To prove its Thunder Marine line of speakers is waterproof, Mitek Corp. found a cool solution for its booth at the 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show: It hired an ice sculptor to encase one of its sub woofers in ice. Staffers switched on the speaker, which, despite the cold and the constant drip of melting ice, continued to play throughout the four-day show. The speaker-sicle display not only attracted countless attendees who stopped to see if the ice was real, it became a natural icebreaker as well.
Whoever said size doesn’t matter wasn’t talking about sausages. In fact, for Mandler’s, The Original Sausage Co. — makers of 9.5-inch sausages (that’s roughly 60-percent more sausage than the industry standard) — product marketing hinges on the fact that bigger is indeed better. That’s why at the 2006 International Franchise Expo the company dressed its booth staff in white T-shirts with red lettering that bragged, “Ours is 9 1/2-inches long.” Unlike boring, traditional trade show uniforms, Mandler’s saucy shirts conveyed the company’s main product differentiator and its double entendre generated XXL-size attention, creating a couldn’t-miss conversation starter.
Generally speaking, giveaways should say something about the exhibitor’s products or services. But what do you do to set yourself apart when everyone around you is selling almost the exact same thing? To stand out from the monotony of branded pens and highlighters at the 2007 Midwest Magazine Summit & Expo, Wright’s Reprints, which produces magazine-article reprints for publishers, drew inspiration from its logo instead of its offerings. Since the logo features a wood duck, the company handed out neon-colored branded duck calls. In addition to generating a literal buzz with the sound of the gadgets, the duck calls’ direct tie to the company logo made them the perfect branding tool.
The dry-cleaning process uses a lot of chemicals, including petroleum-based solvents that can be hard on fabrics as well as the air we breathe. But GreenEarth Cleaning LLC offers an inert liquid silicone-based solvent that breaks down into three natural components — sand and trace amounts of water and carbon dioxide. To alert attendees at the Clean 07 show to that key differentiator, GreenEarth brought in an expert to build a giant sandcastle during the four-day show. The ongoing castle construction generated hoards of traffic and also encouraged repeat visitors who stopped by again and again to check on the castle’s progress and chat with staffers. At a trade show full of dry-cleaning equipment, the 7-foot-tall sandcastle certainly broke the mold.
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To attract attention to its exhibit at the 2006 Healthcare Convention & Exhibitors Association Show, Impact Unlimited Inc. created tongue-in-cheek video postcards featuring photos of its clients. On one, a customer’s head was superimposed onto the body of a woman jet skiing in Antigua, while on another, a client was depicted boxing a kangaroo in Australia. Impact Unlimited ran a continuous loop of 18 fun ‘n’ sun postcards on a 61-inch plasma monitor mounted on the back wall of its booth, showcasing its satisfied customers and attracting oodles of attention from attendees.
 A 12-foot-high revolving stack of red plastic-wrapped pallets containing bags of Central Wood Products’ mulch became the most-recognizable landmark at the Minnesota Green 2007 Expo. Hoards of attendees were drawn to investigate the super-sized obelisk, which could be spotted from anywhere on the floor. Central Wood plastered the names of its clients prominently on all four sides of the impossible-to-miss advertisement. The nearly 4-foot-wide logos not only showed Central Wood’s appreciation for its clients, but the company also turned the pile of product into a towering testimonial, showing prospects the many prominent landscaping companies that do business with Central Wood.
Running an effective trade show program can generate head-pounding pain. But according to exhibit house Triad Creative Group, the right suppliers can eliminate those headaches altogether. Thus, at EXHIBITOR2007, an educational conference and exhibition for trade show and event marketers, Triad played up its headache-relieving capabilities. Its 3-by-5-foot booth graphics sported a medicine bottle, two pills, and the message: “We eliminate trade show headaches.” Triad also gave booth visitors white M&Ms resembling pills in amber pill bottles bearing labels with the directions: “Triadinol. For relief of trade show headaches, take two and call us in the morning.” Now that’s
a perfect prescription for memorable marketing.
What's The Big Idea?
Do you have a clever exhibit-related tip? Did your last exhibit have an über-cool traffic builder?
Contact Janet Van Vleet [email protected].
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