Marketing and Instructional Design

At first glance the idea of instructional design and marketing having much in common may seem unrealistic. Actually they have many things in common. Marketing is, in itself, extremely focused instruction, in an attempt to alter the attitudes and choices of a very specific audience. Much of it, as in a commercial, is just very short instruction.

The instructional design strategies that apply to marketing include:

• Important announcements geared to get audience attention
• New product promotions
• New product training
• New service procedures
• New support systems

Both instructional design and marketing focus highly on the audience and the message for that audience. The research of the audience and its implications on the presentation of the information are essential elements. In fact, many of the design concepts in instructional design originated in the marketing field.

Similar concepts:

• Discover the audience needs
• Evaluate the audience
• Accumulate demographic data on the audience
• Compile the information the audience needs
• Fit the information to the audience
• Assure the media selection is specific to the audience
• Develop the presentation based on the storyboards created by the team