How to Tell a Story That Pops

Back at my desk after a busy week in the UK at an industry tradeshow, it’s time to recap.

In fact, as a Marketing Communications Manager, recapping a show is a process and takes different forms. Internal comms, social media, pictures, video clips, team debriefing, and of course results and numbers. While I work my way through the steps and wrap it all up for the different functions and channels in our organization, I’m realizing that my favorite part of creating our brand presence at the show is how we tell our story.

Imagine, a 2-day event, attended by over 3,000 visitors looking to deliver smarter IT service and business efficiency. Now imagine, a hall full of 68 of the industry’s top vendors exhibiting over 200 IT Service Management products and services.

How do you make your brand stand out?

Here’s the magic formula. Have a clear message. Keep it simple. Make it fun.

And with that in mind, we built a mini-golf course smack-bang in the middle of our booth. Now you ask, “what on earth does mini-golf have to do with ITSM?”

Here’s where the story begins

The golf course was full of obstacles. Just like a bad employee experience. From manual resolution to broken workflows through misrouted tickets, you name it. Actually, we did name them.

When visitors came by our booth, we invited them in to take a swing. Geared in their SysAid golfing cap, players had 10 seconds to sink their “ticket” into the hole, before the buzzer (loudly) sounded.

Yep, as you can imagine, mission impossible.

So many obstacles in the ticket journey make for one miserable employee experience. And here’s exactly where SysAid service automation comes in. Bye-bye unhappy employees. Enter obstacle-free ITSM.

Numbers speak a thousand words

When people identify with your message, they become characters in your story.

And so the crowds surged the turf. In fact, we calculated that on average every 3.3 minutes a unique visitor was playing the SysAid golf course!

By the time the doors closed ending the 2-day show, almost 30% of the total show traffic had experienced the “ticket journey” through a fun (and unforgettable) round of mini-golf.

When your competitors walk by and you overhear them saying “Next time we gotta do something like this”, you know your story is out there.

The sequel

Outside the booth and around the fairgrounds, in the most central and strategic (bathrooms included) media locations, we advertised, the SysAid way, with a clear message and a fun brand.

Now here’s a story within a story.

The morning of the show arrives. Bright and early and filled with anticipation I enter the convention center. The sight that greets my eyes is our beautiful 12-meter-wide banner hanging, yes. In the right spot, yes. The wrong way round, oh no!

Easily a “laugh or cry” moment?

All I had to do was picture the overnight shift working the boulevard, hanging billboards and signage. There they are at the exaction location on the map, forklift raised to the precise height, and then there’s this sign from SysAid. This way? No, this way. Go figure SysAid Marketing.

That’s what it’s like when your brand is bold and your Creative Team just gets it.

Of course, we had it fixed and everything was perfect for the show. A happy end.

For a story to be told, it takes a village. To my “co-authors”, Leigh Netta King our talented and crazy Creative Lead, Ami Shimkin “make-it-happen” Marketing Director, and Eyal Zombek “go-wild-but-hit-the-mark” VP Marketing – thanks for making work fun and letting me do what I love most.

Can’t wait to write the next chapter together with you.