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Why it’s important to create a memorable brand experience resulting in brand loyalty.

Why it’s important to create a memorable brand experience resulting in brand loyalty.

Designing an exhibition stand is not just about creating something that looks great, it’s about understanding the marketing challenges and branding goals of each individual exhibitor.

The concept of brand and brand marketing is still the same as it always has been: Get someone to like you, encourage them to buy your stuff and then persuade them to keep buying more of your stuff. The most prevalent factors in achieving brand loyalty have always revolved around the simple things such as price, location, customer service and quality. However, the platform in which individual brands look to achieve results has changed dramatically in recent years.

The explosion of online shopping – giving the consumer access to a worldwide marketplace, along with rapidly advancing technology …. allows the buyer to ‘experience’ a product in a virtual capacity. This means that the above factors of price etc. may no longer be enough to demand strong brand loyalty. Now it’s all about connectivity, familiarity and making life easy for the customer.

Companies are competing in a far more complex marketplace these days and need to be much smarter in their marketing strategies. It is no longer even just about brand identity, awareness and loyalty. Businesses need to build ‘brand affinity’ through ‘brand experience’.

Brand experience relies, not just on visual prompts but by encompassing all sensations and feelings; by generating behavioural responses evoked by brand-related stimuli. A brand needs to create an authentic and memorable ‘experience’. It needs to promote an emotional response in its audience – through strong design, concise brand identity and direct and focussed communications.

An effective brand experience will create valuable interactions between the brand and/or products and services and the user.
A meaningful experience will increase an individual’s brand affinity.
A successful brand experience will deliver on a brand’s promise by proving the benefits of a product or service to a particular individual.

To create a meaningful connection between brand and consumer, business owners and brand marketers need to think outside the box. It’s no longer just about advertising. TV, print, media and on-line strategies are certainly still relevant as part of the whole marketing plan but people want to also ‘experience’ a brand in-situ. They want personalised and immersive brand experiences.

Successful consumer engagement begins with innovation. A well-designed, sensory experience targeted to the right audience in the right environment will appeal to a whole new group of consumers. It will also build relationships, create devotees and ultimately drive sales. The quality of the experience itself will determine the amount of engagement or brand affinity it produces.

Events, experiential activations, in-store promotions, trade shows, virtual and augmented reality, creative pop-ups, installations and the like which offer up the opportunity for meaningful interactions between brand and consumer should be paramount in a business’s marketing agenda. The more creative, interactive and immersive the experience for the user, the more an individual will engage with and remember a brand.

Now, more than ever, marketers need to look for new, creative and sophisticated approaches. A brand needs to focus on engagement to differentiate and stand out from the rest. Importantly, it also needs to deliver on its promise. Audiences are far more discriminating these days and they are quick to let anyone and everyone know if they feel a brand doesn’t stand up, they will soon take their custom elsewhere ( ….and very likely that of their friends and family too through word of mouth).

Declining customer engagement is a huge battleground for brands in a modern world full of sensory distractions. In today’s diverse new world of consumer demands and expectations, fuelled by changing demographics and the cultural shift in the market, brands are stru­ggling to create meaningful differentiation and engagement amongst their audience. The brands who are able to identify customers’ expectations and address them via true and authentic emotional values, will be the successful companies of the future.

Call Exhibitionco today to see how we can help your brand stand out at your next event.

The importance of post trade show evaluation and how to calculate return on investment.

The importance of post trade show evaluation and how to calculate return on investment.

For many exhibitors, attending a trade show means a huge buzz of activity for a couple of weeks leading up to the event, followed by a crazy 2 or 3 days of intense networking, selling and brand pushing to as many people as possible in a very short space of time…. followed by a huge sigh of relief when it’s all over!

However for those exhibitors ( …and that really should be ALL exhibitors) with a ‘Grand Plan’ it’s really only the beginning of the process. Now is where the real work starts; in evaluating the event, tracking and nurturing leads and converting prospective buyers.

Methodologies for measuring the event’s success can go from evaluations such as simple observations, gathered and documented feedback (from both your own staff and your visitors) to calculated ROI and ROO. But one of the most important factors in being able to truly evaluate your trade show success is by having very defined goals and event objectives at the outset.

Depending on your brand or product, your trade show targets might be anything from generating new leads, launching a new product, testing a product’s feasibility in the market, making direct sales or just creating brand awareness and showing support for your industry.

Once you have determined your objectives, the next step is to set specific and quantifiable metrics by which to measure success. For example, it’s not enough to say you just want to generate new leads. You need to clearly define objectives; such as a set goal of; 100 new prospects to be followed up with a lead nurturing campaign where you aim to narrow down “hot” leads with an ultimate goal of a 5% final sales conversion rate.

Even before the event you should be focusing specifically on your goals and targets by sending invites stating your intentions such as; ‘We would like to introduce our new product’ or, if direct sales are your intention then offer a special price to buy on a specific day. If it’s just market visibility and brand awareness you want then offer incentives to stop by the stand.

As well as specific goals, you should set structured timelines. For example, plan to follow up initial leads within 1 week of the show, with a secondary follow up, whether by email or phone call within a month, with a target to finalise sales within 6 months. Make sure your staff track and record all responses both positive and negative and note any income eventuating from an initial show contact, even if several months after the event. This way you can define revenue against your costs and calculate your (ROI) return on investment.

Though not offering monetary incentives directly, your (ROO) return on objectives is just as important to evaluate. For instance if your main objective was to raise brand awareness in your industry or to gauge perception about your business from your industry peers then you can still set prescribed targets. This might involve asking potential customers to fill out surveys both at the show and after it. Then perhaps another 6 months on to see if perception has changed. Creating charts based on answers will help you track your results and create a quantifiable measurement.

Measuring and evaluating results against specific goals will enable you and your team to make key strategic and tactical decisions moving forward towards your next event. Your results should help decide which events are worth attending and many other considerations which all play a part in a successful exhibiting experience.

You should also aim to evaluate your exhibition stand itself. Find out if there are any improvements to be made. Ask your staff and visitors about their experience. Was the stand the right size? Was the location good?  Were you losing prospective visitors to another stand – if so, why? Was there a particular feature which was a talking point?  Seemingly minor things such as what time of day was the busiest and which way did foot traffic enter and leave the stand can all provide invaluable data when planning for your next event.

Retail Pop ups – the ideal way to interact with your customers without huge overheads.

Retail Pop ups – the ideal way to interact with your customers without huge overheads.

A ‘pop-up’, in this context, is a temporary retail space which offer businesses a ‘here-today-gone-tomorrow’, sales or marketing environment to showcase a brand or product in a trial size platform.

As it’s such a short term venture, a pop-up offers up a relatively low-cost opportunity for a business to take some creative risks, have a bit of fun, generate some buzz and introduce their brand to new audiences.

It’s a low-commitment advertising platform which allows emerging brands to experiment a bit with their retail options and, at the same time, create an immersive experience for potential customers without signing up for a ton of overheads which would be involved with a permanent retail location.

It’s not just for emerging brands either, existing and well established brands can build loyalty through meaningful brand contact and experiences.

During this strange time of COVID, with many businesses unable to keep up with rent on permanent stores and customers turning to online buying, it is still evident that most people like to see a product ‘in the flesh’. Brands need to move with the times and try and take advantage of this shift in shopping behaviour.

Even before COVID we were seeing a retail transformation where consumers were moving from in-store to on-line and leading brands were already evolving to meet market demands by embracing the brave new world of high-tech, high-concept experiential pop-up shops.

A preference for experience and interaction with a brand is not just a passing fad, but a by-product of the times in which we live.

Just like social media campaigns, experiential marketing efforts in the physical world represent quantifiable results for businesses by creating memorable, shared experiences. This authentic and unique relationship builds a devoted clientele which, in turn drives sales and retains brand loyalty.

Big brands are using pop-up platforms to, not only sell their products direct but also to heighten consumer experiences. Engaging the consumer through stimulating aesthetics and interactive displays builds brand awareness and brand loyalty. These micro platforms are being employed to target prospective customers in a more authentic and experiential way.

Similar to exhibition stands, the pop up environment can be completely controlled and themed by the individual brand. For example, the ‘Kube’, specifically designed by us here at Exhibitionco for outdoor events and activations, is a highly adaptable and durable mobile unit which allows for an almost unlimited level of customisation suiting various individual requirements, whilst bundling up into a compact package for easy installation and transportation.

There are so many options available from tailor made mobile units such as the Kube to shipping containers or individual custom designed displays. You are really only limited by imagination and creativity, or at least the imagination of your pop-up designer.

Contact us here at Exhibitionco for ideas for your next event and let us create a great experience together.

Open for Business – If you can use any of our services please call us on 02 9972 1900

Open for Business – If you can use any of our services please call us on 02 9972 1900

With all that is happening around us at the moment we just wanted to reassure you that ExhibitionCo is open for business.

It’s not exactly ‘business as usual’ as we are adapting each and every day to new developments and advice, with our main priority of keeping our team and customers safe and happy.

The event and exhibition industry has been hit hard with the limitations put on large gatherings of people but we are convinced it will bounce back stronger with businesses and brands needing to be on the front foot when it does.

So we, as a company, are looking to the future and ready to work together or discuss any of your ongoing or upcoming projects to keep your brand in the spotlight through these next few weeks and months.

You may not know this about us but we are
not just about exhibition stands!

Over our 30+ years of being in business we have worked on many diverse projects covering all manner of construction and manufacturing projects including brand activations, point of sale, retail, office fit-outs and project management.

Our huge in-house manufacturing facilities on Sydney’s Northern Beaches include: printing, signage, project management and labour teams.

If you could use any of our services at this time we are
‘Open for Business’ and we’re here to help.

Call us on 02 9972 1900 

Below are just some of the services we offer:
Office fit-outs or upgrades:

Point-of-sale and retail displays:

Signage – 3D Letters, Large Format Printing, Banners, Promotional:

Joinery and cabinet makers

You may not know this about us but we are
not just about exhibition stands!

Over our 30+ years of being in business we have worked on many diverse projects covering all manner of construction and manufacturing projects including brand activations, point of sale, retail, office fit-outs and project management.

We have huge in-house manufacturing facilities on Sydney’s Northern Beaches which include: a paint shop, large format printing and signage, plastics, metalworking and woodwork. We have a fully qualified and trained team consisting of carpenters, cabinet makers, painters, product and graphic designers as well as our project management, account management and labour teams.

If you could use any of our services at this time we are
‘Open for Business’ and we’re here to help.

Call us on 02 9972 1900 


See some of our more diverse projects we’ve been involved in below:

Office fitouts and upgrades…

Display cabinets and point of sale…

Large format printing and signage…

Why you’re going to see temporary Pop-ups popping up everywhere this summer

Why you’re going to see temporary Pop-ups popping up everywhere this summer

A ‘pop-up’, in this context, is a temporary retail space which offers companies a ‘here-today-gone-tomorrow’ sales or marketing environment to showcase a brand or product in a ‘trial size’ platform. Being such a short term venture, a pop-up offers up relatively low-cost opportunities for a company to take some creative risks, have a bit of fun, generate some buzz and introduce their brand to new audiences.

It’s a kind of low-commitment advertising platform which allows emerging brands to experiment a bit with their retail options and, at the same time, create an immersive experience for potential customers without signing up for a ton of overheads involved with a permanent retail location.

To take advantage of the ever evolving shift in shopping behaviours of the general public, brands are increasingly embracing the brave new world of high-tech, high-concept experiential pop-up shops. The retail transformation we’re seeing where consumers are moving from in-store to on-line and prefer experience and interaction with a brand is not just a passing fad, but a by-product of  brands evolving to meet market demands. Continue Reading