A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We all know that a picture can be worth far more than words when trying to convey a message.  Sometimes other media types are even more important in sending a messages. For example, kids are crazy about making loom bands bracelets which are made from weaving small rubber bands together. If instructions were only in written language, it would be far more difficult to learn new techniques than it is by watching a YouTube instructional video such as this one:

If someone were to explain this technique without any media to show how to make this, it would be rather difficult; however by watching the video, almost anyone, with the right supplies, can learn how to make a bracelet like the one shown in the video.

Other great examples of how multimedia enhances messaging are food blogs. A good quality food blog will enhance recipes with either photos or videos of ingredients and/or cooking techniques techniques. One food blogger that incorporates multimedia is thepioneerwoman.com/‎. The writer, Ree, has a food blog where she uses photos to show her recipes in a step-by-step manner as well as a television show where she demonstrates her cooking techniques.  Another aspect of using multimedia with food are restaurant reviews.  These reviews will generally include photos of the restaurant and the food that is being critiqued to give the reader a feel for the presentation. Yelp.com (or the mobile app, Yelp!) allows users to post their own reviews along with photos, which can be incredibly helpful when browsing for new restaurants to try as one would have a preview of what to expect. Now if only there were a way to share scents and smells via the internet. Someday!

Multimedia can enhance messaging in a shopping experience.  A customer can view items of interest in different colors and varying levels of detail, including zooming and spinning to see the item from different angles.  On Timberland.com, a customer has the ability to customize many components of their boots. Without the ability to show the customer exactly what their custom creation would look like, it would be difficult at best to sell such an item at a high price point as the final product would be left up to the customer's imagination and the item that they receive might look very different than what they expected it to look like. This configurator tool is key in ensuring customer satisfaction for this type of product.

Without multimedia, the world would be a very bland, black and white place as multimedia is key to bringing a message to life. A picture is worth a thousand words and a video is worth even more.