Killer PowerPoint Displays

The next time you’re asked to throw together a PowerPoint presentation for an important meeting just remember it’s not rocket science.

If the engineers at Boeing had remembered that then the seven Columbia space shuttle astronauts who died in February 2003 might be alive today.

Columbia broke up in the Earth’s atmosphere after a wing, damaged during launch, became superheated on re-entry and broke apart.

According to Edward Tufte, an professor emeritus of statistics, graphic design and political economy at Yale University, the way PowerPoint presentations are structured are critical for comprehension.

In his paper, Tufte pulls apart in painstaking detail the slides prepared by Boeing engineers that were supposed to have alerted NASA officials to the severity of the problem facing the shuttle.

He contends that ‘serious problems require a serious tool: written reports’.

Over reliance on PowerPoint – especially the use of animation and sound effects – will hamper your presentation’s comprehension and credibility.

And, as Tufte proves, it can actually kill people.

Losing Your Head To Scalping

It pays to draw customer attention to changes in your company’s terms and conditions.

Organisers of Australia’s largest rock concert series The Big Day Out were last month found to have ‘engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct’ over its attempts to stop ticket scalping.

As the AAP story reports
“eBay, which profits from the on-selling of tickets, sued Creative (the promoter) after changes were made to the conditions on tickets for the 2007 Big Day Out, which has already sold out in Sydney, Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

”According to a condition on the 2007 tickets, the ticket "will be cancelled and the holder will be refused entry" if it has been resold for profit.

”Previous Big Day Out tickets had stated the ticket ‘will become voidable and the holder may be refused entry’ if it was resold for profit.

”eBay argued the provision was misleading and deceptive.

”Justice Steven Rares agreed, but said the result was ‘unfortunate’. He said Creative ‘did not have reasonable grounds’ to claim every ticket resold for profit would be cancelled.”

While having clearly stated terms and conditions are essential for every business, it is vital that they don’t contravene the law, no matter how just the reason.

Just as an aside, the comments accompanying the linked story demonstrate that scalping is a hot button topic.

TV Gets Poor Reception

The Internet revolution appears to be further corroding the power of television to hold our interest.

People are spending more time on the Internet as broadband speeds enable more convenient viewing of not only video clips but also TV shows and that has become a headache for Australian television networks.

According to research conducted by the University of Sydney, 53 per cent of people regularly download their favourite show from the Internet.
Since the prime viewing season in Australia time starts in March – five months after the northern hemisphere – eager fans are downloading and watching their favourite shows on the Net rather than wait for them to be broadcast.

While that’s a boon for consumers looking for choice, it’s a headache for networks that charge a premium for ads appearing during popular programs.

The industry is putting on a brave face claiming that it doesn’t really affect ratings; however, as people become more accustomed to programming their own viewing habits, advertisers will need to become more creative in reaching their target audiences.

Business Communications Management offers a FREE service for all of our clients to examine the best forms of media (including on-line) for promotional campaigns.

Just For You

Special Offer 1: Hungry For Business?

Take a bite out of your competition this year with a FREE Marketing Initiatives Review from Business Communications Management.

The review includes:
· Examination previous initiatives
· Target market profile
· Recommendations for new initiatives

That's $660 worth of value! Offer closes 31 January 2007 so contact us today. http://www.bcm-online.com.au/contact/index.htm

Special Offer 2: Corporate Golf With A Difference
Ever wanted the networking benefits of a corporate golf day but don’t know one end of a nine-iron from the other?

We do, that’s why Business Communications Management is planning a corporate mini-golf day for March.

Plans include an afternoon of 18 holes of mini-golf, a seafood barbecue lunch, opportunities for hole sponsorships, a lot of laughs and great networking.

Register your interest with Jeanette today on (07) 5591 8081 and we’ll keep you up to date with all the details.

Client Profile

Ozone1

Ozone1 is a national manufacturer of ozone machines designed for air and water purification including commercial kitchens, nursing homes, air-conditioning towers and garbage chutes.

Their clients include Government, major hotels, and accommodation and building managers.

Business Communications Management has recently created a stylish folder and information pack to assist the Ozone1 sales team and is currently redeveloping their web site.

Ozone1
Phone: (07) 5596 2922
E-mail: david@ozone1.com.au

Quote of the month

Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbours and let each new year find you a better man.

- Benjamin Franklin