I was applying to jobs the other day and saw one mentioning that the candidate should be able to navigate a “140-character world.” To that, I reacted, “it’s 280 characters now. Keep up.” But, we are in a post-literate world. What does that mean?

I know. It’s ironic I’m telling you we’re in a post-literate world in text. So, I’ll make sure to add this:

TLDR: Mass consumers prefer visual cues and need a stronger brand identity than just a logo and color palette. But, know when to break that rule.

Video’s on demand – literally

Think about it, though. YouTube is the 2nd most visited website in the world. TikTok, Netflix, Snapchat, Instagram – what do the biggest growing media have in common? They’re all visual mediums that have the world’s attention. Video and visual content are king. It’s a shock that you’re even reading this right now. RetailDive was saying that 72% of consumers prefer videos to text marketing in 2018. 2018, folks. Even while locked up in quarantine, we didn’t turn to magazines and newspapers. We binged Tiger King on Netflix and made TikTok dances. Our need for content should be specified. We crave visual content.

We don’t take the time to read, hence, the post-literate world. We scroll through or past long bodies of text and move on.

What’s a marketer to do?

It makes sense. Our attention spans are decreasing, and sight is our dominant sense. Next TV reports that “92% of people watch videos with the sound off on mobile and 83% watch with sound off.” It emphasizes how much people aren’t paying attention to you as marketers. It’s no longer sufficient to have a nice logo and color palette. Everything you do needs to be on-brand. Your colors, fonts, shapes, styles – all of it needs to be consistent to build a strong brand identity. Think Doritos-taking-the-logo-off-its-chips kind of recognizable.

The Drum’s article on post-literacy cites a few sources that talk about the need for brands to have familiar sensory associations. Meaning, evoking similar feelings is valuable. Are you an empowering brand? Do you make people feel elated? Do you help people feel calm or secure? Consistency distinguishes your brand.

The Drum also promotes the simplifying of all graphics – which I also would encourage. With so much content and visual cues, a simplified design will look and perform better.

Or don’t follow anything I just said

Know that no one’s looking for visuals to learn about everything. They’ll still want to read and learn about technology or complicated products and services before investing. So, know your brand and what it needs. Also, there are plenty of more academic people who prefer to be informed and would want a longer word count. So, know your target audience too.

Nonetheless, be ready to adapt and be as concise as possible. Sometimes products, services, ideas, and more – they speak for themselves.