Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Teamwork to Convert Marketing Efforts into Sales

I read an interesting post today on Todd Ebert's B2Bad Marketing blog about how important it is to have integrated marketing and sales functions in any company. This is not a new idea, and I was surprised to see that, according to recent research, less than 20% of companies say that their Sales and Marketing teams are extremely collaborative. Is this due to fear of competition or pressure on the behalf of the two departments, or is it due to the sheer difficulty of co-ordinating these two functions?

To make the process easier, I like seedsofgrowth.com's 35 Ways to Improve Collaboration in Sales and Marketing - especially no.s 1, 5 and 35.

I also love Todd Eberts analogy of a Marketing Department as a Motor-racing Pit Crew...

Friday, October 24, 2008

Stock Clearance Display Items



Stock Clearance Display Items

No need to forsake purchasing because of the ecomonic doom and gloom - just buy smarter!
Due to our recent stock take, we have a variety of display items available on a limited basis only this month.

Items include Banner Stands, Portable and Outdoor Flagpoles, Scrolling Signs, Pop Up Frames, Poster Frames, Pavement Signs, Banners and Brandable Portable Fridge Units!

Perfect for Seasonal Promotions & End-Of-Year Budgets...

Some are reconditioned, some are end-of-line, some are brand new, all are great value. This is a once-off, never-to-be-repeated offer.

A small sample of the products included:



Swift Roller Banner StandBestselling Nomadic Swift Roller
Banner Stand

Normal Price: €399 + VAT
Offer Price:€309 + VAT








Nomadic
Pop Up
Display

Normal Price: €2775 + VAT
Offer Price: €2075 + VAT
Nomadic Display Traveller Pop Up Stand







Floors-standing
Scrolling
Banner Stand
Normal Price: €565 + VAT
Offer PriceFloor Standing Scrolling Banner:€365 + VAT
















Ceiling-Mounted
Scrolling
Banner
Normal Price:€€275 + VAT
Offer Price: €195 + VAT
Ceiling Mounted Scrolling Banner












Coloured Vinyl Outdoor Banners
(cut vinyl only)

Normal Price:€55 + VAT/square metre
Offer Price:€45 + VAT/square metre
coloured Vinyl Outdoor Banners


















KoolKan Portable Brandable Fridge Portable
Brandable Fridge

Normal Price: €300 + VAT
Offer Price: €125 + VAT











Heavy-Duty Poster
Holder
Pavement Sign
Normal Price: €435 + VAT

Offer Price: €305 + VAT
Stormforce Pavement Sign/Poster Holder
A1 Snap
Poster Fr
ames
Normal Price: €75 + VAT
Offer Price:€60+ VATA1 Snap Frame Poster Holder


Email sean@appliedsigns.ie for more information.


Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Conference Backdrop for Concern Fighting Hunger Conference

This week we have designed and produced a backdrop Pop Up Display for Concern's Fighting Hunger Conference which takes place on Thursday. This event will feature contributions from Mary Robinson, Jeffrey Sachs, director of The Earth Institute at Columbia University in New York, as well as Kofi Annan in his capcity as Chairperson if the The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa. Further details are available here...

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Plan Expo '08 Preview for Exhibitors

As suppliers of Portable Displays to numerous regular Plan Expo exhibitors, including:

Quinn
Kingspan
Henco Group
Contach Accessories
Easy Screed
Gerkros Heating Technology
Gypsum Industries
Bord Gais
Health and Safety Authority
Incontrol House Automation
Schneider Electric
Moy Isover
Newbridge Metal
Sustainable Energy Ireland

among others, we are in the perfect position to give you a preview of the upcoming Plan Expo '08 event in the RDS. This show, taking place from the 4th to the 6th November, is in its 26th year, and is a perennially popular fixture in the construction industry's calendar. This year it will feature the Irish Home Builders Association Business Seminar and the EcoBuild sub-show, focusing on sustainable energy.

The trend in Display Stands at Plan Expo has, for many years now, been towards stands with considerable height, and stands with attractive, robust aluminium elements. Longer extrusions can be used to to ensure that your display is seen above the masses of people and traditional displays, and custom finials can be used to make sure that your corporate colours or logo is clearly on display.



Another display element growing in popularity is plasma screens and moving or revolving elements which grab the eye. Using modular displays these items can easily be incorporated into even the smallest display, and the beauty is that these stands are fully modular and reconfigurable so if your next exhibtion space is larger, smaller or a different shape your stand can be adapted to suit. This display hardware is available to buy and hire so there is no need to sacrifice impact for budgetary reasons.


If you have any questions about exhibiting at Plan Expo '08 don't hesitate to contact us by phone or email.

Friday, October 3, 2008

Colours & Shapes - What do they matter in Corporate Design? Part 1

A week or two ago I read "Show Your True Colours" on Nomadic Display's Blog, and it got me thinking about the effects of colours on design, particularly for signs, display stands, logo design and large format print.

I learnt that colours have inherent qualities, and this has to be even more important for large scale displays or logo signs which are big enough to cover the side of a vehicle or building. Most of us know the basics: - red conveys warmth, power, and passion, - pink can be playful, romantic or feminine, - blue and green are clean colours used almost exclusively by soap and toiletry makers - and orange can denote health, energy, vibrancy...

But did you know that certain colours are subconsciously favoured by men or women, and I don't mean pink versus blue. According to Joe Hallock, purple is generally disliked by men, as is turquoise and most warm colours, including orange and brown! One fact I found particularly interesting is the link between age and colour preference - apparently people of both sexes are less likely to favour green or orange as they age, and are more likely to go for brown and purple as they get older. How many companies take this into account when marketing to age-specific sectors?

Product or Industry Sector should also be taken into account when choosing corporate colours: again there are traditional colours in corporate design such as green for health, agriculture and environmental sectors and blue for financial companies. But did you know that blue is a negative colour for Food and Beverage sectors - because blue is reported to be an appetite suppressant, as is black to a lesser extent. If you don't believe me just take a peek at these images of this yummy sushi and see what I mean... This is apparently hardwired into our brains because blue is such a rare colour to occur in foods naturally. I wonder how has this has affected the comsumption of Hellman's Mayonnaise, Salt and Vinegar crisps, Blue Smarties, Avonmore milk and Rice Crispies over the years? Do you know anyone who drinks Bombay Sapphire or Blue Curacao? Didn't think so! (For the sake of even handedness, check out this article which extols the genius of Bombay Sapphire's signature colour and design and let me know which sideof the fence you are on...)
 
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