Using facts and other concrete information in ads is often necessary to convey the gravity of a problem and introduce your solutions. This is especially true in B2B marketing. Unfortunately, facts and figures don’t grip consumers the same way stories do. This is why marketers should leverage “infotainment”—a compelling combination of information and entertainment—throughout their advertising.
What is infotainment?
The concept of infotainment combines the crucial information you want to present to customers and the
engaging act of storytelling
and entertainment. Regardless of the medium—written, illustrated or video—infotainment involves entertaining while you teach or inform the viewer.
A big part of infotainment is making things visual. Rather than bore consumers with an endless stream of facts and figures, you can combine the information with an interesting story—using color, music, graphics and other engaging elements—and appeal to the humans behind the business. Formats like video instantly add an extra level of entertainment to your content that didn’t exist before.
This concept can be applied to any marketing format, particularly
content marketing. However, it’s also useful in advertising.
Infotainment vs. information
The key differentiator of infotainment is its ability to both tell and sell. Facts tell, but entertainment sells. Buyers might not be interested in your products or services without concrete information to back up your claims. However, buyers are also overwhelmed with lots of information every day. Entertainment can help differentiate your brand. Together, the two can build trust and authority and increase memorability.
“Infotaining” is important in advertising for a few reasons. First and foremost, it allows you to present important information without overwhelming or losing the viewer. Consider a fact-packed document like a whitepaper compared to an eye-catching, 3-minute video ad. You can present the same facts and information in both, but one is more likely to hold the customer’s attention for longer.
Second, it develops a stronger customer connection. Entertainment allows you to
appeal to emotions
and provoke intense feelings. These things are much more memorable than graphs and words on a page. Without the emotional connection and engagement, customers might not remember the information you’re trying to deliver, rendering your ads ineffective.
Lastly, infotainment allows you to convey more about your brand. Not all infotainment productions need to be funny or sad or cheerful. However, they should all represent your brand voice and style. It’s much easier to convey these things through entertaining stories than plain facts or information. The result is that viewers learn more about your brand and what you have to offer.
Is your brand interested in creating ads that inform, inspire and drive sales? The team at Spin Creative can help!
Say hello
to learn more about putting your brand in motion.
Spin Creative is a video production company and creative agency helping marketers create winning video and creative strategies that engage, inspire and activate targeted audiences. Spin is headquartered in Seattle with offices in San Francisco and London, serving brands around the globe.
