Compelling and Captivating Infographics

Infographic general designMost marketers know that one of the best ways to convey pertinent information, especially statistical data, is through infographics.  When potential or new clients ask me what they are, I often say “it is a visually pleasing and engaging way to consume medium to large quantities of information.”  The purpose of the infographic is as multidimensional as the design. Over the years, I have seen infographics used for a variety of purposes – educational, political, business soliciting – you name it.

One that recently caught my attention, made me start thinking about companies and organizations purposes, agendas and the like, that are using this “visually pleasing and engaging” method of marketing to accomplish the their vision and goals.  Join me as we journey though some of the most compelling and captivating infographics published to date.

Peta’s Life of a Cow infographic tops many emotion-evoking infographic lists.  It educates consumers, encourages veganism, and intentionally elicits emotional pain over what baby calves go through to become dairy- and food-producing options.  This infographic holds nothing back when it comes to mapping out the beginning with the fear-inflicted eyes of the baby calf to the ill-fated end of becoming dinner.

Domestic violence is a huge issue in our society, in the U.S. and abroad. It can be physical, sexual, emotional; and the least publicized, psychological.  Millions of Americans, women AND men, have been victims of domestic violence and this infographic displays the ugly truths of these heinous acts.  Developed by NowSourcing for Socialworkdegreeguide.com, Exposing What Happens Behind Closed Doors, is an educational infographic reflecting truth, demographics, and current statistics.  From the first, engaging image through the un-ignorable statistics, this in-depth domestic violence awareness all-in-one definitely does what it should.

Sure to get a few guffaws, this infographic from Killer Infographics is sure to crack the corners of your mouth with statements that most people think but don’t have the guts to say.  I’m Cooler Than You Because…was designed in 2013 to showcase “why certain people are cooler than other people” relying on “bold icons and funny copy to make this infographic super effective!”  And that it does!  So if you don’t have a bunch of nay-saying, humorless colleagues, post this in your cube to surely receive a few laughs and engaging conversation.  And in case you didn’t know and are bold enough to rock it, you can get this on apparel by visiting here.

Eye-opening content is always welcome in my book, and as well, that which is shockingly truthful.  In the 21 Shocking U.S. Food Waste Facts & Statistics, the designers at AZ Solutions, ensure you are well aware as to how much food wasting goes on and its riveting impact. So many of us do it in one way or another, but I had no idea that my disregarding, no left-overs mentality impacts the masses. It was compelling enough to  change both my mind and my own behaviors.

So there you have it folks, just a few jaw-dropping, tear-welling and knee slapping infographics that are out there.  Stay tuned as I may address this topic again in the future and once again reveal why well thought out, skillfully designed infographics are such captivating and compelling content around.

A Brief Look at the Bing Rewards Program

I recently received an email from Bing, because I’m an XBox Live subscriber, to earn 2,000 Xbox Live Reward Credits. Now I know we don’t normally talk gaming on our articles here but hear me out with what I realized when I read into this Bing Rewards campaign. One thing that immediately popped up though was how ironically identical the Bing Rewards logo was to the Google Drive logo. It’s not a direct copy but see for yourself:

Bing Rewards vs Google Drive Logo

Bing Rewards is what I’d like to call an underhanded tactic to boost traffic to their search engine by enticing rewards and a point system to users. Let’s start with the email introduction.

Bing Rewards Email

 

So as you can see, if you’re an avid gamer, you can receive more points to your profile by using their search service on a regular basis. Seems innocent enough at jump, but lets see more.

Bing Dashboard

By logging into the dashboard on a daily and weekly basis you’ll find different tasks or suggestions for places to visit and actions to perform to gain points. I have to give credit because they understand gamification well enough to place status levels for frequent users of the Rewards program. By being active you can earn things daily and even earn rewards for a charity if you don’t want to splurge on yourself.

Bing Dashboard Rewards

They also got social too. Sign in to Facebook through on of their Dashboard links and allow Bing to access your public profile and friends. Here’s the message I got when I declined the approval:

“Please try connecting again to complete this offer.
To help Bing find friends who know something about your searches, all Facebook permissions need to be selected. You’re always in control – you won’t post anything automatically.”
And lastly, the affiliates and stores who have already lined up to coerce you to shop and by from them. The more effort you put into the program, the more credits you will earn and you can cash those in for discounts and deals. One way to look at this would be if you could offer you own customers some type of loyalty points for using your products or sharing your services. Especially if it is something they use frequently.
Bing Dashboard affiliatesThe bottom line is Bing is seeking to boost their search traffic and brand awareness.  Sure they can continue to try and do it organically by just offering a better option than Google, but while that’s not working, they’re going to try and appease to their loyal customer base instead. And as a business owner, you may want to look at this marketing plan and see how if you can replicate it somehow for your own services. We all understand that our best customers are the ones we already have, so if we can turn them into super fans in a means that doesn’t sell out or annoy, we should see some success.

Featured Image credit: audioundwerbung / 123RF Stock Photo

Festival of Speed – Ritz Carlton December 2013

Last weekend I went out with a few of my friends to the Ritz Carlton for the annual Festival of Speed car show. If you’re not familiar with it, think high-end expensive cars all over the back yard of a hotel. Sprinkle in some concepts, classic Chevrolet’s and Fords, and a few bikes and a few tall models and you’ve got a pretty interesting afternoon. Take a look at some of the shots below and see for yourself.