Visual Marketing: 99 Proven Ways for Small Businesses to Market with Images and Design

15. Breaking Through the Gray Noise: Using a Flash-Based Presentation to Generate Leads While Also Serving as a Leave-Behind Piece

In the public relations (PR) world, many try to put together a PowerPoint presentation to woo a potential client. But Gotham PR, a Manhattan-based PR firm specializing in fashion and design, asked itself how it could “break through the gray noise” in an industry filled with cookie-cutter pitches and presentations. The design firm The Art Department provided the answer: a four-minute Flash-based company overview incorporating fast-paced motion graphics and strong typography based on the concept “How Do You Break Through the Gray Noise?”

Five case studies are presented within the video, showcasing client successes and services. The movie CD itself has an appealing design and works well as a leave-behind. Gotham PR now uses the presentation not only in meetings but as a link from their website and embedded into blogs, Facebook, and Twitter feeds, according to Christie Grotheim of The Art Department.

Why It Works

Rather than making promises about what the firm will do for a potential customer, Gotham's presentation shows its experience, heavily based on event photos with celebrities and fashion designers. For those tired of PowerPoint slides, Gotham's video is a refreshing, upbeat change sure to energize any proposal meeting.

“The piece is multi-faceted, ...