It’s a beautiful Saturday here in Atlanta, and I’m a bit embarrassed to admit I spent a portion of it in the mall instead of outside enjoying it . . . I digress.
As I walked down the main aisle of Lenox Square Mall here in Atlanta, I noticed a person about 15 feet above me in a harness with a parachute. Ahead of me, I saw a speedboat with a driver, and realized it was actually a set of pretty realistic looking mannequins parasailing down the main stretch of the mall, promoting South Carolina as a vacation destination.
Well, kudos, marketing team. You definitely got my attention, and impressed me with your creative strategy.
The South Carolina CVB didn’t stop here though. I later went up an escalator and the first thing I saw was a huge cut-out of little kid in goggles, mid-cannon ball and grinning like a maniac. The placement couldn’t be better. You could not miss it! And I already knew it was for South Carolina at this point because of the theme.
Then, you really got my attention.
Again, on the main aisle, there was a huge screen set up, where shoppers could “bounce” a virtual beach ball against it, complete with a young and attractive person to greet you, show you how to play (and possibly slyly slide in an elevator pitch).
There was also the traditional gimmicky but attractive blonde manning a spin wheel and giving out prizes.
The interactive beach ball wall and spin wheel both seems to attract plenty of interest. I had to navigate my way around the crowd.
I didn’t walk the whole mall, so I may have missed some other creative marketing techniques from this group. It also should be mentioned that the target audience was definitely present. Lenox Mall is located in an upscale part of town, and frequented by plenty of people and families with enough disposable income to go on a vacation, even in difficult economic times.
The fact is – cheesy or not, high tech or not, their marketing folks did a great job in my opinion. The placement and theme got shoppers’ attention and garnered engagement and participation, all while being very memorable.
Had there not been so many people in the way, and if I wasn’t in such a rush, I would have definitely stopped to get a brochure, out of curiosity and especially since my husband I have recently started brainstorming about potential affordable vacation destinations.
We all clearly know the current economic environment has really taken a toll on the travel industry. The South Carolina CVB clearly understands that consumers are thinking twice these days – and this probably wont change for many even after the economy recovers. They have successfully used interactive, engaging technology and well-thought out strategy with this campaign.
As a tradeshow professional – I find stumbling upon this type of creative marketing to be fantastic inspiration for brainstorming.
Maybe South Carolina’s strategy and creativity can help show organizers and exhibitors to think outside of the box and brainstorm new and/or improved strategies to generate traffic in the exhibit hall. I’m sure there are some neat things that could be placed throughout a convention center with the goal of driving traffic to the exhibit hall.
Professionally, my experience lies with medical meetings; this means that specific guidelines, compliance issues and nuances must be carefully considered when brainstorming. Due to the attendee demographic, scientific content and increased regulation, our options are limited – e.g., nothing too carnival-y or silly.
So, tradeshow and events folks:
What creative promotional strategies have you seen in ordinary places that could translate to, or fuel inspiration to successfully generate interest and interactions at your tradeshow/conventions?
Well you do have a good start. Seeking help. I have a few questions for you though:
1) What does your company provide? Services? Products?
2) Will you have a booth? Will it be a small 8×8 or will it be a larger booth?
3) Do you all have a budget or at least some money to work with?
1) We are a medical association with an annual meeting and an exhibit hall. I am brainstorming on creative ways to generate interest in the exhibit hall. Maybe similar to the signage and activities that were successful for the SC CVB.
2) We had a 20 x 20 association booth in the center of our exhibit hall last year and plan to do so again this year. It was themed as a “concierge center” for both attendees and exhibitors and promoted the city where the next annual meeting will be.
3) Budgets are there, but very tight. I’m not in charge of that kind of stuff. But if I pitched an idea, I’d really need to be able to back it up and demonstrate its potential worth.
Christina, I love this idea for consumer, or in this case, tourism marketing. I think the key is to get one’s attention and then make it engaging or even fun.
For the meetings industry, I saw a great example of this at the GaMPI show a few weeks back. Starwood hotels pulled their resources and did a Candyland theme. They didn’t spend a ton of money on it. They had colored tile squares on the floor resembling a game board leading to each hotel who had their own brand of candy and lots of it.
As I scanned the tradeshow floor, the Starwood booth always had a lot more activity than their competitors. Bottom line, people appreciate creative and fun things.
Glad to hear from you, Dave! What you said about the GaMPI/Starwood/Candyland theme is exactly on point with the kind of thinking I’m trying to do with regards to tradeshow promotions.
On the “show organizer” side of things, it would be really great (for exhibitors and attendees) if we could find a way to promote some sort of activity within the exhibit hall (a reception or something) with creative/eye-catching elements throughout the convention center.
Your comment is motivating for the brainstorming process!