DESIGN|MARKETING|TECHNOLOGY by Sarmistha Tarafder

Exhibit Design: In Pursuit of Perception

2/11/2012

Perception Matters! In a visual marketing bazaar such as trade fairs and conventions, every visit to your booth space leads to a build up of pre-conceived notion that is carried on every subsequent encounter that your clients might have with your products and or your services. Be very purposeful as to how you want your brand to be perceived. You walk into a space of clutter, confusion and mundane the products and services will be perceived as such. On the other hand you walk into a space of elegance, simplicity and controlled light; you are in a perceptual space of high technology and smart efficiency. You see, simplicity and complexity are mutually dependent. Because, technology only continues to grow more complex; there is a massive economic and emotional advantage to present it in a simple and humanized space.

Be Aware! Your brand elements like logos, tag lines, trademarks, packaging and your display might be yours; but the reality is, it is owned by your customers and your prospects; it is their perception of your company that impacts your bottom line and ultimately your survival. We live in a 24 hour connected world. Be aware of the savvy planetary word-of-mouth. Be aware, even before you get to pitch about your brand uniqueness, you might be encountering prospects that have formed perceptions about your brand. If it is positive, your brand achieves victory, if it is negative, you shift in the mind-set of damage control. Triumphant lesson from Avis: When Avis (the # 2 car rental behind Hertz) anchored in "We try harder", all of a sudden the brand gained momentum to aspire for something bigger: the perception that played out was being #2 is positive and goal oriented.

Propagating the Positive Perception. Start with how you want your customers and prospects to think, feel, remember, and experience your exhibiting space. The over arching goal should be Positive Memory Retention. Be courageous to be different and make memorable limbic connections with your visitors.
Focus on white space. It is your strategic weapon. Let it be. — Do no cover every surface with your story. Remember, we live in an overwhelming information grinding digital age. Your exhibiting environment should be all about subtracting the obvious and adding the meaningful. Architectural elements and textures should work towards empowering your brand style and image. Do not use elements to define your style. Your brand becomes commoditized. Great example is bamboo being synonymous with Green. If you want to convey Green ideals, it is a good idea to stay away from the invasive bamboo and perhaps try the controversial hemp. It is guaranteed to trigger the memorability factor amongst your audience.

Hundreds of images came across my desk from CES 2012. However, the synaptic nerves made new connections when Huawei appeared. It happened to be the memorable trigger factor for this article. Thank you Huawei. You look magnificent!