Point of Purchase displays that POP

The successful promotion of a company’s product line depends on effective marketing and presentation. It is vital for a product to be advertised in such a way that grabs the audience’s attention and also creates brand recall among customers. Most companies are looking for an approach that will give them the best return on their investment.

While there are many methods of advertising, Point of Purchase (or POP) displays are an effective and low cost method that can be used as one component of an overall marketing strategy. POP displays can be found at many different retail applications. They have been in utilized in a basic way ever since man started selling their wears. Used in the simplest form, merchants would hang samples of their product in shop windows to inform potential buyers of what they sold. Nowadays, with technological advancements, samples have been replaced with picturesque depictions of the products.

Point of purchase displays come in variety of forms. They may be backlit signboards, an entire showcase, or a counter top display right at the cash register. An effective piece will have the brand name predominately mentioned. POP fixtures and displays should be colorful and attractive to consumers. The goal is to draw the customer’s attention to the display to entice them to buy your product. They need to be targeted to the demographic you are trying to reach. They should also make a statement about your company and be consistent with your brand image, as it may be the only impression the customer gets of your company.

The machine we recently purchased to create the Artisan Colour Display Graphics Division is ideal to produce this type of marketing. It was recently recognized for its superior print quality at the Euro-Reklama Outdoor Expo. The Océ Arizona® 350 GT won the 2009 Poznan International Fair (PIF) Gold Medal. The first generation of this machine (the 250 GT) was awarded the PIF Gold Medal in 2008.

Océ Wins Double Gold at Euro-Reklama Outdoor Expo 2009

The PIF Gold Medal is awarded to a product that meets a number of criteria, including quality and innovation, and that has been produced using the best technology available. A panel of specialists in each industry judges the entries. The PIF Gold Medal competition jury has a 30-year tradition of recognizing outstanding products in various fields.

The Océ Arizona 350 GT UV curable flatbed printer uses Océ VariaDot™ imaging technology to deliver near-photographic image quality for nearly any application. Designed as a true flatbed system, it can print on a wide variety of rigid substrates and features a Roll Media Option for printing onto flexible media. A White Ink Option is available to enable under-printing on colored media or objects, over-printing for backlit applications on transparent media, and printing white as a spot color. The Océ Arizona 350 GT printer is ideal for producing a wide variety of applications such as event graphics, point-of-purchase displays, limited-term signage, banners, backlit and reflective rigid displays, transit advertising, and directional signage.

Advertising in slower economic times

It is seems to be all anyone can talk about now, the economy. Many companies have made hard decisions and sacrifices to tighten their finances. However, tightening the belt on your advertising budget may be the wrong move. Companies that keep their advertising dollars consistent during a slower economy are the ones that come out ahead when the tide turns. Alternatively, in slower economic times consumers tend to stay close to home. That includes where they spend their money. Consumers may be more likely to spend their dollars with a neighboring business to help stimulate their local economy.

What strategies can you utilize to help maximize your advertising dollar? Here are a couple of suggestions:

• Use eye-level graphics in your environment by printing large format photos, backlit signage, or window graphics. Sandwich boards printed direct to a variety of substrates is another great option. Customers are pretty much guaranteed to notice advertising placed at eye-level.
  
  
• Look up. Space above eye-level can be utilized with banners, fabric flags, or wallpaper murals. This type of marketing can reinforce your main marketing imagery and attract a broader audience to your business. The trick with any these options is to create unique graphics to set your marketing message apart from your competition.

Effectively executed, your company can position itself to stand out and become more memorable in a less crowded advertising environment. It is important to keep looking ahead and use this time as a great opportunity to communicate your message. Contact a Mighty Imaging representative to find out how we can help.

Add a little colour to your design

Colour Lovers is a site dedicated to color and its use in design, marketing trends, and art. They have over 160,000 users who post color palettes dissected and extracted from such subjects as crayons, national brand logos, and even fall leaves. They watch market trends of popular color usage in logo, web design, fashion, you name it. They even have a post that shows a side by side comparison of what a color blind person sees next to the original artwork.

Users post patterns and palettes inspired by vintage fabric, masterpieces by famous artists, or just a season of the year. Each provides the RGB number equivalent to be able to easily utilize it yourself. Many of the patterns available for download could be a great start in designing your own personal digital fabric or wallpaper.

It is a wealth of information and inspiration for any designer. Likewise, people in the marketing and advertising industry can learn what colors have been successful for other big name companies when developing their campaign or brand. A great site, worth spending some time exploring.

Vinyl banners: High impact, low cost advertising

Large format vinyl banners are a great way of advertising just about any news you would like announce to a large audience. They are a versatile solution for creating an ad campaign that can convey a big message at a low price.

Banners can be customized any way you would like. With digital output, you have the option of creating your own graphics and layout design. Advances in printing technology now gives you the opportunity to use images with photo-like print quality, as well as text, to convey your message.

Many banners are used for indoor advertising or trade booth graphics, and may never see the light of day. Vinyl is a very durable and flexible material that can withstand heavy exposure from the elements, making them perfect for outdoor use. They can last for a very long time spanning from several months to up to few a years. One of the best features about vinyl banners is that they can be mobile billboards for your business - just roll it up and hit the road. They also do not require much space for storage, and can be easily kept on a shelf for future use at trade shows or for seasonal events.

In order to make your advertising more effective, consider using some of these printing strategies when designing your banner;

Where will your banner be displayed?

This is one of the first thing that you should ask yourself when you are creating your banner. It will tell you how large you can create the banner to maximize your given space, it will also help you effectively plan the right design to complement that space. For example, if you are placing your banner outside make sure the colors of your banner do not blend with the background. You need to use colors that will stand out and are easy to read.

You should also make use of the size of your banners. The bigger you banner, the farther your audience reach will be, and the more people you will be able to broadcast your message to. You can maximize this trait by making your banners carry a very large headline. A large headline plus the big size of the banners means that your banners can appear bigger than it really is.

Is your message is easily recognized?

Keep your layout simple. Your marketing materials need to be easily understood. They should be grasped while the prospective customer is just passing by your advertisement. Since banners are usually large materials, you can exploit this characteristic by using bold colors, large images, or large headlines that will attract and hold attention.

Text or graphics?

Speaking of large headlines, while fonts are an important advertising tool, there are times when using the right image can grab your audience's attention and be just as influential. Imagery can also help convey and establish your company's brand. This should be considered during the planning stage of your banner creation. You may need to hire a photographer to shoot your product, or search through stock image agencies to find the right look for your ad. Keep in mind the target audience that you are trying to reach. If you do choose to use graphics, make sure that it helps the message to be more effective. Everything on your ad must help the message be understood clearly by your target market.

Will the call to action be heard?

Your call to action is extremely important in your every marketing tool, including this one. Tell your audience what you want them to do. Tell them how they can help in fulfilling the goals of your ads.

Most importantly, once you have grabbed their attention and motivated them to take action, be sure that your contact information is clearly displayed. Give them various ways to reach you. They must be able to contact you by whatever means that are available to them.


So if you have not yet utilized vinyl banners as part of your marketing strategies, now is the time to start. A well designed banner has a small impact on your marketing budget, and a big impact for your marketing message. Please contact a Mighty Imaging representative for more information on vinyl banner printing.

How to save money and have eye catching trade booth graphics

When designing a trade show booth it is all about attracting interest. When faced with so much information and so many choices what will make you stand out from the rest? One way is with killer graphics that will grab the attention of your audience. Unless you are big corporation that can afford to hire your own photographer; how do you find images that will motivate, and also be big enough to create high quality graphics needed for your booth? That is where stock photos can help. This article by Evan D. Owen of A Smash Hit! explains the different types of stock photos, and which will work best for your needs. You don't necessarily need to spend thousands of dollars to get an image that will draw in the crowds. Found [Via].

A picture is worth a thousand.....dollars! How to Save Big Bucks in Purchasing High Quality Stock Photos by Evan D. Owen president of A Smash Hit! Trade Show Displays

Pictures and graphics are one of the most important elements that a company uses to create brand awareness and communicate its message. Ever wonder where those images come from? The general term for these images is “stock photos” and the evolution of digital photography has caused a revolution within the stock photo industry. In our business of selling trade show displays and designing graphics for these displays we are constantly challenged with how to develop a graphical message that is suitable for trade show graphics. Trade show graphics are considered large format printing and it has its own set of challenges, especially when it comes to finding high resolution photos that when printed look presentable.

LightJet is the secret to Macy's marketing success

Macy's has done an excellent job over the years of developing and defining their brand. The word Macy's immediately invokes a higher level of style and class. Part of the reason for that is their focus on quality marketing material. They seek out only the best imagery and equipment to produce their point of purchase and in store displays. That is why in 2007 they acquired a LightJet 500XL as one of the machines they use for their in house graphics department.

Read what Hal Deane from Macy's had to say about the LighJet in the Feb 2008 edition of Wide-Format magazine:

Deane has been very happy with the work they are getting off their LightJet. "By using the LightJet, I can get more work produced on it in one day than utilizing three inkjet printers; and the quality is better."

The Lightjet is used to produce signage for uniframe fixtures that sit on counter tops or on floor displays with the mannequins. "We also use it to produce wall murals and various other point-of-purchase graphics. We run Fujifilm Super Type C Matte media and well as their trans materials. We are getting very good results with Fujifilm media."

Deane is blown away by the quality of the LightJet. "We utilize a lot of photographic images of the merchandise we are featuring in the jobs we produce, so details are important. The photographic quality is excellent, you can't beat the quality…it's a solid machine. If our workload continues to increase like this, I might need to add an additional LightJet in the future," he concluded.

It goes without saying, that not every company has the resources to bring that kind of operation in house. If you are looking to get the same kind of quality for your in store displays and build your brand like Macy's, let Mighty Imaging be your 'in house' LightJet imaging source.

Long lasting Duratrans prints

The technology that runs the LightJet has been repeatedly recognized as having a superior imaging quality over other output devises. This also true when it comes to long lasting Duratrans printing. Backlit advertising is frequently utilized by marketers because of its ability to captivate people's attention. Bright vibrant colors that don't fade in a couple of months of use are vital. Not only to capture the consumer's attention, but also to keep the cost of the advertising down by not having to frequently replace pieces. Duane Fast in the March 2008 addition of Digital Graphics (an industry trade magazine) also touts the advantages of LightJet Duratrans printing.

Digital Sunshine

Technology has given us the power to light previously dark spaces. The digital printing industry is uniquely positioned to take maximum advantage of that technology in a constantly expanding market for backlit prints.

...Sometimes the prints need to last a long time. And if these prints are indoors, they also need the highest print quality. Permanent retail graphics and museum exhibits are a good example of this need. Photo printing still wins out in this area.

In my opinion, backlit prints from photo imagers, such as the LighJet from Oce and the Durst Lambda, give the most beautiful, dense colors of any printing source.

Visual art in advertising

As we talked about in our previous post Shop with your eyes, consumers are very visual when it comes to advertising and what motivates them to buy that product. A new study released by the University of Georgia expands this point further. They found that when art is used in conjunction with the product you are trying to sell it is subconsciously perceived by the consumer as being more 'luxurious'. Use this psychology to your advantage when designing the graphics for your campaign.

Visual Art Can Boost Advertising, Study Says: by ARTINFO

ATHENS, Ga.—A new University of Georgia study has found that exposure to visual art in advertising, even if the exposure is fleeting, makes consumers evaluate products more positively, ScienceDaily.com reports. Researchers conducted three studies, including posing at a restaurant as waiters, showing 100 patrons sets of silverware in black velvet boxes with either a print of Vincent van Gogh's Cafe Terrace at Night or a photograph of a similar scene. Diners rated the silverware in the van Gogh boxes as more luxurious. The two other studies showed that "a relatively unfamiliar artwork can successfully compete with a famous celebrity in conveying a luxury appeal," and "the content of the specific artwork is not necessarily important, but that general connotations of art matter," according to ScienceDaily. Researchers said all of this points to art as a powerful marketing tool.

Typographics

This video put together by Ryan Uhrich and Marcos Ceravolo at the Vancouver Film School is a entertaining illustration on how typography is used in design. The placement of text is a key part of what makes an effective visual graphic. If done wrong, the impact and your emphasis are lost. It is a well done piece and good review whether you are a graphic designer, in advertising & marketing, or just watching for fun.

What's in a brand?

I came across this blog today authored by C.B. Whittemore: Flooring the Consumer. Although her business is floor finishing, she has many great posts on all aspects of marketing and consumer satisfaction in the shopping experience. In her own words: As Director, In-Store Innovation for Solutia's Wear-Dated carpet fiber, I track consumer trends and am fascinated with digital and brick/mortar retailers who are passionate about meeting the needs of their consumers. I know I will be back to read more on her blog today this particular post caught my eye.

Michael Cape on the Brand Promise:

"The Brand Promise: Connecting With Your Customer Through Marketing, Store Environment and Online" was the subject of Michael Cape's keynote presentation at the December 2006 TREX show in NYC.

At the time of the presentation, Cape was VP of Brand Marketing for JC Penney. He has since accepted the position of EVP for Old Navy [see 2/26/2007 DDI Magazine article Michael Cape Names Old Navy's EVP Marketing].

Exciting changes have taken place at JC Penney during Cape's tenure: the introduction of Sephora as a store within a store, a pop-up store in Times Square, a successful turnaround and expansion. No wonder he has decided to join Old Navy. Things were probably starting to get boring!

Cape started with the following questions. Notice that each one relates to the CONSUMER, not to the store or products.

1. What does the brand stand for in the heart/mind of the consumer?
2. Is your brand relevant to your customer's life?
3. Does your brand make an emotional connection with your customer? [Get away from brand arrogance and build an emotional connection.]
4. Is your brand an inspiration to you customer?

...Cape repeatedly emphasized the criticality of delivering on the brand promise within the store environment. The store entrance should display ceremony and tie into the rest of the brand experience; all brand elements within the store [e.g., light fixtures, the red cube, and 3 different ways to shop] should tie into the campaign. And, don't forget that in-store displays absolutely influence consumers!

How better to convey these points to the customer than through large visual graphics? An image of a bride on her wedding day, a child holding a grown up's hand, or a family having a picnic on a sunny day can catch the viewer's attention and communicate the point right away. It can instantly make an emotional connection with your customer. Adding your brand to the graphics makes the retention of your company name even stronger.

Light in the tunnel

What an amazing use for large graphics! These advertisements are starting to pop up in subway tunnels around the world. Two companies Submedia and SideTrack are leading the way in this new utilization of, what used to be, dark empty stretches of tunnel thousands of people pass each day. They are created by placing either illuminated prints or LED monitors in succession in the tunnel that when viewed at the right speed from the train look like a movie.

Subway tunnels the latest ad billboards; by Daniel Terdiman, Staff Writer, CNET News.com

If you've been in a subway car in San Francisco, London, Boston, Rio or one of several other cities recently and thought you saw a short film playing along the dark walls of the tunnels, you're not going crazy.

In face, what you saw was one of the latest forms of advertising technology, which is slowly taking over one of transit riders' last refuges from commercial messages....

...And to those in charge of some of the rail systems using the ads, they're working.

"It's everything and more that I wanted it to be," said Graeme Hay, the commercial manager for London's Heathrow Express, which connects the British capital to its main airport. "I've had customers who said to me, 'Wow, that's fantastic. What is it?'"

To see it in action on London's Heathrow Express check out this video.

How to create a great window display

Your window to the world is people's first exposure to your business. It is your chance to make a bold statement that will draw in customers. If done wrong, you can go unnoticed. This article by Eric Fairbanks of TRIO Display has some great points about using that space to maximize your sales potential.

The window display is often your best chance to make a good first impression. The window display gives walk-by traffic a chance to see what you sell and how you sell it. It is often your first chance to brand—to create emotional association with your retail store in the mind of your potential customer.

If your retail store is in a strip mall or your main drive-by traffic is that literally—motorists—you need to go big with a graphic display in your window. A large poster-size or bigger image will draw attention and attract customers from far away. You can’t get subtle in this type of window display—say it loud and say it proud.