City of Paris

My mailbox (snail mail, that is) has been filled with preshow mailers from various exhibitors at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Chemistry (AACC), which opens this week at McCormick Place in Chicago. As I sifted through the stacks of postcards and brochures, I saw these promotional pieces in a new light, not as an agency person producing these incredibly important traffic builders, but as part of the audience and someone using the mailers to plan a walk through the convention hall. I came away with the conclusion that preshow mailers are not meant to be creative showpieces─none in my pile of more than 50 pieces is─but they must showcase the presentations (the exhibit, workshop or scientific sessions) and direct traffic to them. Sadly, while most of the mailers I received contain sufficient information to get me to these various venues, very few would arouse the curiosity of a naïve visitor (i.e., one who does not already know the company).

Beckman Coulter stands out with a very clear, coherent and easy-to-read program, complete with the URL of the web page showcasing activities at the meeting. Beckman Coulter won an extra point from me for sending a reminder just this last week to highlight key events. Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics also sent a very easy-to-read and helpful guide to their programs, but Beckman Coulter did better, in my opinion, with a simpler format (a four-page brochure) and of course the follow-up mailer. Bio-rad gave me the best reason to visit their booth—a go-green shopping bag, with which I can rack up my 5-cent refund every time I go to Whole Foods. Bio-Rad’s oversized postcard is nicely laid out, easy to read and no doubt inexpensive to produce. And I appreciate not having to hunt for their booth number!

The worst mailer I received came from a major player in clinical diagnostics with a booklet that was obviously produced by amateurs and that read like a product catalog with uncoordinated contributions from various divisions. Oh yes, I received a few mailers featuring the Chicago skyline (the meeting is being held in Chicago). Good for Chicago, but it doesn’t make much sense unless your company happens to be headquartered in the Windy City.

Now some dos and don’ts for those of us planning preshow mailers for the next convention.

• Do make it easy for people to find you by prominently displaying booth numbers or details on venues for special events.
• Do put function before form and put clarity of information and readability of layout ahead of design gimmicks.
• Do support your snail mail with a dedicated web page to provide more details and pre-registration for special events.
• Don’t devote too much space to product descriptions—let your salespeople tell the story at the exhibit booth.
• Don’t overspend on big pieces, complicated folds and cute copy, as they can become roadblocks to an audience looking for some quick information.

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