The temptation to say as much as possible in your campaigns can be hard to resist, something we see often in school advertising. By being brave and cutting your messaging and graphics down to the bare bones your campaign can have greater impact and effectiveness.
Why it matters
Attention spans are shorter than ever, thanks largely to the sheer volume of content we are bombarded with in the digital age, so your campaigns must work hard to cut through.
Overwhelm people with information and they will turn off. If you can overcome the desire to tell the reader everything, and instead say one thing well, you can capture their attention, create intrigue and inspire them to learn more for themselves.
How to cut the fat
In advertising the process is called reductionism. Take your advert, social post, brochure cover or whatever it may be and keep removing elements until it ‘breaks’. Does it work without body copy? Do you really need a web address when people Google everything? Do you need four images or will one have greater impact? Keep going until you have considered every element and only the essential content remains. Then compare to the original – better?
Campaigns should be a tease – excite and inspire your audience, but leave them wanting to know more.
