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The IAEE Art of the Show Competition’s Print Advertising Campaign category evaluates one or more print advertisements used by an organization to promote a show. Ad(s) must have appeared in a publication. Brochures are not included in this category. Judging criteria includes: overall presentation, visual appeal and creativity; clarity of information and content usefulness; for multiple ads, how well each ad ties into the overall ad campaign; how well the ad promotes/integrates the overall “theme” of the event; and how well the ad campaign met its intended goals.
In today’s IAEE Art of the Show Competition Winners Circle, we highlight the winners of last year’s Print Advertising Campaign category:
Under 75,000 nsf
mdg
2017 Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference
The pet grooming and boarding industry is big business – $8 billion big, in fact. Which means that the opportunities are endless to grow a related business and expand its reach. The Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference allows attendees to take their grooming, pet service or retail operation from “good” to “great!” with tools, training, products and networking where new knowledge means power and new products mean profitability.
mdg’s print advertising campaign for the 2017 Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference aimed to increase attendance among the key audience segments of grooming and pet service professionals. Ad copy and images were eye-catching, clear and creative to cut through the clutter and attract interest from key prospects.
The ad suite included a general ad with two versions providing “Save the Date” and “Register Now” calls to action, a pet boarding and daycare ad, and an education ad. Each ad was designed to resonate with the target audience and drive action, while ensuring that messaging stays recognizably consistent but also fresh, drawing interest even with multiple placements in the same publication.
All ads took advantage of the engaging, aspirational campaign concept that invited prospects to “Imagine the Possibilities” and played into the core audience’s enthusiasm for design and creating something fun involving pets. The ads also used fun and appealing copy delivered in a unique, first-person voice, as if the animal being groomed in the image was talking to prospects about the benefits and features of the show.
The general ad communicated Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference’s key benefits and features through an engaging lens. The ad was designed to provide an overview of the event that would appeal to groomers while showcasing key features to attract interest. The education ad capitalized on learning, using a fun 1-2-3 theme to showcase this key attendance driver for most attendees. Finally, the pet boarding and daycare ad was designed to appeal to this ancillary service industry segment and included an eye-catching image of a dog sleeping in a castle (i.e., your daycare operation), paired with compelling copy communicating the particular benefits/features for this group.
“Together, these three pieces showcased the primary event features for the audience, remaining on brand but still unique enough to drive interest across a multi-month campaign,” noted mdg Vice President Caitlin Fox.
Ultimately, the ads contributed to Atlanta Pet Fair & Conference’s record-breaking attendance, with a 9.45 percent increase in 2017 over the previous year.
Over 200,001 nsf
North American Beauty Events NABE LLC
Cosmoprof North America
Cosmoprof North America (CPNA), held annually, hosts over 33,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors from 45 countries at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. The award winning and only all-encompassing beauty event covers all facets of the industry offering retailers, distributors, beauty brands and suppliers alike the unique opportunity to discover trend-directional solutions to meet their needs from the acclaimed packaging, cosmetic, and personal care and professional beauty pavilions.
The goal of the 2017 advertising campaign was to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Cosmoprof Worldwide in Bologna while promoting unity and diversity in the beauty industry and among the global events (Las Vegas, Hong Kong, Bologna). Furthermore, the ad campaign sought to reflect the sophistication and excellence commonly associated with the Cosmoprof brand.
The primary goal of CPNA was to incorporate the campaign across all communication platforms and make the images appear synonymous with the 2017 event. Used as a whole or in parts, the Las Vegas team had some creative liberty with the campaign images to ensure both global and domestic goals were met.
To meet the global goal of promoting excellence, Cosmoprof commissioned acclaimed Italian photographer, Oliviero Toscani, best-known worldwide for designing controversial advertising campaigns for Italian brand Benetton (from 1982 to 2000), to create the 2017 campaign. Toscani’s interpretation of diversity and beauty without borders led to a provocative image that featured three women of different ethnicities with cosmetic-like color smears in various places (lips, eyes, hair).
The image appeared as both group and individual shots in magazine ads, brochures, flyers, signage and bags. All three women were also featured together in signage and flyers as well. Onsite, the images were blown up and featured behind signage, banners and posters throughout the event. To provide an interactive and visual engagement with the ad, it was also featured in an onsite mosaic. Attendees of CPNA 2017 could have their picture taken which was instantly printed and added to a wall mosaic. The massive ad came to life throughout the three-day event as hundreds of attendees participated. Their individual images merged to form the ad image while symbolically reinforcing its message of unity and diversity.
The color markings on the models’ faces were also used as inspiration. For example, similar color splotches, that resembled cosmetic powder, were used as borders/accents to visuals that did not include their faces. This subtle design nod helped visually tie the ad to other printed materials and to each other. For example, banners of the varying special areas featured these “splotches” in the corners to help combine them visually while promoting them individually with their respective logo. As another example, the pre-show brochure featured a model on the cover and the corresponding powder splotches throughout the subsequent pages.
In the end, the ad campaign met its intended goals. It offered a simplicity and elegance that was seamlessly incorporated throughout the event promotions. The effectiveness of the campaign is evident by the fact the CPNA 2017 exceeded all expectations, breaking its previous record numbers in attendance and exhibition spaces.
“While many factors attribute to the success of the show, the campaign successfully kept the show top-of-mind,” noted Daniela Ciocan, Marketing Director, Cosmoprof North America.
The 2018 IAEE Art of the Show Competition is now underway – you have until 14 September 2018 to submit your entries! Check out all the winners from the 2017 competition.
