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Key #3: Create a character.
Create a �character� as part of your brand image. This character should show up EVERYWHERE � including television commercials, on the literature you distribute at the show, in your signage and graphics, and potentially as stuffed animals. The Serta Sheep toys have taken on a life of their own, and each and every one of them goes out with the company name blazoned on the side. That�s humorous marketing at work. Consumers buy these secondary products because of the laugh-factor, and bring a constant advertisement into their home. The influence on subsequent purchasing decisions may be minor, but it is in fact there.
Humor can be a great way to convey your marketing message. Geico has done this very well with the �I saved money on my car insurance by switching to Geico!� series of commercials. Exercise equipment salesmen, politicians, animated characters � all have been pressed into service to recite those ten words. Using different settings keeps the audience engaged, while constant repitition drives the message home.
Key #4: Repetition counts.
Remember, consumers need to hear a message at least six times before they�ll recall it easily. The trick is to keep the presentation fresh while the message remains constant.
Comedians world-wide will tell you that humor is a tough business. It�s hard to tell what will make one person laugh and another roll their eyes in disgust. However, if a joke falls flat for a comedian, they simply move on to the next joke and keep moving. If you�ve invested tons of time and money in your humor campaign, you need to know these three things:
1. It must be funny.
Test the campaign on objective people. Lots of objective people. If the majority laugh, you�re golden. However, if less than half the people get the joke, drop it.
2. It must be quick.
There are great funny jokes that take half an hour to tell. That�s nice. Inflict them on your relatives or when you�ve got a whole room full of trapped subordinates. Customers aren�t going to give you that much of their time. You�ve got half a minute tops to get them laughing.
3. It must reflect well on your company.
Ethnic, racial, sexual, and gender based humor has absolutely no place in the corporate world. Perceived slurs � even if they are made in the guise of a joke � will travel around the world as fast as the internet can move, and suddenly your company will have all kinds of attention they don�t want.
Laughing is a lot of hard work, isn�t it? But once you�ve found the right balance, you�ll have an advertising campaign that will draw the crowds into your exhibit � and more importantly, toward buying your products and services.
About Author:
Written by Susan A. Friedmann, CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake Placid, NY, internationally recognized expert working with companies to increase their profitability at tradeshows.
Author: �Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,� and �Riches in Niches: How to Make it BIG in a small Market� (May 2007). www.thetradeshowcoach.com
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