What can you do to make a splash in a small booth?

Follow the lead of Blue Hornet. At IRCE 2013, Blue Hornet didn’t even have a booth. Just a 42” monitor in a stand up kiosk inside the Digital River exhibit. That didn’t stop the email experts from successfully introducing a new product and establishing the company as technology innovators.

Click here to learn more about Blue Hornet at IRCE and see how they communicated their brand value story to every prospect.

GetSynchronicity. Connecting brands with the people that matter to them most.

Last week I heard a discussion leader proclaim that Experience Marketing at trade shows is dead.

Really? If his definition of Experience Marketing includes spending large sums of money on frivolous activities then, sure, I’ll agree. Those days are long gone. But I’ve always understood Experience Marketing to be focused on providing a personally relevant experience for every individual that connects with the brand. That’s a goal that isn’t budget-reliant and it sure shouldn’t be overlooked by any exhibitor at any event.

Think about how many different touch points engage visitors in an exhibit. How quickly are they greeted? How authentic and genuine is the staff? Are subject matter experts knowledgeable and helpful? Do they know how to run demos and access information? Are self-directed kiosks and touch screens easy to navigate? Can anyone in the booth get the new wireless iPad lead capture solution to work?

The list goes on.

In today’s hyper-connected world where any prospect can become a viral critic, event marketers need more than ever to assert quality control over all customer touch points. That’s shaping the customer experience and that work is never dead.

At the beginning of the year, I posted three trends that I expect to shape events over the coming year. The first was the requirement for exhibitors and event sponsors to provide personally relevant information for their guests and visitors.

Last week I read an article in 1to1Media that cited some interesting out-takes from Oracle’s report, “Global Insights on Succeeding in the Customer Experience Era.” It makes some similar conclusions to my emphasis on the need to provide personally relevant experiences. Enjoy!

RIM made headlines this week with the introduction of two new smart phones. Unfortunately, the launch seems to have generated more questions about the brand than it answered. Are the new phones great? Are they merely good? Is good “good-enough” to save the brand?

It’s a question that all marketers need to ask on a regular basis.

Can we move a prospect from indifferent to adoption with a marketing program that is merely good? If we hope to move an entire market from loyalty to advocacy does a brand strategy need to be great? At what point does the tried and true (i.e., good marketing) just become plain old tired (i.e., not good enough)?

Conventional wisdom says that perfect is the enemy of good. In today’s ultra-connected, trend-sensitive global market maybe “good enough” is the enemy of great.

Thoughts?

It’s that time of year when annual meetings, conferences and sales kick-offs shift into high gear. Already we’ve seen several high profile presentations and already we’ve seen some eyebrow
raising performances.

It’s not uncommon for executive presentations to miss the mark. Why? More often than not, it’s because the speaker can’t articulate a vision. Gimmicks don’t make up for vision – they just make us aware that the speaker doesn’t have enough content to fill the time. Laundry lists of products or successes don’t resonate, either – they’re usually too “me” focused.

Great presenters focus on the audience. They give thought to the values, ideas and activities their audience is most passionate about. Then they lay out a plan and a call to action to for them to achieve that plan.

If your executive is giving a presentation, remember: it’s “the vision thing” that matters most.

Does this ever happen to you?

The client delays. Deadlines loom. Tension escalates. Finally, the project is green-lighted. Everyone shifts into hyper speed.  Me? I get so wrapped up in execution that I annoy the team by making decisions that should be left to someone else. Let’s change that background to orange. While you’re at it, try a bolder font.

Not this year. This year I’m getting out of the way. Instead of meddling with details, I’m going to ask questions. Tough questions that none of us can answer. Questions that make us all think. Wicked questions that, when we find the answer, will produce inspiring results for our clients and their brands.

Isn’t that really why clients hire agencies?

To think strategically on their behalf.

It’s the season for making lists. Here are my top three trends that will shape event marketing in 2013:
1. Instant Information. Digital has re-shaped expectations. Consumers now seek the same immediacy in the live event arena that they currently enjoy from on-line experiences. Delivering on-demand data that’s personally relevant to each individual is now the gold standard for live events.
2. Aggressive Indecision. Everyone waits till the last possible minute to make a decision. Time compression narrows to the nth degree. All of which makes the ability to deliver personally relevant, on-demand information (see trend #1, above) doubly difficult. Sure, it’s a Catch-22 but isn’t that why marketers are paid the big bucks?
3. Brand Advocacy. As social platforms continue to gain prominence, consumers increasingly trust other consumers for purchasing recommendations and decision-making. Events will continue to gain prominence as the primary vehicles to build brand awareness, preference and loyalty.