04/22/2023
It was during a chance meeting with the founder of Wendy's Hamburgers, Dave Thomas, that I first saw, other than a reference to affection, the letters KISS, On his desk, he had 4 cubes in a rack spelling out the letters. Not being familiar with the expression at the time, curiosity got the best of me and I had to ask what it meant. Dave Thomas smiled and said that it stood for "Keep It Simple Stupid". He then went on to explain that it was the principle that he built Wendy's on, a simple menu; burgers, fries, and Frosties. Over the years the menu expanded, but it was the simplicity of the fare and the quality of their food that contributed to their meteoric rise in the 1980s. Hearing this from the man who had become an icon in the fast food industry made quite an impression on me and still influences how I communicate to this day.
I am occasionally asked why the Whiteboard Explainer Animations produced by Dean of Sales Marketing, do not use 3D and colorful figures. It is because of KISS, "Keep it Simple. Having spent a career in the broadcast industry I came to appreciate the impact of a well-written narrative and sincere enthusiastic delivery. That is the foundation for Whiteboard Animations created by Dean of Sales Marketing. To paraphrase the educator and legendary communicator, Marshall McCluhan who said, The medium is the message", I submit, "The message is the medium" and too often the message is lost to the visual. By using simple sketch words and figures complimented with colorful pictures and logos, Whiteboard Explainer Animations can engage the viewer as a unique and effective medium.
Of course, simplicity also requires brevity. As Polonius said in Shakespeare's Hamlet, "Brevity is the soul of wit". In order to have the most impact and retention we insist that animations be no more than 90 seconds in length, less is ideal. In today's attention-deficit world, 90 seconds is probably the most you should hope for as a delivery for your message and often that is too long. Also, if you expect a Whiteboard Animation to do more than make 3 points and ask for a call to action, you are probably expanding beyond its capability.
Simply put, if a Whiteboard animation is produced by Dean of Sales Marketing it will be Creative, Concise & Compelling with an emphasis on the message and the use of graphics to make the point!
Terry Dean
Dean of Sales Marketing
It was during a chance meeting with the founder of Wendy’s Hamburgers, Dave Thomas, that I first saw, other than a reference to affection, the letters KISS, On his desk, he had 4 cubes in a rack spelling out the letters. Not being familiar with the expression at the time, curiosity got the [...
