I wish I could say I read the news paper every day, but I got out of that habit while I was in grad school. Web news just seemed easier to consume as my life became busier. That, and I could add a filter to what I was reading and pick only what I wanted to learn most out of the clutter.
Unfortunately, as the economy turned, world peace became even less of an achievable ideal, and life in general became more difficult, that filter yielded less and less. By the middle of last year, all I would turn to the news for was the daily crossword puzzle and a handful of fun comics.
I didn’t keep my head in the sand about anything, but for some reason it’s easier to read bad news when it’s positioned in a racoon’s speech bubble than when it’s an ominous front-page headline. Comics, humor, and other entertainment media is just as relevant as the news on the front page. In fact, I would argue that it’s almost more informative at times.
If I read a Wall Street Journal article about the failings of the dollar, I get a bit depressed. So I avoid the WSJ for that reason. If I read a Wizard of Id comic talking about inflation, I laugh, think for a minute about my own finances, and – with a smile on my face – go about my day with a new found reckoning of what my dollar is actually worth.
If Al Gore stands on stage and laments global climate change and the ills of polluting our environment, most of us will change the channel. It’s not that we don’t care, it’s because everyone is tired of the ‘doom and gloom’tone the conversation inevitably has. At the same time, people will tune in every week without fail to watch Lisa Simpson make the same speech. The same people who will turn off a free PSA with Gore actually stood in line with me to buy tickets for “The Simpsons Movie.”
The fact of the matter is that people are more interested in entertainment than information. Would you rather go to a sit-down lecture on the rules for roller coasters, or watch an animated film with Mickey Mouse and Goofy before you get on a ride? This is an unreasonable comparison, but you get the point.
Even if you’re not pawning negative information, there’s a chance that, at some point in your career, you will have to tell someone something they don’t want to hear. Ever try to make a cold sales call where the customer’s eyes glazed over when you started talking technical specifications? It’s important information, you need to hand it out, they need to hear it … but how will you bridge the gap between “I’m listening” to “I hear you and I understand?”
A fantastic recent example is Google’s new-ish web browser, Chrome. In a world where many people don’t realize there’s a PC option besides Internet Explorer or a Mac option besides Safari, Google was tasked with explaining why a new browser was even necessary. Then they had to explain why Chrome was better than other options. In the tech space, this quickly turns to a conversation on features … which is a boring conversation that no one wants to be a part of.
Instead of printing white papers, making sales calls, or adding annoying “upgrade to Chrome” pop-ups on their websites, Google published a book. Not just any book – a comic book!
In characature format, the lead engineers of the Chrome team explain what makes the new browser necessary and how it’s an improvement on existing technology. I’m not a big fan of technical documents, but I love comic books. I actually read the entire 38-page booklet … several times. As I write this, I’m even using Google’s new browser. Considering I swore by Internet Explorer just a few months ago, I’d say the Google Chrome team did a very effective job of spreading the news of their system to me in a way I could consume and act upon without understanding all the technobabble a typical engineer would throw my way.
How many times do you write comic books to promote your new products or marketing campaign? How many times do you write a Times New Roman, black-and-white press release? Which do you think would be a more effective means of conveying your information?
