Who says statistics have to be boring? Combining the right images with the right facts can pack an emotional punch every bit as powerful as the most compellingly crafted story.
Unfortunately, most of us think that people will respond to “the facts” when presented in a clear, straightforward manner. Forgot you’re dealing with human beings, didja? As overly rational and unemotional as I am, I still respond when you push the right buttons … just as we all do.
Jeff Brooks posted recently on how emotional messaging in fundraising appeals beats rational messaging every time. The study he cited found that emotional content in advertising outperformed both purely rational and a rational/emotional mix (significantly so compared to rational-only).
There’s a reason we respond to the emotional appeal … it’s because we’re wired that way. As much as you’d like to dazzle people with your brilliant logic, logic alone won’t do the trick. You need to make an emotional connection. I’m more likely to stop and think if you do.
The video above does a pretty good job of this. It contains a number of facts that would probably elicit a “hmmn, interesting” response if presented in a whitepaper or typical PowerPoint presentation. This approach grabs your attention and forces you to consider the ultimate question: “What does it all mean?”
Watch and then tell me it doesn’t make your spine tingle just a little.
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Hi Dan,
I think we’re on the same wavelength this week! You’ve hit on something really important. Information is just words thrown together until someone innovates in the way the information is presented. The Did You Know video is compelling based on subject matter alone, but the creativity of the presentation makes it come alive. And definitely inspires the viewer to think about what it means.
Cool video, Dan! Do you know where the stats came from?
Hi Apryl. Funny you should ask. I did manage to track down a PDF containing sources for the original version of Did You Know? It isn’t a perfect match to the content contained in the video I posted, but much of it is.
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