A reportage from the Paris Trade Fair and POPAI Euro Awards

The DAGO team set out for France to visit the Trade Fair Le salon du marketing point de ventre and also to attend the competition POPAI Awards. Three of our realizations advanced to the June finals. However, we were pleased by the standard of the Trade Fair as well as the competition – and also by the P.O.P. communication within Paris stores.

At first, a rigorous security guard welcomed us at the entrance to the MPV Paris Trade Fair. In Paris, security guards now search baggage at almost every public place in an effort to provide security – often also when leaving such a place.

Immediately after entering the Trade Fair we were surprised by original inflatable costumes of hostesses with silent integrated compressor, which continuously inflated them. And that was just the beginning of original meetings.

On stands and exhibited P.O.P. media, there was something flashing or shining everywhere. Exhibits that were advanced in terms of modern technologies dominated. From the very beginning, it was evident that in the flood of messages at points of sales, it is not easy to disturb customers today and that it is necessary to be very active, distinctive and dominant. Also it is possible that the future development will lead back to communication calmness strengthening the relevance and communicated values.

We saw many standard communication media created in unusual ways. Exhibitors used different variations of layering and created so interesting 3D effects.

We were surprised finding out how plentifully western marketers use combinations of temporary and durable materials. Often we saw mostly cardboard. Not as a cheap solution but as an aesthetic material in creative combinations with more expensive materials such as metal, Perspex, fabric or rope. In Paris, cardboard got a new role and added an original charisma to P.O.P. media.

We also found out that “on the West“, ecology plays a bigger role then in our country. Respect for nature and environmental brand image resonated in the themes as well as used materials.

Meeting with robots, humanoids replacing shop/assistants, was very emotional for us, and not only at the Trade Fair, but also directly in the Paris Sephora store. These robots can recognize who you are and how you feel. They answer your questions, present products and actively respond to what you select on their touch screens.

We were also interested by the RFID system. At the moment we took in hand any of the exhibited products, the built-in RFID system recognized it and switched on an augmented reality on a wide range of built-in LCDs.

Thanks to 3D glasses, we could then experience using products personally. Various objects and products came alive at the Trade Fair and bombarded us with emotions through 3D projections on them. It seems that we are very close to holograms.

Various miniature LCD displays were a matter of course. In a folder instead of papers, in a lid of a box for products, in a restaurant menu instead of traditional sheets – with the possibility to order meal. A common novelty was also the projection of digital content on a glass from the bottom edge with touch screen functions.

While three years ago, we were surprised looking at the Face Recognition / Coding application on LCD for advertising purposes at Euroshop in Dusseldorf, today it is a common thing. The system collects and analyses data from an image on the screen obtained via a built-in mini camera. In the real time, it is then possible to monitor basic socio-demographic data of a person who is just watching the communication, how long he is watching it and what is his mood at the time. Based on these findings, the system chooses the most suitable communication content from many stored on a disk. This system can be used very well also to optimise the functionality of different types and locations of P.O.P. applications using the generated data.

LCDs and also lighting systems went through a big shift in terms of their consumption and use of independent energy sources. At the Trade Fair, we saw realisations with LCD screen and with LED lighting that can work up to 3 months powered just by one compact set of conventional batteries. LED lighting is cheaper, more effective and more efficient, so that it gradually replaces other light sources. It was used for the vast majority of lighting effects on the exposed exhibits. More often, it is being used also in cheaper and temporary P.O.P. applications.

Another hit of the Trade Fair were displays that will take a picture of you (for instance, with a tested product) and send it either to your specified e-mail address or allow it to be shared directly on social networks. These applications gamify the sales environment and represent a reason to visit such points of sales mainly for the Z-generation customers. In addition, this system allows an easy and practical connection with contests or various promotions of retailers and brands and offers an interesting emotional and practical value customers will be pleased to exchange for their contact details.

We found the element of interactivity also in a solution when a customer can select a colour and size on LCD and such selected product comes directly from storage into a container at a display. Such system is ideal in places with lack of space to deploy all goods. At the same time it can also recommend other items related to the selected goods for an anonymous customer.

It is evident that it is necessary to think more and more about creating P.O.P. applications and come with creative ideas. That is the only way to be able to surprise our investors and consumers. The MPV Trade Fair was a big inspiration in this sphere and we point out only the fact that many stands did not show what they offer at first sight (this seems somehow paradoxically in our branch) and also that the conference program was solely in French for the whole 3 days.

In parallel with the Trade Fair, there took place the competition POPAI EURO AWARDS. Together with us, there were totally 396 projects from all over the Europe. Among the exhibits, even within the permanent realizations, there dominated cardboard again as it is environmentally friendly, recyclable and adds a certain glamour to P.O.P. media. As appropriate for France, traditionally there were most frequently applications for cosmetics competing in number of categories.

Also our own realizations were successful. On Tuesday, 5th April, we got to know that three of the four registered ones advanced to the June finals and it is already clear that they will win at least the bronze medal in their categories.

One of them is the Boat of Captain Morgana, which became the absolute winner already at the last year POPAI CE AWARDS. Actually, it is a mobile bar shaped as a boat. We were awarded for an impressive presentation of the brand, original design, high quality materials and focusing on details and functionality.

Our end cap for JOJO candies obtained another nomination. Looking at it, you can see a colour-changing vortex controlled by motion sensors that will give you an impression that you are looking into a kettle full of fruit juice. In the category ”Food – floor display”, our display realized for the superpremium dog food Carnilove producer ranked among the three best ones.

Winning projects will be announced on 16th June 2016 in Paris.

Your DAGO team