“A picture is worth a thousand words” – Napoleon Bonaparte
The Connected Generation
Nielsen Wire published a report about Generation C, those born sometime between the launch of the VCR and the commercialization of the Internet, Americans 18-34 who are redefining media consumption with their unique embrace of all things digital (source: Nielsen Wire). This overlaps with the popular term Millennial refers to those born somewhere between the years 1980 to 2000 (approximately), and were brought up using digital technology and mass media differentiating the way that they read and see things from generations before. The key point is no matter what you name this generation, they are able to take in a lot of visual information at once and they look at the appearance of the information on the page more than just focusing on the meaning (millennialmarketing.com).
Key Takeaways for Marketers
Marketers need to think about new ways to engage this target audience. Long wordy advertisements or presentations will lose this generation.
1) Focus on key words
2) Design is important
Information is viewed and digested differently, and so this means that it needs to be presented in a fast and engaging way.
Infographics have become an extremely popular communication tool. It is because they focus on key words and design. Just to drive the point further, here is an infographic about millennials:
Created by: Online Graduate Programs
Graphic Facilitation is a new and popular way to present information. Graphic Facilitation is the use of imagery to lead groups and individuals towards a goal (source: Wikipedia.org). There are many consulting firms that provide brainstorming sessions for businesses using this technique to engage employees and facilitate teamwork. It is a way to share a story with large audiences in a dynamic and engaging manner instead of presenting information with slides.
I want to share a video that I came across that uses graphic facilitation to share a message. It is truly engaging to watch and impactful. 23 and ½ hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our health?
Would you have watched the video if the same presentation was given using just a presenter at a podium or a Power Point slideshow? You probably might say no.
Graphic Facilitation is popping up all over. Marketers are using this technique in different ways to engage audiences. For example, the video below is approximately two-minute business overview for about VWR International LLC using graphic facilitation.
The most important takeaway is that new tools and techniques are needed to keep the Connected Generation engaged! Presentations, group meetings, advertisements are becoming more social and interactive to drive and capture the attention of a new and growing audience.
TheConsciousMarketer 