The third component, client revisions, is an area controlled most easily and typically is the cause of inflating or deflating multimedia development costs beyond a designer’s original estimate, or your expectations. The most basic revisions consist of three rounds: changes to creative concepts, changes to a draft version of the final product, and a final review. Often, more revisions may be needed when a designer is provided with inconsistent or incomplete information. This invariably results in a higher cost than expected.

With the extensive time that some multimedia presentations call for, requiring the efforts of creative professionals and skilled developers, it’s not surprising that multimedia presentations and ads can be expensive. Why, then, consider them? Are they effective?

Multimedia presentations are very successful at grabbing people’s attention. Multimedia results in higher retention of marketing information by viewers, or more enthusiasm for an offer. When compared to static text, graphics, or even audio, multimedia is simply more compelling due to its ability to trigger multiple senses at the same time..

According to DoubleClick (quoted in ZDNet.com, Joseph, 2002) multimedia ads have a 71 percent higher impact than their static counterparts. Similarly, in 1997, the California Community College system, “implemented a test design to assess the efficacy of multimedia technology as a non-traditional form of instruction” (Luna & McKenzie, 1997). Surveys take after the test determined, “40% of the students felt multimedia improved understanding and 73% found it a positive addition to the course.” Finally, a study published in the Journal of Management Information Systems (Benbasat & Lim, 2002) determined that multimedia “facilitat [es] the retention and subsequent recall of explanative information…” The study consisted of two test groups. One group processed information through a “text-based system” and the other a “multimedia system.” The subjects who were tested on the basis of a “multimedia system” received a higher mean test score of 2.70 compared to the 2.10 of the text based group (p.114); clearly demonstrating that higher retention is possible with multimedia. The case for implementing multimedia into your marketing, sales or advertising is clear. What can your business or non-profit do to cut its costs?

The first method involves separating the development of the creative (the message, concepts, and storyboards) from the production (design, animation, and sound production), or at least finding ways to control it.