overview

Profile Systems was to be a vendor at the National Franchisee Association trade show. They would be competing with large, national corporations for attention from those in attendance at the trade show. The product itself, a gray metal box, could not be used to gain attention because it is visually unattractive and uninteresting. The goal was to draw traffic and turn a small trade show display into something that would be noticed among the flash of larger displays.

research

It had previously been identifies that a major source of wasted energy in fast-food restaurants was employees turning lights on at the wrong time or forgetting to turn them off. Therefore, the campaign theme “Who’s Monkeying With Your Lights” was created.

solution

VIA Marketing used a large, highly visible photograph of a chimpanzee as the focal point for the trade show display. The rational behind this choice was a monkey would seem out of place amid food service industry vendors and therefore generate interest. Also, a clean, single image would stand out among the other vendor’s displays.

results

The client reported over the course of the three-day trade show, numerous new and valid leads were generated. There was a great deal of interest in their booth and the client was able to set the product apart from the other lighting control devices, making Profile Systems memorable.

summary

Because the benefit of Profile Systems’ product is not obvious at first sight and because of the product’s technical nature, VIA Marketing created a trade show booth that did not have a hard sales message. While a chimpanzee has nothing to do with energy savings, it was successful in generating interest and bringing prospects in front of the client. Leads were then qualified and selling could be done face to face.

Other, smaller trade show displays with a monkey theme were also created. These were used at other shows and events provided brand continuity for Profile Systems.