I came across this video while doing some online research. I really like it for a variety of reasons.

I really like the message and think that the Western world would be a better place if more people took a little time away from some of the mind-numbing activities they seem to be drawn to and instead spent that time thinking about the type of concepts and questions posed in the video, simplistic though they may be.

They should get children to ponder these questions in school ideally, but alas, schools are part of the system so that isn’t likely to happen anytime soon, is it?

I also like it because without being too condescending, it is a good example of how to get a message across to the ‘typical’ internet user who might have a short attention span and who might also have difficulty grasping the same concept presented in a more complicated manner.

There are a few aspects to this, some more obvious than others. For example, the graphical representation of the dots clearly emphasises the main point and demonstrates the difference in scale. But I also like the repetition used with the sound that is played whenever he mentions ‘the enforcers.’ Does this help to get the point across? It kind of tickled me.

The use of the ladies voice interjecting to point out the ‘accurate graphical representation’ aspect contrasts nicely with the ‘story-telling’ voices used by Larken, which (coupled with the handy green arrow that appears) makes sure that there can be almost no possibility of even the most distracted viewer from misunderstanding which group the narrator is referring to.

A little light humour (‘and one little troublemaker asked, “What if we don’t?”‘) helps to ensure that any youngsters watching are entertained, along with any easily entertained adults, like myself.

There is one important point which appears to be missing, though. The ‘dot’ is armed (via the enforcers) and in most Western countries the mass of dots are unarmed and the dot uses the implied threat and the actual use of violence to intimidate the mass of dots.

Any explanation of how the tiny dot intimidates the mass of dots is not entirely accurate if this little, but not insignificant fact is left out.

Regardless, it turns out (surprise, surprise!) to be an ad – for a book. I’m not the biggest fan of most advertising I come across, but this one gets the thumbs up from me. It’s educational, thought-provoking,  interesting, different (that’s especially cool) and the viewer gets a ‘takeaway’ even if they don’t buy – a freebie of sorts. That’s ethical and smart selling in my book.

If you have any comments on this video or my take on it, please feel free to leave them below and I will respond to them as soon as I can. Thanks for visiting.