I caught the new Harry Potter movie this weekend with my kids, who’ve seen all six installments; and my sister Marcie who’d not seen any. (I didn’t think it was possible that she hadn’t seen a one!) I couldn’t help trying to see the film through Marcie’s eyes. After all, I knew the characters, the premise, the quest to squelch the evil Valdemort. I would whisper to her to explain “Hermione likes Ron but he doesn’t know it”, “Sirius Black saved Harry in Book III and appeared in the fireplace in Book IV” and so on.
I stopped my interruptions when I realized that the movie did a wonderful job of making it easy for anyone to know the characters and follow the plot, whether they were a Potter expert or not. One could enjoy the movie on either level, as a wizard or muggle.
Marketing collateral, print or web, should be like the “Harry Potter Part VI: The Half Blood Prince” — old friends should be able to delve deeper into what your company and offerings are all about, but new acquaintances should be able to find their way and understand what they need to know. The same could apply for technical vs. non-technical audiences. Both should find information that’s relevant and “sensical” to them. Never assume your audience is expert.
