Problem
Peerless Boilers, one of the largest manufacturers of oil and gas-fired boilers in the U.S. was looking for a way to promote a revolutionary, new product at a large trade show. Peerless exhibits at the North American Oil Heating Service Manager’s Show each year but especially needed to stand out among their competitors at this event. With two booth spaces purchased (an indoor space in the exhibit hall and an outdoor exhibit space), there was ample opportunity for many people to observe the new boiler in the span of a few days.
Solution
The 2006 trade show utilized a "sports" theme. The outdoor exhibit space lent itself as the perfect venue to host a sporting contest and tie into the overall show theme. Because show attendees were predominantly male, a basketball "free throw" game was chosen as the hub of the contest. Participants were asked to "beat the boiler’s high efficiency rating" by shooting a certain percentage of baskets and be eligible for prizes. Replica sporting event tickets were designed, printed and handed out at the inside booth to drive traffic to the outdoor exhibit where the contest and walk-through product display with live "boiler firing" demonstration were located. Tickets were also poly-bagged with a trade magazine and distributed to the hotel rooms of show attendees the first morning of the show. Signage for the contest/new product was everywhere. Also at the outdoor exhibit: free fresh popcorn from a popcorn machine (like you’d find at any sporting event) was given out in bags emblazoned with the client’s logo and name of the new product. Pre-promotional advertisements complete with exhibit booth numbers talked of the "unveiling" of the new product and were run in industry magazines in the months prior to the show, providing an even higher level of anticipation and excitement.
Result
After seeing the pre-promotional advertisements, several industry magazine editors contacted Peerless prior to the show to get an exclusive "write up" of the product – BEFORE the product was even available. One magazine in particular devoted an entire spread on promoting the new product. The boiler made the front cover of another publication. All the press publicity from the magazines was FREE. At the trade show itself, attendees didn’t just "stop by" the booths, they stayed, observed, asked questions, etc. There was so much activity and excitement at the outdoor booth that many walking by wanted to stop. Because the product itself was so interesting and filled a large void in the industry, everyone wanted to learn more about it. The new product became a "household" name in the industry in a matter of a few short months.
Expertise / Technologies
Marketing, Advertising and Public Relations Management, Project Management, Media Buying, Graphic Design, Press and Technical Writing