I have worked in content for my entire adult life. And I have found one thing to be true.

Headlines are everything. Everything.

Let me give you an example. Right now, I am working on the redesign of a financial website. The client would like the website to appeal to a younger demographic

There are many ways to effect this change. First you identify which sector of the audience you cannot live without. In this case, it is graduates who have a background in tech.

Safe, Exciting or Superior

Next, you could figure out how they want to feel when they visit the site. That sounds like a broad question. But in reality there are only three fundamental options. They can feel safe, excited or superior. We could call these the Volvo, BMW or Mercedes Benz options.

It does not take a genius to see that graduates would rather drive an exciting BMW than a safe Volvo.

(Fun game: which of these three values does the brand you work for represent?)

So we start to turn the fonts, colours, photos and sitemap to appeal to these tech graduates. (Of course we also do not want to lose the existing audience.)

(The font that represents “Excitement” is sans serif? “Superior” is serif. And “Safe” – think NHS – is slab, a mixture of the two).

We can add the right colour, the right images all to boost excitement on the site.

But whatever we do, it has to work on mobile. That means this design work must fit into an oblong about three inches by six.

As I am sure you are aware, over time, websites have begun to conform to a series of best practice frameworks. The logo goes top left, the line under the logo goes beneath it. There is a nav bar.

Once you have obeyed the rules of best practice there is really no other design work to do that is going to make a difference on mobile. It’s just headline image text from here on in. Your hands are tied.

There is only one dynamic element that will truly make a difference.

The way you write the headlines.

Everyone reads the headline

Everyone reads the headlines.

Almost everything else on your average website is static. The about page rarely changes. The homepage is always the same. The only bit that moves is the content. Humans are hard-wired to look at the bit that moves.

Eye-tracking surveys reveal that we all look at the headline first. And here is the important bit: it does not matter what we are reading

When you read this article, you read the headline first. When you look at data visualizations you read the headline first. Then you scan the visualization to see if it supports whatever you read in the headline.

Most recruitment consultants will tell you to write a headline on your CV. (Mine says “Creating content that attracts new customers”). The rest of the CV is evidence that supports the headline.

Next time you give a PowerPoint presentation take a look around the room. You will notice that everyone is paying attention at the start of your talk. How long before they start to switch off? A generous assessment might say ten minutes. Two minutes is likely closer to the truth. That’s two slides. That’s why we put the best thing we have got on the opening slide. AKA the headline.

In the days of print, the headline came first and the image a close second. The picture reflected the headline. if a man catches a fish,  man and said fish go in the photo.

But digital has cut off the relationship between headline and image. Sometimes headlines will be all you see of a story before you click on it. That’s why headlines rule the digital world.

The body of the article merely stands up the headline. And reading rates drop off fast. Sixty percent get a third of the way down. Ten per cent read to the end.

Everything else is supporting cast

Do you remember anything about the Tory party conference?  The one held in Manchester before the 2019 election? Nothing? How about the headline “Get Brexit Done”?

Content is the headline and headlines are the content. Everything else is supporting cast.

So how does this look in the real world? Take a look at these two headlines, both taken from the same website.

• As a 22 year-old at JPMorgan I earned $155k & life was not bad
• The art of leaving an investment bank in Hong Kong

Both these headlines come from the same site. One of these is the most popular headline on the site. The other is not. One is emotional, vivid and aimed at younger people. The other is not.

Emotional and vivid

Now imagine taking the tone of one of these headlines and driving it through every story on the website.  The rest of the site could be completely unchanged – same fonts, colours and sitemap. But by tweaking the headlines,  you will have altered the character and appeal of that website forever.

No other piece of content has the power to change our perceptions . No other single piece of content can set the agenda. No other piece of content can change the level and nature of our engagement.

And to be frank, we can’t remember any other piece of content anyway.

Whether the medium is video, live events, website or data visualization. No other single force has the power to change the game. Instantly.

Headlines are everything.

It’s that simple. That is the game.

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About the author

My name is Andy Pemberton. I am an expert in data visualization. I guide global clients such as Lombard Odier, the European Commission and Cisco on the best way to use data visualization and then produce it for them: reports, infographics and motion graphics. If you need your data visualized contact me at andy@furthr.co.uk or call 07963 020 103

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Motion graphics is a visual language. It uses individual images, text, and video to create animated sequences.

It’s been around since the 1970s but has exploded in popularity in recent years. Modern technology has made it easier for people to produce. More distribution means more people can find it. The appetite for content is global. Motion graphics are easy to understand no matter what language you speak.

If you combine motion design with graphic design you get motion graphics.

What is the difference between animation and motion graphics?

Motion graphics are a type of animation. Animation is an umbrella term for the whole field of moving imagery. Motion graphics describes moving or animated graphic design. It includes everything from cartoons to claymation. In motion graphics there are few limitations. If it can be done in a computer, it can be done in motion graphics. The only real limitation is your imagination.

Why are motion graphics important? Why should marketers care?

Motion graphics have become an important aspect of a marketers armoury. If you convey information through animation it is engaging. It is easier to consume than written content. Animations can help companies explain what the company does. It can explain what makes the product or service different. It can show what data you have to back up what you do. Motion graphics are succinct and entertaining. They can be understood by everyone.

You can use motion graphics in movie clips, trailers, commercials, title sequences.

Emotive videos move the audience to feel something. The primary aim of these videos is to elicit a powerful, emotional response from the viewer. As we know, emotion drives behaviour.  If you want your adience to take an action, engaging their emotions is the best way to do it.

Explainer videos help define a concept, product or service. Promotional videos sell a product, service or event.

Relevance to your target audience is crucial.

There are 4 types of motion graphics used by businesses. All have their own pros and cons. These are: whiteboard animation, 2D animation, 3D animation and video production.

1. Whiteboard Animation

Take a classic whiteboard and draw on it with the traditional whiteboard marker pens. But this isn’t school. This is whiteboard animation. It is a thing.

The idea is to help your audience understand what your company does. Creating an engaging, light hearted story makes your business stand out. It also makes them easy to understand.

Whiteboard animation is simple, clear and concise. It lends itself to social media advertising campaigns. Whiteboard animation is easy to share.

There is a downside. It can be time-consuming as there are no templates available. Each video must be hand-tooled for your business and its customers.

Here is a great example. CBS Evening News with Katie Couric used whiteboard animation. They wanted to show how super-delegates work at a political convention. They used whiteboard animation because they were exploring a complex issue. The issue did not lend itself to more conventional story-telling techniques.

By making the super delegates seem like wizards, CBS News hoped their audience could grasp their role at a convention. Some found the animations child-like.  But others got the point.

2.  2D Animation

2D animation is what you would see in what you’d call traditional animation. There’s rich vibrant colours and the characters are what many people consider to be ‘cartoon like’.

This allows what you’re trying to show your audience to have more depth, colour, movement.

Examples of this include pop up graphics layered over what the story. Parallax scrolling backgrounds add extra interest to what your business does.

This type of motion graphic is good for adding interest to explain what you do. It is more appealing than talking through what you’re doing.

This style of motion graphics is a great way to create impact in advertising. It can look stunning.

Awesome Inc are a great agency with a long suit in 2d animation. Awesome Inc say there has never been a better time to be in media.

The appetite for content is insatiable, they say. Supply has difficulty keeping up with demand.

There is a greater focus on diverse voices. Which motion graphics is great at exploring.

3. 3D Animation

3D animation is what people think of when they hear the words ‘computer generated’.

This type of motion graphic is what you would use to create a Hollywood movie or other high budget film.

You can create 3D models within software like Cinema 4d and After Effects. They make what you do look more realistic on screen.

You could use 3D models to show how your business models work. Pieces of your company would move around and come back together again. Between each action, the model would show what the that part fo the business does.

Capacity Studios use 3D modelling in this 3D video for Lamborghini. The range of camera angles and fast cuts create excitement. It is perfect for a computer game.

4. Video Production

Video production describes a live-action setting. It’s where people come into play instead of drawings or animated characters. There’s nothing drawn or animated in the background.

Video production is cheap compared with Motion Graphics. It doesn’t need animators or 3D artists. You can shoot everything live. That means it doesn’t need as much post-production editing either.

In this skateboarding video, director David Holm uses his skills as an animator. But instead of using cartoons, he films live action sequences. Each sequence has many different angles, fast cuts and shows the eye of a graphic artist. It could be motion graphics. But it isn’t.

The answer to the question What is motion graphics? is broad. But it is a question worth asking. Motion graphics is booming. For each new designer that joins the workforce, there are as many new projects. Digital media has opened more distribution options than ever before.

When live action is not an option motion graphics is seen as the answer.

But as these examples show, the best work involves taking risks.

But with motion graphics there are few limitations. And once you get outside your comfort zone, your motion graphics will have impact.

Whether it is whiteboard animation, 2D animation, 3D animation or video production, motion graphics are an engaging way to get your point across.

Related stories

Try this sniff test to see if your business stands out

Business intelligence tools give your business a competitive advantage

6 undeniable reasons why Power BI is a good skill to have for any marketer

Everything you need to know about advertising on one annotated slide

About the author

My name is Andy Pemberton. I am an expert in data visualization. I guide global clients such as Lombard Odier, the European Commission and Cisco on the best way to use data visualization and then produce it for them: reports, infographics and motion graphics. If you need your data visualized contact me at andy@furthr.co.uk or call 07963 020 103

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Power BI is one of the most powerful skills that you can have in your marketing toolkit.

Power BI is Microsoft’s data visualization tool. It creates interactive visualizations and business intelligence. Its’ interface is simple enough for end users to create their own reports and dashboards. It is part of the Microsoft Power Platform

Power BI includes data preparation and visual-based data discovery. It features interactive dashboards and augmented analytics. It is software that runs on the Azure cloud or as an on-premises option in Power BI Report Server.

The market for data visualization software and Business Intelligence tools is busy. Power BI and Tableau are the biggest players.

Power Bi is big. 1.2 billion people worldwide use  Microsoft Office product or service. There are 60 million monthly active Office 365 commercial customers. 50,000 small business customers get Office 365 each month. Users get Power BI included in Office 365 E5. This means that Power BI  is “self-seeding.” Users of other Microsoft office products receive prompts to “visualize in Power BI.” This means that everyone who uses Microsoft Office can see Power BI.

Power BI has not always been so successful. From its launch in 2013, it was a follower product.

It had to be “good enough” to justify its price of $10 a month per user.

Today, that is no longer the case. The Power BI Pro cloud service overtook its competitors in 2019.  It included innovative features such as augmented analytics and machine language.  AI-powered services such as text and sentiment analysis, are available within Power BI.

Microsoft is always investing in new capabilities and integrating them with Power BI.

The vast majority of Microsoft’s customers recommend Power BI without qualification.

There is only one area where Power BI loses out to its chief opposition Tableau.

Power BI offers a wide range of data connectors. But feedback from users says it does not connect to systems like rival  Tableau. Customers choose to load data into Power BI instead.

Yet Power BI remains one of the most powerful skills that you can have in your marketing toolkit.  Here is why it is  powerful, and what value it can bring to your business.

1. It is important for marketers to be up-to-date with data and trends in their industry

As a marketer, it is important to stay up to date on the latest changes within your industry.  Power BI is one of the best ways to do this in a visual and easy way. It is simple to set up. And Power BI doesn’t need users to write SQL code.

Power BI can connect your Power BI account to all kinds of other sources.  You can connect Google Analytics, Mailchimp and Facebook Ads Manager to Power BI.

Power BI allows marketers to compare marketing metrics from different sources. That removes the possibilities of having false positives from your data.

Every week, Microsoft releases an update to its cloud service. It has added hundreds of features in 2019.  Decomposition tree visuals, LinkedIn data connectivity and geographic mapping have all been added recently. Users can expect many more additions.

Microsoft want to beat their rivals and win the battle for  data visualization. And they have the resources to succeed.

2. You can gain powerful insights into the business that will help you grow faster than before

Users can connect to many data sources. You can connect cloud services to on-site sources and Excel spreadsheets.

Power Bi produces easy-to-read reports that cut out the fluff and focus on what matters.

You can ask Power BI Desktop to explain changes in your data. You can see distribution factors in charts. And you can get fast, automated, insightful analysis about your data.

These findings will help your business to grow like never before.

3. Power BI is great for sharing information with clients and upper management

With a Power BI pro account you can share reports with external users. Data visualization is a terrific reassurance tool. It is great way to show bosses the impact of a business action in a way that can he or she can grasp in seconds.

You can share Power BI charts with clients or customers. Data visualization is used towards the end of the customer journey to close sales.

Power BI can increase your effectiveness within your company.

4. It is helpful in meetings if people are trying to explain ideas without time for explanation

People consume the basic gist of a chart in about two seconds. We call this impact. Once users have a basic understanding of the chart, then they drill down to find out more.

Without impact, charts do not get read.

Charts generated by Power BI have impact. They can reach their audience in two seconds. That is powerful, even when the underlying data may be complex. For this reason data visualization has real cut-through.

5. Customisation is easy

Sometimes you may wish to customize your charts. For instance, many folks use too much colour in charts, which confuses the user. It’s better to pick one colour and use different shades of that colour for your charts. (Google Analytics adopt this strategy. They use different shades of the colour blue.)

This is easy to do in Power BU. Here’s what you need to do to use the “Personalize” feature in Power BI Desktop.  Go to File > Options and settings > Options > Current file > Report settings. Then you can make sure you have turned Personalize visuals on.

By customizing charts you make them you own. People  trust charts that look like they come from a s ingle source.

Power BI uses AI to suggest possible charts of your data you may not have thought of.   Power BI makes wide use of AI. This is one of its features in which it beats competitor Tableau.

6. You will be more employable

One of the great things about Power BI is how it is becoming one of the go-to skills for employers. Because it is a tool that is becoming more used, the chances are that you will be able to use it in your next role.

If you are a data scientist, getting  Power BI-certified will supercharge your career. And your salary.

If you’re a marketer and Power BI isn’t on your radar, we can understand why. But Power BI is a skill you should in vest in today.

Using Power BI will improve your reports. It will make you a more influential employee. And a more effective marketer.

For these reasons, Power Bi is a skill worth learning.

Related stories

Try this sniff test to see if your business stands out

Business intelligence tools give your business a competitive advantage

6 undeniable reasons why Power BI is a good skill to have for any marketer

Everything you need to know about advertising on one annotated slide

About the author

My name is Andy Pemberton. I am an expert in data visualization. I guide global clients such as Lombard Odier, the European Commission and Cisco on the best way to use data visualization and then produce it for them: reports, infographics and motion graphics. If you need your data visualized contact me at andy@furthr.co.uk or call 07963 020 103

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Storytelling is a buzzword in business. But what does it mean? It means the heroes’ journey. Watch this four-minute trailer for the new Beatles’ film Get Back.  Peter Jackson deploys the heroes journey masterfully on a story we thought we knew. I defy you not to be stirred.

Key quote: “The best bit of us [The Beatles], is when our backs are against the wall.”

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Readers have asked me to unpack this slide which comes from Les Binet and Peter Field form Adam and Eve DDB.

It summarizes at least ten years of research. It contains some useful nuggets that explain a hell of a lot in the media landscape.

Much of it will be familiar to anyone who has also read How Brands Grow by Byron Sharpe. That’s summarized elsewhere on this site.

So what’s the top line?

• Whatever anyone says, advertising is not half as clever as it pretends to be.
• If you take out many ads, you will sell more stuff.
• Google is Classified Ads on steroids. Don’t expect too much of it.
• Everything and nothing has changed in 40 years.

Let’s go through the slide now and unpack what it means. 

 

1. The engine of growth is penetration not loyalty. And reach is still the best way to increase sales.

What does this actually mean?

If you want to grow your brand you should forget about loyalty. Loyalty marketing under-performs.

Coca-cola count a loyal customer as someone who buys two cans a year. And still they struggle to identify loyal customers.

You might think that you are loyal to Apple but you are not. Not in any meaningful way that will affect sales this year.

Do not spend too much time on loyalty programmes. Your favourite customers can’t recall the name of your product. They call it a “thingumy.”

Penetration describes how much a product is being used by customers. We compare this to the total estimated market for that product or service. The result is that brand’s “reach”.

If you want to sell more stuff, you need to talk to everyone in a category. That sounds obvious. But for years, advertisers have been singing a different tune.

Instead they suggested we use clever tricks to speak to segments of people. Digital platforms such as Facebook tried to convince brands they could target customers. The problem in the first instance is that they couldn’t.

MIT professor Catherine Tucker found targeting gender was unsuccessful. Digital ads couldn’t do it more than half the time. That means they were worse than random.

A Nielsen analysis found only 25% of its ads were reaching the right households. Location-targeted ads wasted as much as 65% of ad spend.

Facebook’s targeting algorithm’s “accuracy” was between 9% and 41% a lawsuit has alleged. It has quoted internal Facebook emails describing the company’s targeting as “abysmal.” But apart from the fact that digital platforms are no good it, to target too-specific consumer groups is a bad idea anyway.

In fact, advertising is something of a blunt tool. It is important to talk to buyers in a category more than your competitors do.

2. Share of voice is still important for growth. ESOV is the key metric for budget-setting.

As I said, advertising is all is about talking to everyone in the category. So it is important that you talk to them more than your competitors do.

And the way to do that is with lots of money. If you want reach in your market you have to pay for it. And if you are under-investing, you can expect your market share to decline.

The relationship between how much you talk to users and how much of the market you own has remained the same. For more than 40 years!

What everyone wants is an excess share of voice (ESOV). That’s share of voice (SOV) minus share of the market (SOM). If you’ve got it, good for you. If you haven’t, you could get into trouble.

3. The best brand allocation is 60:40

Where you put all that money matters too, says the research.

You should put 60% on brand ads and 40% on “activation.” That usually means digital ads you might find on Facebook, Google or Twitter.

Let’s take a look at a terrific case study I often enjoy wheeling out.

A few years ago Adidas announced they would no longer be running TV ads. Instead, they would pour all their cash into activation – ie digital advertising.

But when Google ads went down in South America, Adidas noticed that it did not affect their sales. Oops!

“We had an understanding it was digital advertising driving e-commerce sales. We were over-investing,” said Simon Peel, from Adidas

That’s the nice way to put it. Let’s look at the numbers.

Adidas put 23% of their ad spend into the brand. They put 77% into performance – otherwise known as digital ads.

Before long they discovered brand ads were driving 65% of sales. Adidas screwed the pooch.

Nike poured millions into their ads too. They booked a big TV campaign that backed controversial NFL player Colin Kaepernick. It was all about the brand. Their ad won an Emmy.

The Nike campaign was a huge success. Nike stock rose 5% as a result.

While reading this, take a look in your cupboard. Which trainers do you wear? Nike or Adidas? You can compare the search terms on Google Trends too. Nike slays Adidas.

Most neuroscientists accept the idea that decision-making is emotional in nature. Nike bet the farm on that idea and won.

So what? Well, many of us may be toiling in the digital salt mines creating content like this post. Sometimes we may wonder at the efficacy of this content. Will it drive sales? And the answer, according to the research is yes, 40% of the time.

Successful brands spend 60% of their budget putting feelings into their customers’ heads. Then they spend the rest of it reminding them of it. This is “activation.”

4. Brand activity uses emotional messages. These drive long terms sales, market share and profit. They also reduce price sensitivity.

Translation: goose the brand and you can charge more. And people will remember you longer.

5. Activation with more rational messages increases short-term sales efficiency.

Spend 40% of your budget reminding people you exist online. It will help you drive sales this week.

Here endeth the lesson.

Related stories

Try this sniff test to see if your business stands out

Business intelligence tools give your business a competitive advantage

6 undeniable reasons why Power BI is a good skill to have for any marketer

Everything you need to know about advertising on one annotated slide

About the author

My name is Andy Pemberton. I am an expert in data visualization. I guide global clients such as Lombard Odier, the European Commission and Cisco on the best way to use data visualization and then produce it for them: reports, infographics and motion graphics. If you need your data visualized contact me at andy@furthr.co.uk or call 07963 020 103

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Wisdom from our friends at Hrefs.

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