Just got some great images through of the Peugeot 4007 in action at Top Gear Live, graphics by Applied Signs & Display! Let me know what you think…

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Our work has once again appeared in TV3′s The Apprentice, and God were we proud! Our Swift Banner Stand produced for Temple Street Children’s Hospital was placed beside finalist Nicky as she made her introductory speech. It didn’t help her to win the series but Nicky’s team raised €18000+ for the hospital during the charity auction, and we like to think that the curl-resistant, ultra-matte finish Swift Banner didn’t hurt!

We can also be seen on your screens at the moment, on the ad for Jason Byrne’s new DVD, The Byrne Identity. We produced the colourful backdrop stand – its amzing how versatile and imposing a simple flat pop up stand can be.

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12 months after our first e-newletter was published, you can access an archive of our newsletters below…

December ’07
January ’08
April ’08
June ’08
October ’08
December ’08

And you can join our mailing list here…

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… without sacrificing your success at the event.

1) Take a smaller space at the exhibition and maximise your impact with extra lighting, which has been shown to increase awareness of your display by 30 to 50 percent. Lighting can be hired from just €50 per event.

2) Another way to maximise your presence even in a small display space is to use some movement. Exhibitor Online claims that people are naturally drawn to moving objects such as product demonstrations, gobos and spinning signs.

3) Save shipping costs by choosing the lightest possible stand material – Aluminium weighs just 25% what timber or laminate weighs.

4) For a multi-panel stand, include one complimentary-colour panel at the design stage which can be replaced in future without worrying about colour-matching with the rest of the panels. You may not plan to change a panel now but a many exhibitors will have new product or event to promote over the years, and will save by replacing just one panel rather than reprinting the entire set.

5) If you want to impress your competitors and potential clients with a new stand at each event, hiring will greatly reduce your costs. You can have an L-shaped stand at one event, an S-shaped stand at the next, a plasma display at another, and if you and your designers are clever you might not need to purchase new graphics each time. This will also rule out any storage problems or costs.

6) Remember that theft can be a problem at trade shows and protect your valuables accordingly. Investing in some lockable equipment and security cables for larger items with save money in the long run. Keeping expensive products and samples on display inside your space will keep them secure and entice clients to enter your booth.

7) Look after your display equipment. Avoid dropping any hardware as this can loosen screws and springs, and cause chips or cracks which age the stand. Graphic elements are the most vulnerable part of your display so follow guidelines for maintaining graphic panels to keep them looking fresh and professional. You will get years and years of use from your display with proper care.

If you use a set up service, plan ahead to allow the fitters plenty of time to set up, at a time that suits them. If access is only available after hours, or you organise this service at the last minute, you may have to pay overtime fees increasing your overall cost. The same applies to graphic design & production charges.

9) Buy a display system or stand with a decent warranty, and one that can be mended in your home country to save time and shipping costs.

10) Buy a stand that is made of connecting parts or components - you can learn to set these up yourself, saving on set up fees, and each can be replaced separately if needs be, saving you a fortune compared to replacing an entire single-piece display.

11) If you are looking for a bigger or newer display, use your existing elements as a base. With a skillful exhibit company, you can reuse, revamp, upgrade or disguise your existing equipment in a whole new display, at a fraction of the cost of starting from scratch. (Especially true if you have invested in quality items to begin with).

12) Re-use what you have in terms of graphics also. When getting new design work done, check your existing files and artwork for high resolution images, logos and backgrounds that can be reused, tweaked and incorporated into your new design. In the hands of an experienced designer, these can be transformed into something totally new, and providing these elements will save you on stock photography and redrawing fees. If you are unsure about what can be used, send everything you have to your designer to sort through.

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Two of the areas integral to exhibiting are often over looked – the ‘before’ and the ‘after’. Companies are often quite gung-ho about exhibiting, and when they are at the show, they often do a very good job and fulfill their targets regarding prospects, leads, sales etc. However, there may be a lack of planning – sometimes the decision to exhibit is taken at a late stage, so time for planning was sacrificed. Sometimes there isn’t sufficient time to order the display stand you want, so you sacrifice the look or your space. Sometimes we are just so eager to get going and meet the right people that we don’t set out clear, quantifiable goals and targets. And oftentimes we are so shattered and relieved when the show is over, or busy fielding sales enquiries and gearing up for the next one, the last thing we are about to do is analyse in depth our experience at that tradeshow.

The Center for Exhibition Industry Research realises this, and they have a provided a free, onlinhe resource to help exhibtors with both planning and analysis before and after shows. Their website provides what they call the ‘ROI Toolkit’. The name is important – this tool is going to help you ascertain the Return On Investment you get from exhibiting, and this the crux of your experience at the show. Was it worth the time and money invested? What worked and what didn’t? What will we do differently next time? How will we go about implementing these changes? Essential questions to ask. Check out the ROI Toolkit to explore this tool.

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I read an interesting post today on Todd Ebert’s B2Bad Marketing blog about how important it is to have integrated marketing and sales functions in any company. This is not a new idea, and I was surprised to see that, according to recent research, less than 20% of companies say that their Sales and Marketing teams are extremely collaborative. Is this due to fear of competition or pressure on the behalf of the two departments, or is it due to the sheer difficulty of co-ordinating these two functions?

To make the process easier, I like seedsofgrowth.com’s 35 Ways to Improve Collaboration in Sales and Marketing – especially no.s 1, 5 and 35.

I also love Todd Eberts analogy of a Marketing Department as a Motor-racing Pit Crew…

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Stock Clearance Display Items No need to forsake purchasing because of the ecomonic doom and gloom – just buy smarter! Due to our recent stock take, we have a variety of display items available on a limited basis only this month. Items include Banner Stands, Portable and Outdoor Flagpoles, Scrolling Signs, Pop Up Frames, Poster Frames, Pavement Signs, Banners and Brandable Portable Fridge Units! Perfect for Seasonal Promotions & End-Of-Year Budgets… Some are reconditioned, some are end-of-line, some are brand new, all are great value. This is a once-off, never-to-be-repeated offer. A small sample of the products included: Bestselling Nomadic Swift Roller Banner Stand Normal Price: €399 + VAT Offer Price:€309 + VAT Nomadic Pop Up Display Normal Price: €2775 + VAT Offer Price: €2075 + VAT Floors-standing Scrolling Banner Stand Normal Price: €565 + VAT Offer Price:€365 + VAT Ceiling-Mounted Scrolling Banner Normal Price:€€275 + VAT Offer Price: €195 + VAT Coloured Vinyl Outdoor Banners (cut vinyl only) Normal Price:€55 + VAT/square metre Offer Price:€45 + VAT/square metre Portable Brandable Fridge Normal Price: €300 + VAT Offer Price: €125 + VAT Heavy-Duty Poster Holder Pavement Sign Normal Price: €435 + VAT Offer Price: €305 + VAT A1 Snap Poster Frames Normal Price: €75 + VAT Offer Price:€60+ VAT Email sean@appliedsigns.ie for more information.

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Yet another ingenious new product in our range of premium quality, life-time guaranteed portable displays. The Soft Image Counter is highly portable, instant to set up and provides a sizeable counter top area with a high-impact fabric panel front. Like our other Stretch Fabric Pop Up Products, this stand has no magnets, so its ultra-lightweight, and the panel stays attached to the counter when its packed away, meaning it literally takes an instant to set up and take down. This stand is also digitally printed to photographic quality so there is no need to compromise quality when ordering an easy to use fabric print. The Soft Image Counter comes with a padded nylon carry bag and an internal shelf, and measures 102 cm tall, 106 wide and 39.5cm deep. This stand is available with our usual turnaround time of 5 working days, although we will always endeavour to meet shorter deadlines if at all possible.

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In our second guest blogger spot, Emma Toner, Publicity Manager with Gowan Distributors, tells us why the Irish Motor Industry in general, and Peugeot in particular, are increasingly favouring online advertising channels over more traditional methods…

During 2007 advertising expenditure amongst the Irish Motor Industry increased by 14.3% to €56million. During the same period, online marketing spends in the industry grew at a huge rate of 144% to €814,000. Whilst the traditional media spends did not suffer a decline during that period, the % growth in press, radio, TV and outdoor media was much smaller in comparison. Forecasts suggest further growth in the online sector is almost certainly guaranteed this year.

The growth in online advertising in Ireland and in the Irish Motor Industry is undoubtedly as a result of many factors and has begun to follow that of the UK, which of course mirrored the growth pattern in the US and the rest of Europe. It is certainly linked to increasing broadband penetration and the subsequent increasing number of users.

With particular relevance today as we enter into economic uncertainty, budgets are being scrutinized the world-over and companies are no longer willing to spend cash on highly costly, mass-media that do not reach targeted audiences or yield measurable results. Most online campaigns are paid for on a click basis, eliminating any wasted media buying, which is good news for the budget-conscious. Where TV has not been an option in the past, due to budget constraints, online offers companies the chance to talk to their target audiences at only a fraction of the cost.

By its very nature, online offers more engagement and interaction on a one-to-one basis, directly with consumers you have identified. The individual choses to click on your advert only because she is interested in your product and as soon as she clicks on your website, you can start to measure the success of the campaign. Indeed, online is the most readily measurable medium available today. Companies can, with very simple software, measure anything from the number of unique users who visit their site, to the duration time per visit, the number of page views and as a result trace their behavior or shopping preferences to build a customer profile. Click through rates and cost of conquest / investment per contact can easily be calculated.

With such measurability, the review process of a given campaign is made so much easier and action taken to rectify slow results can be immediate. Low traffic generation to a website highlights a problem. The solutions are few and may be to change creative, divert media buying or to ensure the loop is being closed when online requests have been made. Online content can be reviewed on a daily, weekly or monthly basis or at any given time.

Whilst the benefits of online advertising are well known and the majority of automotive competitors in Ireland are active online, absolute spend levels remain relatively low at a mere 1.5% of the total spend and the approach has remained traditional with the use of banner advertising. As a result, Irish Motor Distributors who are currently investing in innovative and consistent online display advertising and search engine marketing can achieve maximum cut-through with increased brand awareness with relatively low investment.

Gowan Distributors Limited, Peugeot Importers in Ireland, allocated 3.1% of their annual media budget to online spend in 2007, over twice the average and was the third biggest online spender in the Irish Motor Industry. The company has developed a digital programme since mid-2005, culminating in the appointment of a Digital Agency in 2007, ICAN, to look after all Peugeot online activity in Ireland.

The company’s current strategy is three fold:

1) The company recognises the need for display advertising and sponsorships on high-volume Irish websites to attract those consumers in passive car buying mode. Display advertising is key to generating leads and increasing brand awareness.

2) The company understands the importance of innovative creatives and technology to stay ahead of its competitors and has employed take-overs, duo-formats, geo-targetting and video. Banner adverts are no longer as effective as they once were. Companies need to invest in and try out new formats as they become available.

3) The third and possibly most important element relates to search engine marketing, key to serving those in the active car buying phase. Search engine optimisation is a vital tool in an integrated campaign. Web users may pick up key messages from a press, radio or TV campaign. Key words typed into Google will then bring them straight to a relevant web page where they can learn even more information on a product. Over 49% of Irish web-surfers use Google as their preferred search engine and Gowan Distributors have developed a Google Adwords programme that runs at all times to ensure those interested are directed to the relevant web pages.

With substantial investment and a full online programme, Gowan Distributors now has a growing database of over 7,000 prospects. Online activity has promoted new model launches, special edition models, Peugeot Platinum Used Cars, Aftersales Services and Peugeot’s Sponsorship of the Rugby World Cup 2007 and generated thousands of visits to the Peugeot website. With proven success in online advertising, future spending is estimated to rise to 10% of the total Peugeot media budget by 2010, out-weighing TV and cinema.

Emma Toner is publicity manager with Gowan Distributors, Importers of Peugeot within Ireland. www.Peugeot.ie

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As widely reported in the press, Eason’s have recently taken over discount book and stationary store, Read’s of Nassau Street. This shop has become an institution for Trinity Students and those looking for a bargain. Following the takeover, the shopfront was given a fresh, eye catching makeover, and we were thrilled to provide the window graphics for the extensive facade of the premises in Dublin’s City Centre.

Window Graphics are often overlooked by many business sectors. Shops with decent footfall and passing traffic can use window graphics to great effect, as the reasonable cost of the graphics allows them to change them seasonally. They can do these with banners or posters, you might say. However these graphics can sometimes have an edge over banners and posters as they can be a bit more striking, with vivid photographic images and shapes a possibility. However its not just retail businesses who should decorate their windows – Hair Dressers, Restaurants, Event Venues, Cultural Centres and Offices should also make use of their windows, which have the potential to become like large billboards for them to advertise and market themselves in a way that will really get noticed. Window graphics can be opaque or can be printed on a mesh-like substance, depending on the needs of the customer. Contact us for more detail on this medium.

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