Do you know those people…
That make heads turn with charisma. When they walk into a room, everyone looks up. Such a term could also apply to well-known brands. Just think of Tesla, Heineken and Red Bull.
Solid brands with a strong image
And this is largely thanks to their visual branding – which is recognizable and impressive. In this article I explain how they do it and what they expect from you as a trade show booth designer.
Perception of brands
The iconic green bottles, the advertising spots with James Bond, Freddy’s cultivated image. At Heineken they know how important brand experience is. This is because the product itself is quite generic in essence. Many beer fans have difficulty distinguishing between different brands in a blind test. So if you choose a specific brand you make your selection based on the cost or a certain image. And don’t underestimate the importance of the latter.
Heineken
For example, Heineken’s positioning as an exclusive beer brand is so strong in the US that people are prepared to pay ten dollars for a bottle. The same principles applies to strong brands like Nike and Apple. Of course they make good products, but a lot of it is also perception. This is exactly the kind of perception you love to create with your booth.
Make every detail count
The masters of visual branding know: the smallest details can make a world of difference. To stay with our previous example, it’s no coincidence that Heineken green has become a concept among marketers. Everyone recognizes this specific shade, which can already offer a key advantage with crates in the supermarket. Something like this has to be carried out to perfection. If the bottles suddenly have a yellow top, then everyone knows something is not quite right.
Apple
At Apple they’ve also mastered this. Their product packaging is carefully thought out down to the smallest details. People are already immersed in the brand experience when ‘unboxing’ the product. Such an attractive box softens the blow of the high purchase price. The same goes for trade shows: details make the difference when it comes to designing the perfect booth. And top brands expect nothing less than that.
Be flexible
In order to offer the desired top level in all brand communications, flexibility is required. When designing trade show booths, for example, everything must be possible. In order to be flexible, you need to make the right choice of materials at an early stage. This allows you to perfectly adapt to every situation and visitor at a trade show. Without compromising the brand identity.
A sustainable approach
It’s debatable whether companies can still stand out positively through a sustainable approach, because this is almost taken for granted these days. But what is sure is that as a company, you’re not acting in your interests if you’re not sustainable: then you’ll be the odd one and a possible scapegoat for your own target group.
Big brands like Coca-Cola and Apple pride themselves on their eco-friendly production chain. It’s very important to them to keep critical questions at bay.
Need help?
For visual branding experts this means that you need to be careful and critical in choosing the right approach, materials and suppliers. You can’t afford to lose a client, just because the energy emissions of your booth are too high. Need help with this?
