creative highlight: the Napkin Sketch

Since the most active home ideas often take shape in an exercise of creative idea-storming, we decided to capitalize on the action in a “napkin sketch” mailing piece, inviting select design professionals to join our design community [theDESIGNguide.com]. Each invite received an appropriately sketched napkin, lightly attached to participation details.

The core idea was to create a “design” related tie-in, while delivering a unique and intriguing invite experience.

Certainly a noteworthy and textural invite to receive!

creative highlight: Unexpected & Fruity

In developing and activating concepts and ideas for prospective marketers and target audiences, the enriched media and communication activities we develop aren’t always what these audiences expect. And that’s okay, because the unexpected is exactly our point. Often the typical or expected doesn’t have the energy or uniqueness to register anything above a casual glance or basic recognition.

Case point: an Orange
In a recent proposal to help a prospective client increase appointments and sales, we outlined an opportunity that reduced a multi-step series of traditional email blasts and telephone follow up calls to a shorter, more efficient effort. To demonstrate, we enlisted the texture, shape, and color of a single Florida orange to deliver our message. Our concept point was not the orange itself, but how its physical characteristics uniquely engaged multiple senses while delivering a totally unexpected “experience.” Here, the orange is the media that awakens and grabs attention, while providing a high recall point for a phone follow up. In our prospective client’s case, the chance of connecting and having a conversation, not to mention making a distinct impression on their sales prospect, is significantly greater then a follow up call to an email subject line. The enriched media experience provided by the orange creates company distinction and opportunity often not possible through everyday “media” thinking.

Now, not everyone gets this, and we’ve stretched some prospects far outside their traditional media and marketing mindset. [picture, a deer-in-the-headlights look] And that’s okay too. It allows those that do get it to really stand out on a higher level, and at the least, we’ve established a memorable impression for alternative media thinking.

creative highlight: “What’s for lunch?”

One of the more questionable marketing spends [in my opinion] is the traditional meeting sponsorship, where a sales rep typically waxes on about his/her product features, not realizing that the audience has drifted on to the thought of, “What’s for lunch?” Refusing to follow this trend at one of our in-house events, we decided to completely change the game by altering the level of expectations for both sponsors and attendees. To achieve this we needed to rethink message delivery and make it audience participative.

Our solution was to orchestrate a series of live, interactive skits performed by students from a local performing arts High School. For example, instead of the Lutron Electronics rep talking about their color wall plate options, a performance was developed where students interacted with audience “volunteers” to find the perfect, complementary color to the volunteer’s shirt. This choreographed activity and the integration of the audience into the message focused the attention of attendees and delivered this sponsor’s benefit solution. This “live performance” approach was customized for each of our premier event sponsors.

By completely changing the level of expectations and bringing the audience into the presentations, we eliminated the “What’s for lunch?” drift, while delivering an effective, engaging experience for both our sponsors and attendees.

creative highlight: Uh-Oh

One of our recent experiential media projects required delivering a worry-free / confidence message to homeowners about choosing an insured member of a local home builders association. To illustrate the message, we wanted homeowners to experience an unexpected and unplanned occurrence, and the simplicity of its resolution. To accomplish this we conceived and constructed a 1500 plastic cup wall structure that was designed to collapse at specific points, as homeowners and their children stacked additional cups. The resulting collapse and the ease of its rebuild demonstrated a distinct financial and emotional benefit for homeowners in choosing a member from this client.

Media Texture LIVE

Highlighting a textural experience through multiple interactions and sensory connections, BuilderMEDIA, Inc. announces “reThink | Imaginative Design for the Home”, a one and a half day event specifically developed from the audiences perspective. “Unlike most home and shelter related shows, we’ve worked reThink backwards, defining partners and experiences that fit within the reThink design theme,” says Brett Bonnville, President and Creative Director. “The textural experience and overall guest satisfaction will come from the entire package of selected interactive and engaging displays, set in the design lifting setting of The Banana Factory on Bethlehem’s cultural south side.” The small, but intimate setting of The Banana Factory’s Crayola Gallery will serve as the space for over a half dozen participative, visualizing, and rethink design concepts and applications for the home. Anyone who enjoys design, especially with respect to home spaces and living, will find reThink a creative and alternative thinking experience. Admission charged.

April 29-30, 2011
The Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA
Friday 5:30-9:30
Saturday 10-4

Links:
www.reThinkDesign.INFO
www.BananaFactory.org

5 Unmatched Experiential Touch Points

For businesses and marketers looking for alternatives to traditional media plays, or are in need of a new business tool to energize tired marketing plans, experiential marketing creates audience touch points that are unmatched in influencing potential. Keep in mind, experiential marketing is about engaging an audience in a staged experience that reflects and delivers the company, product, or brand’s intended message.

Here are five defining qualities that give experiential marketing it’s message delivering energy:

1. experiential creates a personal, internal connection that is felt by the audience

2. instills a deep impression, one that lasts well beyond the initial point of contact

3. allows the audience to experience and sample, the end-use benefits of the company, product, or service

4. is interactive, creating a hands on understanding of the message or benefits

5. passes control of the process and pace to audience members

When comparing the above qualities to traditional media choices, experiential marketing provides a fresh and credible option for connecting and communicating with today’s audiences. As a stand alone activation or part of a year-long campaign, a purposely staged experience provides an exciting alternative for influencing purchase considerations.

Personality Engagement | Case Study

When we approached Allentown Appliance about our coloring wall idea, we realized that the economy had tightened budgets and that traditional logo highlighted sponsorships had all but fallen off most companies budget priorities. We also recognized that Allentown Appliance was not like the other appliance showrooms, in that they provided a low key, low noise [think Best Buy], more personal and pleasing type of shopping environment. Feedback from other businesses also told us that there was a strong interest in exploring new ideas to the traditional tried and exhausted media channels. From these we developed the coloring wall concept to uniquely engage consumers with the Allentown Appliance personality.

Based off the universal appeal and stress alleviating qualities of coloring, the activity drew in consumers, who colored, signed, sketched, and creatively expressed themselves, all while being visually connected to the Allentown Appliance logo and brand. To further enhance a positive connection with the client, we designed in a donation element, where every signature generated $1.00 to a local charity.

Post event, we worked with the client to select a local charity, and just as importantly, find a donation activity where the money could make an impact, verses a lump sum deposit into a general fund. The client selected the local children’s rehabilitation hospital, and with some leg work, we isolated a one-year grand opening reunion event for the donation. In the end, $400 dollars helped the hospital with food and the rental of inflatable activities for the children and families attending the reunion, and Allentown Appliance made a deep impression towards future purchase considerations.

This coloring wall activation showcases the value of enriched media experiences, and how businesses can turn flat sponsorships and marketing efforts into multi textured media engagements.

Print as the Experience

In a general sense, when you ask most business people about print for their business communications, they think and respond in terms of print advertising, direct mailings, or the brochures and sales sheets that line their office shelves. Not unexpected, and each of those has its place as a communication tool. But great opportunity lies in rethinking the norm, and looking at print as a strong media for deeply engaging audiences.

Just as successful event and on-site experiences require key components to engaging audiences, [entertainment, escape, education, and esthetics], employing those same components within the print realm can also create memorable and message delivering experiences to targeted audiences.

To accomplish this, you need to rethink print in terms of creating texture within its design and construction. Size, shape, construction material [it does not have to be paper...], finishes, cut outs, folds, flips, enclosures, and interactive elements are all available to set the stage for creating an engaging, knockout delivery of your business or brands message.

Now, while most of these texture enabling elements fall outside the inexpensive, trifold price points, it’s not always the case. Creativity, combined with some nontraditional thinking and design, are the starting blocks to making this work. And unlike traditional print thinking, [ie. "let's print an additional ten thousand because the presses are running"] a smaller quantity targeted to a tighter audiences will do the job.

Keep in mind, the goal is to deliver your message through a great print experience. This can be done when you rethink print from the traditional flat printed page, to an effective, textural delivery vehicle.

Experience Trumps Social

I see a lot of businesses experimenting with social activities, open houses, and self designed tours as a means to gather potential customers and build relationships. On the surface level, these efforts hold some value, but often lack the key elements that will later have enough recall energy to turn prospects into customers.

What’s often missing is an end use and/or engaging experience to base a future purchase decision. Instead of an application activity or interactive outlet that puts the products or brands in the hands of guests, and allows them to “experience” the solutions the host offers, many put too much into planning food, beverage, colors, handouts, door prizes, etc., that simply entertain and fulfill the planned time frame. The down side of this is at purchase consideration time, you’re recalled as a great entertainer, while a more hands-on experience with a competing brand provides the edge that wins the sale.

Experience trumps social activities for business building every time. Make sure your efforts are textured with elements that deliver memorable, product connecting experiences that provide personal meaning and value to your guests.