Decoding Purchase Decisions During Exhibitions

What determines the choice of a consumer when faced with a choice to purchase. Consumer’s brains are activated when they perceive something that satisfies their needs. But when see the price of a product, our brain experiences pain. It is this conflict between reward versus pain and the buyer decision is based on whichever wins. When exhibiting to an audience, an organisation needs to address reward and pain by maximising value and minimising pain. To maximise the value it is imperative that the exhibitor communicate the value of the brand which in turn increases the perceived value  of the brand. But how do you increase the value of the brand in the first place? If your product or service performs the same function as your competitors, how do you differentiate from your competitors? 

For example, if you are promoting your new models of vehicles in an automobile exhibition, how would you communicate  the value of your model of cars to your audience. We all know that a cars function is to take people from A to B. So that function would not differentiate the model from other cars. Or if you are an engineering company exhibiting in a trade show, how do you differentiate from your competitors who sell the same services as you. The secret to communicating the value of your product or service is in the augmentation of the exhibition stand. The graphics in your exhibition stand must communicate the value to visitors almost immediately. 

In talking about communicating value, we have implicit and explicit values we can communicate to exhibition visitors. The explicit value is more obvious such as the unique features of a model of a car such as flush capacitive steering wheel, V6 engines and so on. Explicit values are what the customer can ask about and the exhibitor to explain. However, explicit values are a lot easier for a competitor to copy. Far more subtle are implicit values communicated by the brand. This is communicated by the graphics being presented on the stand. Let’s take the stand below as an example.

At first look we see a snowy background with a Land Rover and a person wearing extreme weather clothing. What implicit message is this sending to the audience? The stand immediately  communicates to the audience that the vehicle is able to withstand extreme environments and driven by expert explorers. Reliability, durability and driven by experienced adventurers are what Land Rover is trying to communicate. Land Rover are perceived as luxury reliable vehicles and the image of a Land Rover with an explorer in extreme snowy mountains reinforces the brand message. The inclusion of two roller banners expands the message and makes the stand look bigger giving a more powerful message. 

Discount Displays Ltd worked with numerous exhibitors in designing their exhibition graphics to provide both an explicit and an implicit branding message that communicates to visitors and increase business.