t done just some of the time: In 2008, for example, The New York Times found that 97 of the 100 bestselling watches on Amazon were set to 10:10 in their pictures. This ubiquitous hand placement has another, more subtle advantage: It looks like a smiley face. A 2017 study on the subject published in Frontiers in Psychology found watches set to 10:10 “showed a significant positive effect on the emotion of the observer and the intention to buy.” Those set to 8:20, which looks more like a frown and was the standard setting in the 1920s and ’30s, had no such effect. Like a lot of advertising tricks, it’s not evident to most consumers — but that doesn’t mean it isn’t working.

 

[JonC]

Interesting.

I had to look up why in do many shows the neck rest in the cars were misding. Now I can add 10:10 to my list of wisdom.

BUT....to me 6:35 is aesthetically pleasing. At 6:35 am or pm (depending on the shift day) I am leaving work.