Welcome to our new series of articles called Client Corner! In these short stories we'll introduce you to a client and a problem or situation they found themselves in and how they approached the solution and went on to achieve success!
The Client
Our client was the Santa Fe University of Art and Design.
The Problem
The school was hosting a Hunger Games event for the first time and needed at least 50% student participation to justify the cost. So how were we going to build the hype and drive up attendance?
The Solution
We decided on a tiered marketing approach.
1. Start the Rumors
Normally gossip and rumors are bad but in our case we could use the student network to our advantage. There was a graffiti wall on campus for students to freely spray paint (almost) anything they wanted. Our team went out in the middle of the night and spray painted the mockingjay (the main symbol of the series) onto the wall at about eight foot wide by eight foot tall. There was no way you could miss it walking through the center of campus. We also used chalk spray paint to spray it on the sidewalks around campus. The buzz was almost immediate as people were wondering what it meant.
2. Brand the Event
A few weeks after our initial "tagging," we created an entire line of event posters that accurately conveyed the event theme and mood. Now having the theme be Hunger Games meant that the look of the posters was pretty straight forward but I've used this same technique on more generic themes like 80's, rock and roll or all American. When people can see a poster or advertisement in the same theme, you've now branded your event with a look and feel that will run throughout. It also makes people feel that their event is catered to them and not some generic Party City event.
3. Deliver on Your Marketing Promises
It's now the big day! You've spent weeks planning your employee appreciation event, trade show booth or customer networking event and you're ready to get the party started. Every little detail counts. For our event, we had branded napkins, a welcome table, event staff uniforms and banners hanging throughout to remind the attendees that this was an event created by the school for them specifically. These seemingly small details remind your attendees that you were thinking of them throughout the entire planning process.
The Benefit
This may sound like additional work but if you successfully brand your event you will create a rapport with your audience for having clean, friendly, personalized events designed with them in mind. When they walk into an event, meeting or trade show booth, they will know exactly who they're working with and the experience they're about to have.
As always, if you have any questions, need any design work done or need someone to bounce ideas off of, you can always contact us here!