DISPLAYS – Rolling On 11

        DISPLAYS –

“If you don’t stop them – you can’t get your message across.”

        A good display should arouse interest to get people to take some form of action.   Most fail to do this.

        Many are cluttered and contain conflicting messages and have long written messages.       

        Most people are lazy readers but good viewers.

        People look at displays to see what they can learn and to see what’s new. 

A Handful of Tips to improve your next display

* What is your objective?

        State your aim clearly.

        What message do you want to get across?

        Write this down in one sentence.

        What action do you want your viewers to take?  Write this down in one sentence.

         Now you are ready to start planning your display.

* Get attention – arouse interest

        It is essential to stop people to see what the display is about.

        Use gimmicks to get attention. If you don’t stop them –  you are wasting time and money.

        What’s new? See our latest product.

        People believe what they see.

        Active displays are better than photos and blocks of text.  People doing things, live animals (especially young animals), and working machines and models all create interest where people stop to see what is going on.  

* Keep your message simple

        Use basic English and keep words to a minimum.

        Use bold visuals to tell the story.

        Large clear lettering allows people to read the message from a distance –  don’t use all capitals.

        Select your colours with care! Use strong basic colours to get attention and these are best for clarity

* When possible involve your viewers

        Make an effort to get them involved with your message.

        Encourage people to compete in events or take part in competitions.

* Make it different

        Living and active displays are best.        

Enlarged quality photos, especially if used as a background, can help set a scene.   

        If you are using living plants or animals, keep changing them to keep them fresh.

        It’s a competitive situation, so your display must be different, and it must be the best.

-Geoffrey  Moss (mossassociates.co.nz)

“Make it easy for your viewers to take the action you want.”

SOURCE: For much more on this topic see:

 “Persuasive Ways” was first published by Moss Associates Ltd, New Zealand and in Chinese by Shanghai People’s Publishing House and as “Secrets of Persuasion” by Cengage Learning Asia. (Available as an e-book from Amazon.com.) Also available is “Getting Your Ideas Across” from Kogan Page, U.K, and a  Hungarian translation published by Bagolyvar Konyvkiado, Budapest.