Edutainment 3.0 - Express

Welcome to the Express version!

Beyond the old (and outdated adage) “time is money,” we realize you juggle multiple tasks throughout your day. So we created an Express version of our trends report with pressed-for-time people in mind.

If you’ve only got a few minutes, this is the place to be. Scroll down to get started, or hit the button below for the full report.

<aside> 💡 Explore the full report

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The best of our trends report. The traditional way.

In keeping with trends report traditions, here’s the Express edition of Edutainment 3.0 as a good old Google Slides document.

To dig in further, just keep scrolling...

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1ymoSinhJPOojaM3oKjw9mKuPFxOLH7PYU2e2H6ydGLk/edit?usp=sharing

Actionable Insights

7 insights to propel you to Edutainment 3.0 success.

1. Encourage Engagement: At the heart of the very best Education and Entertainment is Engagement. In education, this is often best achieved by using the principles of active learning. Meanwhile, brands and organizations typically measure engagement by how often they interact with customers, which when done right, can lead to increased brand awareness. Without engagement, your Edutainment projects will fall flat.
2. Obliterate Obstacles: Edutainment can help people understand and move through topics faster. Successful Edutainment removes barriers to learning, especially in complex, technical or traditional topics.
3. Seek Balance: Never underestimate how long it takes for people to grasp concepts. Edutainment projects often focus too much on the entertainment part while leaving the education aspect feeling like an afterthought. You still need the academic rigor around what helps people retain information. Calculus is still calculus. So create a balance in your Edutainment project.
4. Emphasize Emotion: Academic rigor can suck the emotion out of a topic quicker than an ice cream falling out of the cone - sad and boring. All learning involves emotion in some way - as does entertainment. Make sure you bring emotion to the forefront.
5. Quit Playing Games with my heart: Gamification can be hugely powerful in Edutainment. It can help people learn concepts easier. But it needs careful planning and design to be truly effective. Don’t be tempted to label all your Edutainment projects as games. Make sure you have a variety of learning tools.
6. Dreams & Heroes: Your Edutainment project is the perfect vehicle to help people vividly describe their dreams and understand the paths and stepping stones others took on their journeys. This approach can help people find purpose, set goals, and make course corrections when they hit hurdles and challenges. **
7. Think About The Big Picture: Edutainment projects aren’t a one-and-done concept. Consider what deeper involvement looks like in practice. Is it ownership? Is it based on co-creation? Is it an intangible? (for example, the community built during and after a learning experience).

The 3.0 Formula

The most impactful projects in Edutainment 3.0 all share four key elements.

We call it the Edutainment 3.0 Formula.

<aside> 💡 Learn more about the magic formula >

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8 Trends driving Edutainment 3.0

As we see it, there are 8 trends shaping the future of Edutainment. Our full report explores each trend in detail. But here’s a summary of the highlights for all you skimmers out there.

1. Brands as Neo Educators

Imagine... Sony opened its product and marketing campaign archives - from music to film to electronics - and invited fans to learn how it created a long-lasting, global brand.

IN ACTION

NikeLab x Virgil Abloh

Tracksmith Fellowship Program

<aside> 🚀 Wavetable’s hot tip: Co-Creation

We see a real edge in co-creation. Creativity is amplified with real-life experiences and people often feel empowered after they create something new, something that they didn’t think was possible before.

Furthermore, more people need to engage in real projects to learn, grow and develop their professional profiles. Universities and online courses can only do so much, theory can only go so far, it is through tangible projects that new voices can really thrive.

Explore this trend

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2. Tackling Wicked Problems

Imagine... Unilever + Charity: Water created an interactive video series where viewers help the show’s host make construction decisions while building a sustainable water system for a local community.

IN ACTION

Puntos de Encuentro

SKAM

<aside> 🔥 Wavetable’s hot tip

The new philanthropists: tech companies are now big investors in social impact. They’re leading the way with new projects and have opened people up to taking risks.

We believe the next big innovation in this space won’t come from a legacy nonprofit. It’ll come from a big tech company taking a chance on someone new. The challenge here is managing incentives and agendas - the world doesn’t need any more ‘greenwashing’.

Explore this trend

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3. Cultural Institutions Reimagined

<aside> 💡 Imagine... Experiencing a guided tour of mythical creatures at The Smithsonian Museum of Natural History led by a holographic David Attenborough atop a unicorn.

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Museums are uniquely positioned to leverage Edutainment 3.0 and create interactive environments that lets visitors fully immerse themselves in a topic. Through strategic partnerships, fresh storytelling, and advanced technology, museums will usher in a new way to experience history and culture while making more money to keep creating new and exciting exhibits.

IN ACTION

Spyscape

DDR Museum - TeAR Down this WALL

<aside> 🔥 Wavetable’s hot tip: A Blended Approach

A study by the University of Zagreb indicates edutainment can have a strong positive effect on the perceived authenticity of a museum visitor’s experience.

****To create museum-based Edutainment experiences that hit the spot, always think human-centered and use a combination of 3 design approaches: Customized, Selective, and Universal.

Explore this trend

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4. Play-to-Learn Experiences

Imagine... Liberty Mutual created a virtual driving school where participants designed their own driving games for others to play in a simulator, combining real-world situations with their own cars and avatars. Successful game designers and players earn insurance premium discounts.

Hello, dopamine. What’s better than real rewards in a rapid feedback loop that gives players a rush of dopamine? Play-to-Learn experiences.

This type of gamification lets players do incredible things like learning new skills without the fear of messing up in real life. It also has a more direct potential for earning and (career) growth because the risk is reduced while the skills are increased and refined.

IN ACTION

Synthesis

Wavetable Portal