Building Brand Awareness Through Tradeshows

Branding is a basic marketing concept that is designed to set your products/services apart from the competition. By using a particular name, phrase, design, symbol or a combination of these, you can create a unique identity. When choosing a brand name, consider the following five criteria:
1. It should suggest product/service benefits.
2. It should be simple, memorable, and unique.
3. It should fit the image of the company.
4. It should have positive connotations for the target market.
5. It should be easy to pronounce and to pictorialize.
Branding is not a sales and marketing gimmick. Instead it refines and defines corporate culture and identity. A brand must have meaning to its consumers, its organization and its employees. Brand is an emotional link between you and your customer. It is what people buy when they buy your product or your company. The most important part of a brand’s identity is the promise it makes to customers. The essence of branding is simplicity and timelessness.
Integrating Brand Awareness Into Your Exhibit Program
Since exhibit ing is a powerful extension of your company’s advertising, promotion, public relations and sales function, that automatically means it is an excellent way to enhance brand awareness. Everything your company stands for, no matter how large or small, is being exhibit ed on the show floor. This means there needs to be total consistency, congruity, clarity and focus in every aspect of your exhibit ing program, before, during and after the show.
Here are three important points to consider as you plan to integrate brand awareness into your tradeshow program.
1. Consistency and repetition is vital in creating brand awareness. People buy brands they know and they trust! A brand is a promise that companies make to their customers. Strong branding requires all the levels of communication to agree with one another.
2. Ensure all your marketing and promotions are consistent and that they have your logo, colors, typeface, slogans and characters. Everything you develop should have the same look and feel.
3. Peoples’ perception about your company, products, and services is a major factor in their choice of brand preferences and their buying behavior. All perception is subjective and based on experience. Individuals tend to interpret information according to existing beliefs, attitudes, needs and mood.
The following is a 10-point checklist to act as a reminder for many of the questions you need to ask and answer as you plan brand integration into your exhibit program:
1. What needs to be done to ensure that your booth conveys total consistency, congruity, clarity and focus of your company image and brand?
Consider:
- booth size
- location
- graphics
- demonstrations
- staff
- handouts and giveaways
- lead management
2. How can your graphics work best for you?
- can be easily seen and read in three seconds
- use a simple and bold typeface
- have striking and grabbing visuals
- are instantly memorable
- use a unique size or shape
- reinforce your message
- make your message a single, strong, provocative idea
- use a "What’s in it for me?" message
- use bold colors