This feature appeared in the September/October edition of SignAfrica.com magazine.
A few well-placed and eye-catching banners can really make a brand stand out from the rest. The convenience of portable signage and quick branding solutions makes them more popular than ever. ‘It fits people’s pockets, is easy to transport and is versatile,’ says Natasha Kirsch, Sales Manager at Ideal Displays.
Sandro Corrado, Director of Gawk Visual Engineers, believes the popularity is down to great value. ‘Portable solutions cut out the costly process of having a contractor come in and flight the campaign, strike, transport and re-flight,’ he says. ‘This can be especially costly if the display is fully custom i.e. fabricated and sprayed wood modules, etc. With some systems, there is also the bonus of being able to adapt the system for alternate use after the campaign.’
There have been vast improvements in ease of use and convenience, and this is set to continue. ‘The trends are geared towards making portable solutions much easier to operate and assemble and convenient to carry. This includes enabling a variety of functions while not compromising on quality at affordable and competitive prices,’ says Jithoo Daya from Maxsigns.
Below are providers of quick/portable branding solutions.
GAWK VISUAL ENGINEERS
WHAT ARE THE TRENDS IN QUICK/PORTABLE SIGNAGE?
There is a real trend in moving away from the traditional ‘portable’ branding solutions, which come across as cheap and tacky. These are typically products like banner walls and pop up exhibition walls (which tend to reflect negatively on a client’s brand). Clients prefer more refined solutions that look customised and are easier on the eye, yet have all the practical features of portable branding products.
WHICH FEATURES SHOULD PEOPLE LOOK FOR IN PRODUCTS?
This is largely dependent on whether the product is intended for indoor or outdoor use.
For indoor, the following features are critical:
• Simplicity: Is the product easy to set up? Can you set the system up without tools? Can it be installed by a non-specialist? Can a maximum of two people install a complicated configuration using the product? If you answered ‘yes’ to all of the above, you have a very simple and effective portable signage solution.
• Weight: Ideally you want a lightweight system that delivers big on brand area. Although steel systems are robust, they can easily weigh 30% more than aluminium equivalents. The heavier the system, the tougher the installation, and logistics will prove extremely expensive over multiple campaigns. However, you should never compromise stability and function over weight.
• Robustness: This is relative to the intended use and budget. Ideally, you always want the product to be as robust as possible, as your investment will deliver again and again for years to come. Many marketers invest in excellent quality systems and by re-skinning (re-branding) the hardware, they get years of branding value out of their products. However, some budgets and campaigns don’t allow for that kind of spend and often marketers will settle for a one-off solution. The danger with going cheap is that a brand’s image is reflected as such, as poor quality hardware and poor quality print are unmistakable, especially if the activation is in a high
end environment like a shopping mall. If budgets are low, rather rent a decent system and invest in quality print.
• Flexibility: this is where real value is realised when investing in a portable signage solution. Can your product adapt? Is it modular? We are finding more and more, especially during tough economic times, that companies are looking at the bigger picture when making purchasing decisions related to activations, exhibitions and retail display. They are also investing in solutions that can be used in multiple configurations or are able to be ‘built on’ as and when more budget becomes available. This considered, long-term outlook serves companies well. As their company grows, their marketing kit grows with them.
• Maintenance: Granted, Eastern imports are relatively cheap, and granted they can often be of decent quality, however, if you have invested a significant amount of money in portable display hardware and something breaks, you would want the part replaced (preferably under warranty). The problem is, display hardware importers don’t generally import spares. If your system fails, you will have to replace the entire thing. The benefit of buying locally produced portable hardware is the fact that every component can be replaced (often under warranty), so buy local.
There are two golden rules when it comes to outdoor branding:
1. Can the system withstand moderate to extreme weather? Your branding becomes ineffective and frankly unsafe if it blows down the golf course with the slightest breeze or if the print easily detaches due to poor stitching.
2. Is the print UV stable? The sun is a notorious destroyer of all things plastic and all things print. If you buy cheap, you are very likely going to have a useless product in a very short time. Ask your supplier what the minimum colourfast guarantee is on the product. Expect a minimum of six months (constant exposure) on textile based prints and five years on PVC based prints. Yes, six months on fabric seems very short, unfortunately of the many benefits fabric printing has brought to the portable signage industry, durability isn’t one of them. To get longer legs from your outdoor branding kit, avoid leaving it exposed outside when not needed. Pack it away immediately after the campaign is over, away from direct sunlight. This will extend the life of your kit far beyond the six month constant exposure warranty.
WHICH PRODUCT RANGES DO YOU OFFER?
Brochure stands and holders, clip frames, pop up wall, Texstretch, outdoor branding, promo counters, lightboxes, display stands, pull up banners, tension banners and more.
IDEAL DISPLAYS
WHAT ARE THE TRENDS IN QUICK/PORTABLE SIGNAGE?
Companies are moving more towards ‘bling’ products that move, light up and impress. That said, the industry still favours certain tried and tested ‘golden oldies’ like pull up banners, flags, etc.
WHAT FEATURES SHOULD PEOPLE LOOK FOR IN PRODUCTS?
The South African industry must look at supporting local manufactures and they must consider where they will receive the best service and support without worrying if they will have come backs.
WHICH PRODUCT RANGES DO YOU OFFER?
We offer the Ideal product range and we manufacture custom products to our clients’ specifications.
MAXSIGNS
WHAT MAKES THIS FORM OF BRANDING SO POPULAR?
Generally, these products are eye-catching and ‘in-your-face’, which helps promote your brand/product/service. Some of our products have been specifically designed to meet the requirements of the commercial market and the domestic market for personal use and garden parties etc. (e.g. the gazebo tents). The custom gazebo top is used for promotional events to raise brands awareness and raise awareness of your product, company and campaign through the use of colour printing (digital printing) on the gazebo top or on the wall/pull-up/roll-up banners.
WHAT FEATURES SHOULD PEOPLE LOOK FOR IN PRODUCTS?
With quality and price being the obvious focus, additional features should include an easy-up fast build mechanism, making the structures simple to operate and quick to erect by one or two people within a few minutes.
WHICH PRODUCT RANGES DO YOU OFFER?
Luxury and economic models in various sizes of roll-up/pull-up banners, X-banners, custom-built proudly South African pop-up wall banners, adjustable wall banners, telescopic and flag banners, poster click frames with rounded and mitred edges, steel and aluminium gazebos, brochure stands and quick displays, among others.
ROCKET CREATIVE
WHAT ARE THE TRENDS IN QUICK/PORTABLE SIGNAGE?
Due to the recent bleak financial cycle, the overriding trend we have experienced from our clientele is one of a value-for-money solution combined with a minimal-effort UX (user experience). On portable branding products, clients are caught in a catch 22 situation: all are bored with the traditional ‘portable’ offerings on the market, but have limited budgets available. The archaic roll-up banner, the pop-up (scissor frame), banner wall, and the plethora of flying banners, tear drops, etc. have been on the market for almost 25 years, with the original designs having been cloned by countless companies. Although clients desire something fresh, they are also limited by diminishing budgets and as such are more compelled to look at elements that are durable and are re-brandable, extending the units’ life-span and their long term ROI.
WHAT MAKES THIS FORM OF BRANDING SO POPULAR?
The shift to this type of product is driven by the price point, ease of use and functionality delivered combined with durability and re-brandability.
WHAT FEATURES SHOULD PEOPLE LOOK FOR IN PRODUCTS?
The prime issue when making a purchasing decision is ensuring that you are identifying the correct product for the correct application. Often we receive feedback from unhappy clients with elements they have purchased on the market. These issues generally only arise when a display element is used for an application or in an environment that it was never designed to be used in. Every standard display element available in the ‘quick and portable’ branding category is generally designed to only deliver on one specific function.
This minimalistic approach allows the units to be manufactured so that it is lightweight, easy to use and cost effective. However, if you use that same unit in an environment for which it was not intended, it will fail almost every time. Every client wants a super lightweight banner wall that is ultra stable on a golf course, or a large eventing table that must be lightweight, portable and able to be conveyed via public transport. The two requirements very often do not gel, and a compromise always has to be found. It is always much better to discover these issues before you have a bad experience and the Rocket Creative crew go out of our way to correctly address this with each and every client before a purchase is made.
WHICH PRODUCT RANGES DO YOU OFFER?
Rocket Creative has a rather non-conformist approach. We design, manufacture and sell our own very unique and bespoke ranges of display, activation and experiential equipment to the industry. We have an extensive blend of expertise, ranging from large expo to brand activation to retail environments.
The value-add of this is that we can identify exactly which product suits which application. As product designers, we then generate a solution that perfectly suits the application, across any and all materials and substrates available. This insight and extensive experience has allowed us to develop a wide range of unique, modular and portable brand activation, display and experiential display hardware.
| LOCAL DISTRIBUTOR Sign Africa.com Magazine Website: https://www.signafrica.com/magazine |
