Why Trade Shows Matter (Especially in the Digital Age)
Written by Cameron Wilkinson?
We were enjoying a Keanu Reeves action flick when it happened. ?
Keanu's character was about to walk into the hotel to confront the bad guy when a man with disheveled hair and a band-aid on his cheek suddenly appeared out of nowhere and fell on top of a parked car while holding a tree branch. It was Mayhem.
“Why is there an ad?” ?
“I don’t know,” I answered. “That’s weird.” ?
“Did ___ change their subscription service?” ?
I checked, and sure enough, a new premium plan had been instated. Ads were now baked into our “basic” package. We could get rid of them by upgrading to “premium.” ?
“Well, gee. I thought the point of streaming was to avoid the ads and save on cable.” ?
“Right?” ?
Trade Shows as the Socially Acceptable Environment to Advertise?
Internet users find most online ads annoying and intrusive, especially when they are using the internet for research, entertainment, or gaming.?
According to Backlinko, approximately 32.8% of internet users worldwide report using ad-blocking software. Other sources report that there are up to?912 million ad blocking users worldwide. ?
The number one stated reason is that “there are too many ads.” The second is that “ads get in the way.” This excludes people who pay a premium on streaming channels to avoid ads.? ?
However, there are a few places where ads are welcomed, such as:?
As much as ads interrupt our train of thought, they can help us find what we are looking for. Ads triggered by keywords with buying intent or popping up on e-commerce websites tend to be more useful and, therefore, more acceptable.? ?
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But nowhere are ads (in the form of physical booths and signage) more accepted than at trade shows and events. ?
According to the Center for Exhibition Industry Research, 98% of trade show attendees go to shows to shop for new products and learn about industry trends.?People attend industry trade shows expecting to meet with businesses, vendors, and current partners.? ??
Trade shows will remain a profitable, safe place for businesses to invest their advertising dollars in the digital age. ?
What are you doing to capitalize on this environment that society has agreed to set apart for the expressed purpose of conducting business? ?
Please feel free to reach out to us here if you want to maximize your impact at events. ?
The Trade Group Adds Four New VPs to Leadership Team
We are thrilled to announce the addition of four new Vice Presidents to our executive leadership team at The Trade Group. Please join us in welcoming Kyle Oliver, Sierra Reed, George Street, and Rob J. McCoy!
Our new VPs bring decades of experience, diverse insights, and a shared commitment to collaboration, strategic thinking, innovation, and excellence. Their leadership will be pivotal in driving the next stage of growth for The Trade Group.
Read the full press release here: https://hubs.li/Q02BmZF50
Weekly Medley??
Advertising: AI is flooding the internet with more ads faster, pushing global ad revenue to hit $1 trillion by 2025 Global Ad Revenue Will Hit $1 Trillion Faster Than Expected, GroupM Forecast Says - WSJ ?
Food and Beverage: More and more brands are forming partnerships to advertise and develop new products. Mondelez and Biscoff are the latest big food brands to partner https://www.fooddive.com/news/mondelez-biscoff-lotus-cadbury-milka-chocolate-parnership-into-partnership/718818/ ?
Marketing: Marketing is supposed to be authentic, but what does that look like? Marketing Is Supposed To Be ‘Authentic,’ But What Does That Actually Look Like? (forbes.com) ?
Social Media: TikTok is determined to convert itself into an online shopping platform, but users are perplexed as to why they would go from watching short-form video clips to buying products in the app. This fits the narrative I gave in the above article https://www.socialmediatoday.com/news/tiktok-adds-image-search-for-similar-products-in-tiktok-shop/718819/?