Using Humor at Trade Shows

A Dummy's Puppet's Ramblings - from Chip Martin, Mannequin American

Using Humor at Trade Shows

One of the major objectives of tradeshow exhibits is to create a lasting impression. If a visitor can't remember you, how can she or he give you their business?

That brings me to humor. People love to laugh. They go out of their way to remember great jokes and other things that made them laugh. This makes humor an invaluable marketing tool for tradeshow display exhibits ... if you can tie it to your marketing objectives.

Some marketers dismiss this idea out of hand. "There's nothing funny about my product!" I hear them say. Well, what's funny about rental cars? Beer? Car insurance? Deodorant? Organ donations? Banking? None of these things are inherently funny, yet marketers in all of these sectors have effectively used humor to fix products or services in prospects' minds.

I've been part of Society Insurance's trade show exhibits for over 15 years. With all the humility that a Mannequin American can muster, I have to say that many show attendees actually search out the Society exhibit because they know I'll be there ... and they know they'll be rewarded with a few laughs. And many of these people have become Society customers.

Those who understand that business can be fun without demeaning the seriousness of a product or company, are usually rewarded with increased sales and more profits. And that puts a smile on everyone's face.

The Funniest Documentary Ever Made

You've probably seen the incredible video on YouTube called "Winnebago Man," (NSFW) which consists of the outtakes of a Winnebago "spokesperson" trying and failing hilariously to make a marketing video. Every time he stumbles over his lines there's another incredible foul-mouthed tirade. But who was this man? And what happened on that day 20 years ago that got him so fired up?

To find out, documentary filmmakers tracked down the man, Jack Rebney, now old and crotchety as ever, living in his secluded mountain house. The result is Winnebago Man the Documentary.

Seriously, click here to see the hilarious and gloriously profanity-laced NSFW trailer for the movie. If you don't have a YouTube account, the link will ask you to create one because of the language. Do it. Trust me, it's awesome. Buckle up!

Fuddruckers Offers Up the Exotic

While KFC has its Double Down and Carl's Jr. has its foot-long burger, Fuddruckers, the burger chain with the name that sounds more like a syndrome than it does a restaurant, is out to differentiate itself from the competition by offering up a selection of exotic meats to customers. It already has salmon and buffalo burgers on the menu, and in the last week it's added elk to the list.

The half-pound elk burgers are part of the restaurant's growing "Fudd's Exotics" offerings, which will soon include wild boar and ostrich.

Fuddruckers is pushing the elk burger as a somewhat healthier option than your typical beef burger, saying it is "lean and savory, low in sodium and has 0g of artificial trans fats." Seems like a legitimate means of differentiating the brand from other fast food chains.

Fuddruckers adds elk to Exotics burger line [NRN.com]

TSA Sticky Situation

From the TSA employee mocked by his co-workers for his teeny weeny to the Heathrow employee harassed for her ample bosom, full-body airport scanners are responsible for their fair share of controversy. Now the travel-writing folks at Jaunted have stumbled across a new invention that claims to end such troubles by slapping stickers on your most private bits.

According to their own sales pitch, Flying Pasties "are meant to obscure your private parts when entering a typical airport scanner."

But, as Jaunted points out, the stickers appear to not have any sort of technology that would prevent the scanners from seeing your bits ... not to mention that full-body scanners only show the general outline of your body anyway.

So, if you have to explain to the TSA why you've adhered sticky things to your private parts, don't blame me.

'Flying Pasties' Attempt to Hide Your Nakedness from Full-Body Scanners [Jaunted]

The Creativity of Nina Conti 

Last year Dale met Nina Conti for the first time. Nina is a British actress, comedian and ventriloquist who travels the world with her little friend, Monk.

A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Nina is one of the funniest and most creative vents working today. If you ever have a chance to see her, don't miss it. The photo above was taken at this year's International Ventriloquists' Convention where Nina introduced "Granny" to the audience. Here's a clip featuring Granny.

Here's another clip featuring Monk. NSFW ... but funny as heck.  You Tube has scores of Nina clips.

Dale enjoyed confusing coworkers by throwing his invoice.