Targeted Tabletop Displays Complete Marketing Mission
By Jennifer LeClaire The National Guard deployed tabletop displays to attract recruits inface of labor shortage. Find out how these versatile marketing toolscan work for you.
The United States should never go to war without its National Guard. Sosays Army Lt. Gen. H. Steven Blum during a CNN interview in which hespelled out the critical role of these forces and the criticalshortages on the horizon. Strained by ongoing military action, the National Guard has fallennearly 15,000 troops below authorized levels, leading recruiters to addnew tools to their recruitment arsenals. While the Army National Guardhas long been funding up to 100 percent of college tuition costs andfees, new recruits now also receive enlistment bonuses of up to $10,000for joining. The Guard's new efforts go far beyond financial incentives. Themilitary is digging deep into its recruitment arsenal with onlineinitiatives, advertising campaigns and community events. But it's thetabletop displays that get young folks' attention long enough for therecruiter to give them an earful about the benefits of defending theircountry's freedom. Tabletop displays are a rapid deployment marketing weapon, says MarkJohnson, president of the Exhibit Designers & Producers Association.The National Guard could set up at tabletop display in a mall in themorning, then pack up and go to a university with the display that sameafternoon. Indeed, experts agree that tabletop displays offer a versatile,low-cost solution that's easy for one person to set up and break downquickly. Combined with a savvy marketing campaign, companies canleverage these portable resources to complete a mission, whether thatmeans recruiting, selling or some other objective. Rapid deployment, diverse messaging. Dan Riley, president of Tradeshowjoe.com in Louisville, agrees thattabletop displays are a convenient solution for any organization thatneeds to either quickly move from place to place or participates infrequent exhibitions. The National Guard is demonstrating the beauty of modern tabletopdisplays in its recent recruitment campaign, he says. These displaysare portable, so they fit in the trunk of a car, and they are moreaffordable than other exhibition marketing tools. Experts say the use of portable tabletop displays is on the risebecause they are easier and quicker to set up than larger exhibitdisplays that are intended to sit on a trade show floor for severaldays a time. Tabletop displays are designed specifically with rapiddeployment in mind and are popping up at schools, sales meetings andcorporate events because of the proven return on investment. There are many brand names on the market all with various features andbenefits, Riley adds. These manufacturers offer assorted fabrics,structures, shipping cases and various graphics capabilities. Table topdisplays are lightweight, portable and easy to set up for a salesperson on the run. Targeting your marketing message. Of course, setting up a tabletop display alone isnot enough to ensure success. Experts say the number oneobjective of any marketing tool is to consistentlycommunicate an effective message. That's why thecorrespond tabletop display features text and graphics thatcorrespond with Web, TV and radio initiatives. The tabletop display is only the vehicle. Recruiters still need to useattractive graphics that will draw the intended audience to the table, says Riley. Those graphics may need to change depending on the locationof the recruiting efforts. Tabletop displays allow you to reconfigurethe graphics quickly depending on the audience you are trying to reach. Since tabletop displays are smaller than their larger exhibitcounterparts, Johnson recommends using more graphics than text tomaximize the benefit of the display. Images of Guard heroes in actionspeak a thousand words. Combined with a snappy slogan, the tabletopdisplay serves its function: to draw people to the recruiter who cansell them on the benefits of enlisting in the military. Tabletop displays with well-executed graphics draw curious young menand women to the desk and give recruiters an opportunity to educatethem about the benefits of joining the National Guard, Riley notes. Iliken it to an informational depot that offers neutral ground for thepotential enlistee and recruiter to discuss the possibilities of amilitary career. That information depot works just as well for widget manufacturers attrade shows, corporate recruiters at college career days and presentersat internal sales meetings. Experts say these versatile marketingweapons are effective for mission-minded organizations of all types. Tabletop displays are ideal because they can be easily adapted todifferent spaces simply by adding or removing components, Riley says.Some of these units actually fold up into a carrier the size of a briefcase and cost only a few hundred dollars.
This Article Copyright © 2005 by Inuvative News Network
Jennifer LeClaire is president of Revelation Media Networks, a multimedia agency that provides editorialcontent to business and trade publications serving sign, exhibit, and graphic design industries.
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