Foreword

PowToon – capturing imagination in a 90-second-attention-span world!

We live in an age of information overload! The constant bombardment of advertisements, newsletters, and offers leaves us overwhelmed to the point of exhaustion. As a result, it has become a serious challenge to pay attention to things that could actually matter to our lives.

So, how do we cut through all the clutter and filter out the meaningful and important messages? What's more, how do we convince someone—be it a colleague, student, or client—to focus on us while everything else competes for their attention?

These are the very questions that led to the creation of PowToon.

Why cartoons are so powerful

Have you ever found yourself watching a cartoon where mice talk, elephants fly, or penguins build airplanes and say to yourself, "That's ridiculous! Where did they come up with such nonsense?".

The likelihood is you've never been bothered by how implausible a cartoon was. Why? It's because something magical happens when you watch a cartoon. Psychologists call it the Suspension of Disbelief". It's the special sauce that stops you from asking critical questions such as "Can this actually happen?" and "Does this make any sense?".

Conditioned since childhood to love cartoons

Most of us watched cartoons as children and still, to this day, associate them with childish, nonbusiness, and (more importantly) non-sales-related matters.

Basically, we've been conditioned to accept cartoons as a nonthreatening form of communication, and we absorb their messages in a very different way compared to the jaded "keep your guard up" attitude that we typically adopt. A cartoon encourages you to lower your guard and stop asking grownup questions, such as "Do I like this packaging?", "Am I familiar with this brand?", and "Do I have any prior experience with this vendor?".

This is where cartoons become such a powerful tool. By eliminating the "criticizing" instinct, for even just a few moments, we open ourselves up to new messages.

PowToon – a tool to harness the psychology of engagement

PowToon's renegade scientists harnessed the "Power of Toon" to build a simple and revolutionary tool that delivers professional results, allowing people to drive their message home, all the while making their audiences sit up and take notice.

Millions of users and fans all over the world have used PowToon to grow their businesses, market their products, recruit and train employees, teach their students, and impress their teachers.

I sincerely hope that this book will help you to utilize the awesome power of PowToon and teach you about the opportunities to harness the psychology of engagement for you, both personally and professionally. All you have to do is create a PowToon!

Stay awesome!

Ilya Spitalnik

Chief Renegade Scientist – PowToon