A communications revolution?
I have written on this blog many times about the value of connectivity afforded to us by social media. It allows us to connect with each other in instant, low-cost, innovative ways from which we all benefit. The trouble is, sometimes people simply don’t relate to electronic communication.
Yesterday I was having a conversation with senior executive from a big city finance company. His offices are doubtless equipped with the most sophisticated computing and networking equipment that money can buy. However, when it comes to communication it has been found that the most successful form of internal communication is not the intranet nor emails nor even internal post, but…
…framed A4 posters on the back of toilet doors and above urinals. The information is changed each day, and there has been a demonstrable upturn in people acting on the information displayed.
There may be numerous reasons for this:
- people are away from their desks
- they are a ‘captive audience’
- though provided by the company, these appear less corporate than other forms of communication
We have definitely found Toilet Twinning posters on toilet doors effective, especially considering the nature of what we do! We’ve found that many of our ‘twins’ have come from a poster they found in a toilet at a festival, or at an office, or in a toilet that has been twinned itself!
I think this just demonstrates that social media of any sort are not an effective medium for messages that need to be broadcast ie from one to many.
I would guess if a notice in bold print with no visual distractions was placed on someone’s desk while they were away from it (in the toilet maybe?) then they would take in the information it had on it as well without the distraction of being surrounded by a lot of other information?
Social media are SOCIAL. The clue is in the name! 😀
So true Pam – like you say, social media is intended for discussion, not broadcast
Posters rock!!! They have been rumoured to ‘die off’ many times … It’s all about the right blend, to achieve the right outcome, using the right tool… I love social media, but I love communications as a whole more!!
Very amusing; I like this.
Smartphones and tablets should be kept well away from toilets, so posters seem a good bet!
We see a rise of posters by the printer as they never seem to work as well as they should and hold you captive while considering if you are worthy to receive your print request.