How do you tell the story of one of the
world's largest mobile telecommunications companies? That's the question
Vodafone Group, United Kingdom posed to the creative agency North Kingdom.
The result…award winning!
David Eriksson the Creative Director of North Kingdom recalls, “Working
very closely with Vodafone, we were tasked with conceptualizing,
developing and producing the entire presentation-- from sound,
through video and 3D animation. The story of Vodafone is as rich
as it is diverse. Our challenge was to tell this story in a compelling
and visionary way, without losing sight of the key points and
milestones along the way. The presentation needed to appeal to
many different audiences, with many different needs. “
To create an experience that truly conveys the Vodafone
Journey, North Kingdom produced a rich interactive presentation. Leading
the audience through a six-part story, which on the surface,
appears to be a short film; however, at each juncture in the
sequence, the viewer can choose to explore the section in greater
detail. Doing this gives the presentation depth, and aids the
understanding of each area with further content.
The
site was nominated at www.thefwa.com as
one of four websites that were the most influential websites
of 2006.
I thought this was a beautiful site that truly caught my attention,
and held me captivated. The attention to detail is amazing, the
use of video is perfect, and the sultry British accent of the
guide is defiantly easy to listen to.
From a cultural standpoint, the testimonials were a bit melodramatic.
But a California girl was not their intended audience. This was
positioned to attract and inform European "boomers." Once
I realized that, I understood what a fine job they did of introducing
that target to Vodafone and its wealth of offerings. Bravo!
Clean Up Your Trade Show Leads
Report Card Time
In an effort to track the quality of leads, make a habit
of getting complete information from every visitor to your
exhibit. This includes ensuring that handwriting is legible
and contact information is complete.
To help determine the urgency and follow-up priority of each
lead, use a code:
A = Hot lead. Is ready to purchase in the next
six months. Needs a sales call immediately.
B = Warm lead. Purchase planned within six
to 24 months.
C = Cool lead. Purchasing time frame of more
than 24 months.
D = Long-term lead. These are inquiries requesting
literature, etc.
Memory Book
A card reader may be appropriate for some shows, but the information
it records can be a little impersonal. Instead keep a "lead
book." The first page of the book should list the name/dates/location
of the show. Salespeople can tape or staple the prospect’s
business card to a page, then make notes, diagrams, whatever. The
concept may seem old-fashioned, but it does allow salespeople to
take more extensive notes - which are extremely helpful for follow-up.
And if someone forgets to initial a lead, salespeople can recognize
their own handwriting later. Also, after each show, you have an
impressive "memory" book for upper management to see
(instead of a bunch of scraps of paper).
Schmoozing 101
Want to impress your business contacts or customers? Then remember
something personal about them. By the time you collect a business
card or create a new entry in your ACT!, you’ve probably
gained at least one tidbit of personal information. It could be
something as simple as the name and age of a child or as detailed
as the fact that the family dog is scared of tape measures. No
matter what it is, jot it down. The next time you contact this
person, simply flip to their name for a quick reminder, and find
a way to slip this personal tidbit into the conversation. You’ll
impress your contacts with your seemingly long-term memory and
the fact that you cared enough to remember something near and dear
to their hearts.
Show Time...
The best way to attract more customers to attend your trade
show is to bring a "show biz" mentality to all your marketing
and at-show strategies.
Think like Disney.
There was never a greater promoter than Walt Disney. Everything he touched
was exciting, colorful, and bursting with energy. The Disney legacy continues
as the Disney Corporation dazzles and entertains millions with its products,
parks, and superb customer service.
What does Disney do that every trade show organizer should emulate?
Disney injects a show business mentality into everything it does by creating
an image that makes people smile and lets them know they're in for a
first-class experience.
So when planning your pre-show marketing strategies, remember to think
like Disney. Everything you do to promote and implement your show must
be first-class, creative, and professional. Train your employees to provide
enthusiastic and helpful customer service.
Make your trade shows interactive.
When people manipulate objects they often form an attachment to them.
They get an idea of how the products work and are more excited about
the possibility of buying them. So, set up audio-visual displays that
attendees can easily operate -- they will feel like they are part of
the show experience as they connect with your products.
Put the Internet to work for you.
You can interact with potential attendees through the Internet, both
in your pre-show marketing and during the show. Send out pre-show invitations.
Check to see if you can get a free link on the show website. Post a “count
down” on your website.
Make your shows unforgettable experiences.
How do you generate such an experience? Again, think Disney. Capture
the imaginations of attendees by providing a wealth of sights, sounds,
aromas, and entertainment, along with a high degree of interactivity.
Make your trade shows fun.
Live entertainment, educational seminars, clowns, puppeteers, and magicians
are just a few of the tools you can use to make your show fun and informative.
Don’t rely on your products alone to sell the show biz experience.
Booths filled with inanimate objects are boring and won't capture the
attention of your audience. However, if you inject a little excitement
into the show, you'll have attendees in the palm of your hand.
Provide lots of comfortable space.
Design your booth so you don’t sacrifice comfort for hardware.
Booths that are crowded with display items make it difficult for consumers
to focus their attention on each item. Set up your booth so that attendees
can see everything clearly in an uncluttered space. Booths should provide
good lighting, easy-to-read signage, and attention-grabbing graphics.
Inject show biz excitement into your advertising and public
relations.
Your advertising should reflect the excitement, creativity, and flavor
of your event. Observe how the producers of movies and Broadway musicals
advertise their shows and incorporate as many of those elements as are
feasible in your own advertising.
Your exhibition space is your stage. In order to generate interest,
you must put on a performance that will keep attendees riveted and eager
to come back for the sequel!
Do you think it’s impossible
to create that show biz feel?
Well, Magnussen Home Furnishings Inc
does it year after year.
Magnussen’s show biz theme was born of necessity, beginning
with in October 2001, just days after September 11. Customers
were too frightened to travel, and show attendance plummeted.
Magnussen shipped in two tiger cubs from South Carolina and allowed
attendees to pose for pictures with them. The simple aren’t-they-adorable
promotion and stuffed tiger give-a-way helped Magnussen maintain
the previous year’s booth traffic, while show attendance
plummeted at least 30 percent.
The theme for April 2002 was “Oasis,” which made
a huge splash with a spa theme. Massage therapists kneaded attendees’ aching
muscles while electric massage chairs and foot massagers caressed
other sore parts. Smoothies and health foods like trail mix and
fresh fruit rounded out Magnussen’s now-standard non-furniture
theme. Attendance increased approximately 10 percent.
In October 2003, the company conjured up the “Magic of
Magnussen.” Two alternating magicians in the lobby area
leading into the booth worked their magic. Meanwhile, Magnussen
staff handed out decks of playing cards in which every card had
a different photo of one of its products, and a stuffed bunny
popping out of a black hat. There was no hocus-pocus about the
results: another approximate 10-percent increase in attendance.
Magnussen used “Star Power Unleashed” (referring
to the power of its licensees as its stars), as the concept in
the October 2004 show: A troupe of four Chinese acrobats balanced
and juggled tables, dressers, and beds. Besides the table-tossing
talent, it hired a caricaturist who used digital software to
draw customers’ exaggerated likenesses on an overhead screen
that could be seen across the show floor, and then printed them
out and gave them away. The results were anything but cartoonish:
the now-standard approximate 10-percent jump in attendees.
To Magnussen, Art Deco (their 2005 new furniture collection)
meant a big band, which of course also meant ballroom dancers.
The idea spread to penguins, which naturally look as if they’re
wearing tuxedos on their pear-shaped bodies. The penguin theme
was flexible enough for Magnussen to use in a variety of ways
in its 35,000-square-foot booth.
First, pre-show invitations depicting a couple in formal dress
led by a pack of penguins were e-mailed to 17,708 customers.
Exactly 4,267 opened them, a 24-percent return well above the
industry average of 16.7 percent. Then, Magnussen hired three
teen-agers to waddle in the exhibit hall, in front of the convention
center, and up nearby streets in penguin outfits with the Magnussen
logo sewn on the back.
The male staff members worked the floor in tuxedos, and female
staffers donned white blouses with the company logo. A milk-chocolate
fountain with pretzels, marshmallows, fruit, and cookies for
dipping was also added to the booth. In the lobby, a local eight-piece
band serenaded customers with tunes of the era (the jaunty notes
could be heard well across the show floor, of course) for 15
minutes at the top of every hour, while two pairs of professional
ballroom dancers in black-and-white tuxes and evening gowns glided
through the exhibit’s lobby and hallways.
But the penguins were the real drawing power. The company arranged
for two trainers from Birds and Animals Unlimited, an Irvine,
CA,-based firm that provides animals to the TV and movie industry,
to fly in four African penguins. Magnussen’s own craftsmen
built an eye-level 10-by-10-foot temporary habitat.
Magnussen passed out cookies cut in the shape of penguins, a
giveaway commemorative poster featuring the penguins, and a penguin-heavy
seven minute multimedia flash presentation on DVD, which its
sales team used to pitch clients. Interspersed with music from
the 30s, black-and-white period footage, photos of Art Deco buildings,
and footage of the penguins, were photos of Magnussen’s
new products.
Magnussen made a donation to the Southern African Foundation for
the Conservation of Coastal Birds (SANCCOB) and set out a collection
box reaping about $500 for the organization. Magnussen displayed
the penguins for several thousand visitors for four days. On the
fifth, it transported the birds to the Natural Science Center in
Greensboro, NC, where the Center displayed them for visiting classes
of school children. The charitable acts resulted in free advertising
in the form of local TV and newspaper coverage for Magnussen.
Timeline of a Tradition
Starting in 2001, the company initiated a tradition of non-furniture
motifs, along with the occasional tradition of stuffed-animal giveaways.
The results are as steady as a Shaker table: a regular approximate
10-percent increase in attendance over the previous shows.
We recently sold a literature rack to one of our clients, who took it
to a trade show in the Washington DC area. With the booth all set up
the client decided to come back the following day to merchandise the
booth. With the lit rack in tow the clients set out to do a little site
seeing. There was a road block set up and our client was asked to open
his trunk so the officers could do a check.
The officers asked what was in the card board box, to which our client
responded “A literature rack for my tradeshow.” The officers
doing their job asked him to open the box. Seeing the small silver suitcase,
the officers stepped back and reached for their guns. Needless to say
our client did some quick talking, and we discovered the hard literature
rack case can be mistaken for a bomb! Trade show life is never boring…
