Say more with less

Ever notice how many people who talk alot have little to say? There is an adage in the Talmud that says that one should try to speak succinctly. This carries over into all forms of communication, especially in the marketing world.


Look at the contrast between the Grape-nuts billboards in the Apprentice contest. The one on the left is too complex for a billboard. I don't have to put it any differently than Bill Rancic who writes on his blog:

The graphics were another problem. You don't need to be an expert to figure out that the billboard design was too cluttered. People driving by would not be able to take it all in without getting into a major car accident.

Now, I am not all that keen on the image that is being conveyed in billboard on the right. However, the way that the message is communicated is much more effective. Billboard attention spans are usually measured in eyeball-seconds and you have no time to spare. Nothing says more than an image which fully captures the mood.

Every so often, a client wants us to do an ad that seems to include their entire manifesto. You are not writing a book, you are trying to get your foot into a closing door. In this generation especially, with all of the ads, e-mails and banners that vie for our attention, we tend to skip the ones that are long winded and take too much time to digest. Once your message gets tuned out, the communication is over.

Decide on your message and use clarity to express it.