One of the major objectives of any trade show exhibit is to
create a lasting impression in the attendee's mind. After
all, if a visitor can't remember you, how can he give you
his business? You also want to create a positive
impression, and unfortunately, that's harder to do than the
negative equivalent.

Which brings us to humor. People love to laugh - and they
like other people to laugh with them. Witness the almost
constant flood of jokes and cartoons that flit across the
internet: Proof that humor cannot be stopped. You'll often
find that people go out of their way to remember great
jokes, where they'll never, ever stop to jot down the
details of an eye-catching graphic. This makes humor an
invaluable marketing tool --if you can make it serve your
corporate objectives.

Some of you are dismissing this idea out of hand. "There's
nothing funny about my product!" I can hear you saying.
Well, what's funny about rental cars? Beer? Car insurance?
None of these items are inheriently funny, yet companies in
all three sectors have effectively used humor to fix their
products in the public eye.

It is important to remember that your trade show campaign
should be fully integrated into your marketing plan as a
whole. If you are using humor in your television and print
media, bring it to the show floor. However, if you are
known as a stoic and conservative company, playing for
laughs at the convention center will fall flat. Consistency
in corporate image is key.

What can we learn from companies that have successfully used
humor? There are four key lessons.

Avis Rental Cars "We try harder" campaign centers on
humorous scenarios highlighting what would happen if a
rental car company wasn't willing to go the extra mile.
They film ridiculous situations, such as an attendant
handing out books to customers waiting in long lines, and
contrast them with the bright, efficient service a customer
could expect from their company. It gets a chuckle - but
you'd better believe that when a weary traveler is eyeing
the rental car company kiosks at the airport, an image of
that book-toting attendant flashes through his mind.

Key #1: Exaggerate the norm.
Contrast exaggerated examples of industry 'norms' with how
your company excels. A restaurant chain that serves large
portions could highlight the much smaller servings to be had
at the competitor's. Wendy's did this very effectively with
the "Where's The Beef?" campaign in the Eighties. Be
careful not to explicitly or implicity identify your
competitors, or you'll be hearing from some very angry
lawyers.

Remember the Budwiser frogs? How about the lizards? Or the
donkey that wanted to be a Clydesdale? Each of these
campaigns was phenomenonally successful, yet only
tangentially related to the product at hand. Each approach
was slightly different. Frogs croaking Bud - wis - er can
be inheriently funny, especially if you've already had a few
brews yourself. It also appealed to the coveted young
drinker demographic, as studies have shown an intense brand
loyalty among drinkers, generally established in the early
twenties. The lizard campaign capitalized on the wry,
sarcastic humor enjoyed by Budwiser's target audience. The
donkey campaign tied into the traditional Clydesdale
imagery, a strong if staid marketing tool.

Key #2: Know your target audience.
Jokes that appeal to one demographic may not work with
another. Gen Y shoppers have especially sharp funny bones,
and may appreciate dry wit. Tie in your classic marketing
efforts whenever possible.

Geico and AFLAC have recently done very well with their
talking animal ads. By using the same animals over and over
to reinforce the marketing message - after all, that poor
duck could surely use some disability insurance of his own
by now! - both companies have created a brand awareness
second to none. Ask the random person to identify a
disability insurance company, and chances are that they'll
tell you about AFLAC. Ask them about another disability
insurance company, and you'll be lucky if they can name even
one.

Key #3: Create a character.
Create a 'character' as part of your brand image. This
character should show up EVERYWHERE - including television
commercials, on the literature you distribute at the show,
in your signage and graphics, and potentially as stuffed
animals. The Serta Sheep toys have taken on a life of their
own, and each and every one of them goes out with the
company name blazoned on the side. That's humorous
marketing at work. Consumers buy these secondary products
because of the laugh-factor, and bring a constant
advertisement into their home. The influence on subsequent
purchasing decisions may be minor, but it is in fact there.

Humor can be a great way to convey your marketing message.
Geico has done this very well with the "I saved money on my
car insurance by switching to Geico!" series of commercials.
Exercise equipment salesmen, politicians, animated
characters - all have been pressed into service to recite
those ten words. Using different settings keeps the
audience engaged, while constant repitition drives the
message home.

Key #4: Repetition counts.
Remember, consumers need to hear a message at least six
times before they'll recall it easily. The trick is to keep
the presentation fresh while the message remains constant.

Comedians world-wide will tell you that humor is a tough
business. It's hard to tell what will make one person laugh
and another roll their eyes in disgust. However, if a joke
falls flat for a comedian, they simply move on to the next
joke and keep moving. If you've invested tons of time and
money in your humor campaign, you need to know these three
things:

1. It must be funny. Test the campaign on objective people.
Lots of objective people. If the majority laugh, you're
golden. However, if less than half the people get the joke,
drop it.

2. It must be quick. There are great funny jokes that take
half an hour to tell. That's nice. Inflict them on your
relatives or when you've got a whole room full of trapped
subordinates. Customers aren't going to give you that much
of their time. You've got half a minute tops to get them
laughing.

3. It must reflect well on your company. Ethnic, racial,
sexual, and gender based humor has absolutely no place in
the corporate world. Perceived slurs - even if they are
made in the guise of a joke - will travel around the world
as fast as the internet can move, and suddenly your company
will have all kinds of attention they don't want.

Laughing is a lot of hard work, isn't it? But once you've
found the right balance, you'll have an advertising campaign
that will draw the crowds into your exhibit - and more
importantly, toward buying your products and services.

Written by Susan A. Friedmann,CSP, The Tradeshow Coach, Lake
Placid, NY, author: "Meeting & Event Planning for Dummies,"
working with companies to improve their meeting and event
success through coaching, consulting and training. Trade
Show Marketing by "The Trade Show Coach" - Susan Friedmann,
CSP. For a free copy of "10 Common Mistakes Exhibitors
Make", e-mail: article4@...; website:
http://www.thetradeshowcoach.com