The Beat - Summer 2018

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Summer 2018 INSIGHTS NEWS | REVIEWS | IDEAS | OPINION | VISUAL COMMUNICATIONS » Live Sketching: Adding Visual Vitality to Both Internal and External Marketing Efforts Take a look at one company’s mission to elevate ideas through impactful visual learning. w e’ve all been there. It’s only the first 10 minutes of the corporate retreat, and you’re already feeling your eyelids droop. What if there were a way to liven up these presentations? To actually engage audiences with this type of— let’s be honest—typically dry content? Enter the Sketch Effect. The company is bringing a dose of whimsy and creativity to humdrum trade conferences, brainstorming sessions, and business presentations everywhere through its inventive “live sketching” process. “We aim to elevate ideas through remarkable visual communication,” explains Founder and Principal William Warren. “We make our clients’ ideas more understandable, memorable, and shareable through the power of visual learning.” The Sketch Effect offers two core products: Sketch Effect Live and Sketch Effect Video. Live sketching involves sending illustrators to an event to create real-time, often improvised visual aids—tools such as graphic recordings and interactive murals— that complement presentations, events, or meetings. The company’s video service consists of unique animations for everything from inhouse, internal communication videos to public, promotional explainer videos. ELEVATING IDEAS These products are helpful aids for more than just explaining HR benefits in a jazzy format. Live sketching has a number of use cases for companies of just about any size and scope. The Sketch Effect works with entities that run the gamut from large corporations such as Delta Airlines and Home Depot, to global consulting firms such as Accenture, to regional events such as the EIQ email marketing conference, to scrappy startups. In the hypothetical instance of a budding blockchain start-up, for instance, live sketching might be a useful tool for explaining a complex concept to investors. For a public-facing event, creating a live sketch mural keeps people thinking about a message long after audiences have dispersed. “People’s eyes light up” as they watch Sketch Effect artists bring concepts to life via ink and paper, says Warren. “It’s different and it’s fun; but it serves a practical purpose, too, because it helps people latch onto ideas.” There are a few ways the Sketch Effect encourages information longevity. The company’s clients receive the physical output created during their live sketch sessions and are sent polished, digital copies of images following the event. Warren says he’s seen clients get inventive with this collateral, framing the images and displaying them at company HQ or turning the sketches into physical books and mailing them to event attendees after the fact. Integrating social media crowdsourcing or an audience Q and A into a live sketching session is another unique tactic to add interactivity to an event. For example, in the midst of a conference, a Sketch Effect artist may peruse Twitter for the event’s hashtag and work attendee tweets directly into the artwork. This approach cements the transient nature of social media into a longer-lasting, more concrete visual tool, creating a snapshot of the social conversations. “As society becomes saturated with digital media, there’s an authentic element about something that’s physical and created by a human being,” says Warren. He notes, however, that the Sketch Effect isn’t “locked in” to an analog approach. One of the company’s recently released Sketch Effect Live products, for example, experiments with digital live sketching—artists sketch on a tablet and beam drawings into a room via screencast. The process bridges the gap between the digital and the physical without sacrificing the ethos of the product. Live sketching services prove effective as a tool for improving audience retention, says Warren. He cites one large retailer who has been working with the Sketch Effect for four years; the retailer reports that adding live sketching to its annual conference caused audience engagement rate scores to soar. Sketch Effect videos, too, typically see much higher completion rates than standard corporate videos do. “The experience is part of our service—part of the value that our clients are getting,” explains Tereza Omabuwa, Business Development Coordinator. “It’s more than just a visual you can post on social media; seeing an artist work right there in front of you and visualizing [an idea] without any prep adds a real wow factor. It’s kind of magical.” n
INSIGHTS Summer 2018 03 Ways to Use Visual Communication Tools Effectively One reason live sketching is so effective, says Warren, is because it adds an element of the unexpected into otherwise stiff corporate settings. Plus, he adds, “When is the last time you read a 20-page PDF recap of an event?” He’s got a good point. While there’s no doubt about the power of visuals to augment an event, course, or meeting, getting the formula just right can be challenging. Here are three things to consider when employing visual communication tools for either internal or external marketing purposes. 1 THINK BEYOND POWERPOINT: Even if live sketching isn’t up your alley, it’s worth examining how you can add creative flair to a visual aid by employing interactive data visualizations, props, memes, sensory elements such as music or scents, or short-form animations. 2 TELL A STORY: Completed live event sketches display a clear story arc delineated visually in a way that draws the viewer’s eye from one data point to another. This formatting helps readers grasp the overarching message immediately rather than requiring them to sift through a jumble of text to extract the main points. 3 ENCOURAGE ACTIVE LISTENING: Active listening— not just hearing information, but also comprehending and responding to it—has been proven to aid in information retention. Visuals that contain an element of interactivity or audience participation encourage this practice and allow speakers to truly take command of a room. COOL FINDS » Seriously. Cool. Innovation. If you haven’t ordered your Irresistible Mail book, all we can say is . . . DO IT NOW! Quite possibly the best collection of examples of every innovation that can enhance direct mail is wrapped up in the deliciously tactile pages and pullout samples of this exquisite kit. From case studies to virtual reality demonstrations, the USPS Irresistible Mail project explores innovations that every marketer and creative professional should consider. Virtual Reality Varnishes and Finishes Near Field Communication Augmented Reality Unique Folds and Die-Cuts Video-Enhanced Print Quick Response Codes Data-Driven Messaging Shoppable Social Media Analytics and Trackable Data Variable Data Printing Neuroscience Order your own Irresistible Mail book today by visiting: www.irresistiblemail.com
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The Beat - Summer 2018

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