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Copyright © 2003 by Ray AnthonyAll Rights Reserved

This slide show was condensed from our CD-ROM, which contains may more examples. It is designed to highlight some extraordinary ways to be ultra-creative in business communication and sales and marketing. The concepts, designs, construction and photography of the materials, visuals and props were done by Ray Anthony, except where noted.

For more information about what we do, contact:

Ray Anthony, PresidentAnthony Innovation Group

23 Skyland PlaceThe Woodlands, TX 77381

281-364-7739Innovader@aol.com

www.anthonyinnovationgroup.com© 2009 Ray Anthony

© 2009 Ray Anthony

People are being blasted and bombarded with sales calls, marketing messages and all sorts of requests for their attention. After a while, it’s natural to become numb and oblivious to them.

In today’s world, you really need to be extraordinarily imaginative to grab and hold someone’s interest!

Hey... in these tough times, you have to be

© 2009 Ray Anthony

CREATIVE

Maybe… - you’re with a smaller company competing with a giant for an important

project and you want to change the rules of the game in your favor.- you are in charge of a big meeting and need fresh new ideas to make it

a smash hit and make YOU the hero. - you’ve had poor luck in getting a client’s attention and you now want

to try something more bold, more daring, more audacious... this time.

And You Are Wondering… - how imaginative can I get and still be “professional?”- where can I get those “quantum leap” ideas?- how can I be ultra-creative on a shoe-string budget?- is there a sure-fire way to be creative, not “corny?”

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Everyday we are exposed to over 10,000 messages! Junk mail, advertisements, radio, television and e-mail “spam” are just a few that fight for a moment of our ears and eyes. It takes I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-O-N to think up novel ways to break through the chaotic clutter that hits us.

If you want someone to understand, accept and take action upon your recommendations, you have got to stand APART and ABOVE the crowd in how you communicate your concepts, solutions, information, feelings or key messages. The examples in the following slides will show how you can boost your imagination to produce Creative Communication Materials such as business proposals, sale tools, marketing and promotion pieces, presentation handouts, visuals or props that will captivate people and better help you to reach your objectives. You will see extraordinary ways of gaining a competitive edge by brilliantly showcasing your ideas and solutions. If you begin to experiment with unconventional variations, you will surely differentiate yourself from all the competition out there who are too busy trying to play “me-too,” imitation instead of looking for fresh, new and exciting ways to innovate how they communicate, market and sell.

Be a VISIONARY Communicator

© 2009 Ray Anthony

QUICK... we desperately need a breakthrough idea!

Experiment with variations of your idea or

theme

Always be on the lookout for

sudden idea opportunities

Take risks!

Imaginative ideas for communication are everywhere! They often come from unusual, unexpected places. Here are a few places in which to get rich ideas:

books and magazines on graphic design web sites about diverse topics/areas museums, art galleries and craft shows book stores and libraries (look at book

covers and magazine illustrations and advertisements)

gift/card shops, toy and hobby stores, arts and crafts and artist supply stores

catalogs of all kinds of products supermarkets (see product packaging) department, office supply, high-tech

gadget and gag gift stores home decorating stores brainstorming with creative people

You can creatively transform communication materials by modifying characteristics of them. For example, for a letter, proposal or visual, ask yourself how you can:

change the shape and dimensions (e.g. make it smaller or larger, use a horizontal format versus vertical... make it round).

give your visual a three-dimensional effect by building layers onto it or by packaging your proposal in metal, plastic, wood or cardboard boxes, cans or tubes.

add animation or motion to your materials like automatic pull-outs, blinking lights or moveable objects.

decorate your sign or proposal with solid objects such as miniature models, plastic arrows, doll house furniture, die-cast toys, or tiny light-bulbs.

create a fold-out, perhaps a origami page of information.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

When you develop innovative business proposals, presentation handouts and visuals or sales/marketing materials, you gain the “Higher Ground” with customers. There are lots of benefits to infusing novel ideas into your business communication materials. How will they react and be affected by getting a creatively-designed proposal, for example? Here are some likely ways:

GAIN THE “HIGHER GROUND”

1. They will be mightily impressed with the extra effort you made, the time you spent and the degree of imagination you put into the project.

2. They will assume that you extend the same meticulous quality, dedication, and effort to ALL the projects you do for them – as you have done on your proposal.

3. Your company will be be perceived as focusing on fresh, new approaches. There is a “psychological transference factor” involved. Customers are likely to think, “After all, if this company has gone through all this trouble for doing a fancy presentation just for us, imagine how they will apply creative problem-solving to the key projects they will work on with us!”

4. Your competitors will appear lackluster, boring, unimaginative and even “lazy” when compared to the original, clever ways you differentiate your company through your innovative designs.

5. With maximum creativity, you will dramatically improve your chances of igniting a potential customer’s interest, thus boosting your chances of closing a deal and developing a long-term, lucrative relationship.

KEEP IT FROM COMPETITORS

© 2009 Ray Anthony

- What is the purpose of using creativity in this proposal or other marketing tool? Do I want to persuade, inform, motivate or do a combination?

- How will my imaginative approach likely be received by my clients?

- How does being more creative help to better achieve my overall objectives and give my information more impact?

- Is the time and effort worth it? What are the downsides or risks of being creative at this point?

- How can I use “cool ideas” to better communicate more clearly, concisely or convincingly?

As with any project, you work along a Creativity Continuum – where ideas can range from “mild”-to-“wild.” Before you begin a project, determine where on that range you should fix your communication sights. Sometimes a traditional proposal design will do, while other times you need megaton creativity to blast away – with sizzling and dazzling ideas – your powerful competition.Developing imaginative proposals, visuals, marketing pieces or training materials takes time and money. Some clients (especially conservative ones) might see your resourceful efforts as being too “flashy” or unwarranted. Your hard work could backfire! Remember: every time you design some creative business materials, think about where on the creativity continuum – from simple to spectacular – you should be.

Ask Yourself These Questions:

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The following slides show imaginative thematic proposals intended for important business deals.

Stunning proposals “showcase” the vision and impressive innovation of your company and will make a HUGE (and often lasting) impression upon your clients!

• For Big or Important Deals • Maximum “Creative Firepower”• Competition-Killers

StunningProposals

© 2009 Ray Anthony

You have a BIG potential deal with a organization you are dying to have as a client. Perhaps you are responding to an RPF (Request For Proposal) or maybe you are providing an unsolicited proposal. You know that your most fierce competitors will pose a nasty challenge. You have to pull out all the stops to make your proposal brilliantly shine compared to your competitors. And…you want to score big points and make a lasting impression!The way to do all that is to design Stunning Proposals that are icons of eye-popping creativity along with superb substance and content.

STUNNING PROPOSALS are:1. Highly Creative in the design of the

cover, packaging and layout of the inside pages, tabs, and pullouts.

2. Thematic and Symbolic in the titles, key messages, quotations and visual illustrations.

3. Enjoyable to look at and read. The content is designed and written in an interesting and enlightening way.

4. Tailored and Personalized to your clients. There is no hint of boilerplate content.

5. Exotic in the Use Of Materials to construct the proposal’s packaging.

6. Bold and Daring in the originality and flair built into your proposal.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The concept was depicted as a oversized match book with the theme revolving around “firing up” profits. Throughout this proposal, notice how practically everything focuses on benefits to the client. The theme begins with the bold, attention-grabbing title of the proposal, Starting a Fire of Blazing Profits and the subtitle, A Creative Strategy to Significantly Boost MagTech’s Competitive Position. Designer Leonard Broussard created the “flaming” cover with dollar signs rising in the fire and printed it out on a tabloid size (“11 x 17”) glossy stock. He glued a black paper stock to the underside of the cover sheet using double-sided adhesive. The large staple was an industrial-size staple taken from a big cardboard box.

Imaginex Worldwide Consulting wanted to clinch a huge deal with MagTech Inc. They decided to go with an eye-popping proposal that hit all the targets with MagTech... and more.

The back view of the cover includes a realistic-looking match strike plate made out of confetti paper stock glued to the cover

Strike Plate

ScenarioDesigned by Leonard Broussard

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Back Cover © 2009 Ray Anthony

This proposal has many “small touches” throughout that reinforce the main themes and mimic the characteristics of a real book of matches. These make a big difference in the overall visual and psychological impact of the proposal.For example, as a client would open the proposal (as one would open a book of matches), he or she would see: “Open Cover to Strike Profits” A typical match book cover would say, “Open cover to strike matches.” These clever touches illustrate more than just creativity. They subtly communicate to your client that your account team is meticulous and motivated by even the smallest details to ensure the success of your joint team-based projects.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The five terms such as Profits, Efficiency, and others on the matchsticks represented the benefits to the client – the intended outcomes of working with Imaginex. The five words were created (with “burn marks”) in Photoshop® and printed on inket transfer paper (in reverse type) and ironed onto each match stick.

When a person opens the match book cover, one sees “matchsticks.” Designer Broussard found simulated-wood paper that he cut to size to form the sticks of the matches. He used 1/8 inch thick white foam as the tips for the matches. He cut a slit on the side of each tip (using an X-ACTO® knife) and positioned the white foam tips over each match stick.

When you push the matches forward, the executive summary proposal comes into view (shown below)

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The executive summary document is removable. A real wooden fireplace match (coated at the tip to prevent accidental ignition!) is used at the top of the booklet to decorate and further support the title theme of Striking Up Competitive Strategies outlined in the inside of the proposal. The five main sections of the proposal are listed on the bottom.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Once you open the proposal, you will see 5 tab sections that expand upon the key benefits that were displayed on the matches. Each tab actually has an attention-grabbing key benefit statement written on it! Example (on first tab): “Revenue Growth Between 35-40 Percent Over Five Year Period.”

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Innovision Consulting went all out to win over Acme Global Incorporated for a huge, long-term consulting and development contract.

Innovision developed two benefit-focused, attention-grabbing themes that drove the packaging and design of the proposal:

A detailed, die-cast metal engine model (3 ½” high, bought in a toy store) was attached to the metal top of the proposal can with epoxy glue.

“Powerful Engine of Growth” “Supercharging Profitability”

Designed by Leonard Broussard

Scenario

These themes were chosen for their precise persuasive effect. Around the metal belly-band of the proposal can are four simple descriptive terms (each beginning with the letter “s”) that symbolize the four characteristics of the solution that Innovision Consulting proposed for Acme Global. They are:

Stamina (the Innovision team has to ensure project success) Strength (of the solution for both the short-and long-term) Stability (of the partnership between Innovision and Acme) Significance (of this project on Acme’s financial record)

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The designer created the top and bottom of the proposal package by purchasing a chrome breather for an automobile air filter. For the belly band (the part that encircles the metal can), he bought thin flashing metal at a building supplies store. He printed his graphic on glossy paper and glued it to the pre-cut metal sheet using double-sided adhesive sheets bought in an art supply store.The band was then rolled to fit and the ends were glued together. Then, the bottom of the belly band’s edge was glued to the round bottom piece with epoxy glue.The intent of the design of the “Proposal Can” (which is the packaging for the actual business proposal) was to create a sense of excitement, curiosity, and suspense for what was inside. After all, if you got a proposal like this, wouldn’t you be fascinated by it and want to know what was “under the hood?”

The terms Strength, Stamina, Stability, and Significance are each placed in one of the four quadrants of the belly band of the metal can package of the proposal.

Die-cast metal engine attached to the top round metal piece

© 2009 Ray Anthony

After opening the cover can, you see an interesting-looking document (the proposal for Acme Global) in the center, surrounded by four small die-cast race cars, each numbered from 1 to 4 on their hoods.The metal cars represent the four major characteristics of Innovision’s solution for Acme: 1. Stamina; 2. Strength; 3. Stability; and. 4. Significance. These four characteristics (represented by the numbered cars) symbolize that Innovision’s solutions will be “quickly driving the success of Acme.”Each of the miniature cars is attached to the bottom round metal part by small pieces of Velcro® tape. When the proposal is presented to Acme, the consultants from Innovision will thoroughly explain the symbolism and inherent meaning of all the elements of the proposal.

Top View With Cover Removed© 2009 Ray Anthony

This proposal document was designed to be a visual knockout by using unconventional materials with attractive design elements. The front and back pieces are perforated steel. The leather spine was bought in a fabric store and was bound to the document using metal fasteners. The combination of metal sheets, leather and steel fasteners gave the proposal (and its inside information) the rugged look of strength, power, and solidity befitting a durable, long-lasting engine (of growth) theme.On the thick-stock paper cover was the subdued blue picture of the die-cast engine and the titles/themes, Powerful Engine of Growth For Acme and the subtitle, Supercharging Profitability. Think of how you can use plastics, corrugated paper, metal, ceramics or wood to add structure to, embellish and create a captivating theme for your proposal.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The themes of this proposal focus on how Innovision can help “drive” the success of Acme Global. The designer came up with the concept of gears (as in a transmission of an engine) that would represent the two companies company moving ahead with speed. So, the proposal was sectioned off, used the tab sheets in the following way:

Gear 1: Strength of the solutionGear 2: Stamina of the Innovision team Gear 3: Stability of the partnership Gear 4: Significance of this project

The designer printed out the tabbed pages on glossy paper and mounted each on a thick stock using a double-sided adhesive paper. He then cut the rounded edges with an X-ACTO® knife.

The overall visual effect of the proposal with its packaging is quite stunning. Few clients will ever experience this degree of creativity. Those who do will be surely impacted by it!

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Symbolism Metaphors Psychology Fun Quotient The Unexpected Take-away Gift

Design Factors

© 2009 Ray Anthony

A sales executive from IdeaCatcher (a toy designer) was giving a big presentation to a toy manufacturer, FunTyme, that values creative ideas. Beforehand, the customer told the account leader that “if you help me eat my competitor’s lunch, you’ve got the deal!” The IdeaCatcher executive wanted to show their creativity in ways that compellingly demonstrated how they would give FunTyme a BIG competitive lead.

At the end of their presentation (as a surprise handout), they gave each person a lunchbox (with a superhero on it) that contains other items inside. The sales executive told the audience of four people that within the box is a concise “Executive Summary” that highlights all the key information they covered during the last hour. As you will see in the following slides, the lunchbox and its contents symbolize (subtly and unconsciously) the following: 1. Power and invincibility for the customer (FunTyme). 2. Strength against competitors 3. Righteousness for the (customer) company’s causeWhen they open their lunch boxes, the unexpected surprises continue…

Each person’s name and title are placed on the box

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Inside the lunch box are three “100 GRAND” candy bars and a small booklet which contains the key summary information from the presentation.The candy symbolizes the revenues and profits the customer will make as a result of their relationship with IdeaCatcher. Underneath the candy bars is the executive proposal booklet which was specifically designed to fit within the small metal lunchbox.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The cover message on the executive summary is strongly worded and designed to complement the packaging (metal lunchbox):

“We’ll Help You to Eat Your Competitor’s Lunch”

The strong, visceral metaphor of “Eating Your Competitor’s Lunch” was intended to (psychologically) immediately capture the attention, interest, and imagination of the decision-makers at the presentation... and it certainly did!The cover and inside pages were printed and the cover was laminated and trimmed tusing a ruler and X-ACTO® knife. The font was selected to give a fun “cartoon feel” to the cover. The executive summary was bound with a white plastic comb.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

FIRST PAGEFirst page of the Executive Summary is simple, but strong. It sets a positive expectant tone of the messages to follow with the enticing words “Opportunities” and “Possibilities”

SECOND PAGEThe “Lunch Menu” refers to the benefits of the proposal that will be covered in a concise way in the following pages of the Executive Summary. Note the positive implications of the descriptions on the menu for the customer.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

TRD Corporation does specialty engineering design. The CEO was changing his company’s direction and was looking for a consulting firm to help communicate that change process (including their new vision/goals). Fast Lane Communications was one of several firms responding to an RFP (Request For Proposal). The Fast Lane account team bought a blank metal gallon can and a thick artist’s brush. Their theme was “Painting Your Future” and they decided to use a rich color design to symbolize the targeted bright future for TRD. The “Can” concept (below the title) referred to both the metal can and the “can do” aspect of Fast Lane’s solutions to exceed TRD’s stated goals.The covering on the can was printed on glossy paper. The can was sprayed with mounting adhesive and the paper was carefully positioned to fit around half the can. Inside was a carefully rolled up proposal, a sample CD showing client testimonials and stories of successful programs done by Fast Lane. “Color the deal done,” the buyer said after Fast Lane’s impressive presentation!

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

There are many types of (metal, plastic, or cardboard) boxes to hold your proposal or other materials. Look for interesting designs that reflect a vibrant theme. In the lunch box (above), it is communicating a positive message with overtones of building teamwork for example, between your organization and that of your business partner.

The metal cylinder (below) can be used to hold a rolled-up proposal or other marketing materials. Maybe you want to create a roll-down, scroll-type proposal which would fit well within the cylinder. The theme here is “Lifesaver” which you might use to indicate the vital nature of your solution, idea, plan, or proposal. For the enjoyment of your customers, throw in some of the real candy too!

© 2009 Ray Anthony

You can add self-adhesive labels cut to the size and the shape you need to add your logo or other information or graphics to your containers. Ribbons, pins, flowers, and other decorative items can also be attached to add flair and flavor to your packaging.

Whether they are used to hold meeting materials, gifts, candy, or special promotions, boxes and containers made out of paper, metal and plastic are a nice way to package them. Look in hobby craft stores, gift shops, catalogs, web sites, party stores, and container outlets for a rich variety.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

© 2009 Ray Anthony

NFC wanted to quickly grab huge chunks of market share before other firms entered their new industry. Laseramics, which sells mass volume equipment that NFC would use in precision manufacturing, wants to hit their “hot button” which is speedy growth around the world and to assist NFC to gobble up market share. So Laseramics’ 11” x 17” proposal cover has the global design theme on it with two die-cast race cars epoxy-glued to the laminated cover. The yellow racer represents NFC and is clearly ahead of their main competitor (which is the red car).

Here is an example of a striking proposal cover using models on it to boost the visual effect of the concept. Laseramics Limited wanted to partner with Nanotube Fabrication Corporation (NFC). NFC recently developed a breakthrough process to create materials made of carbon nanotubes which are 10 times stronger than steel and weigh 1/6 as much.

Scenario

Close Up View of Die-Cast Cars

© 2009 Ray Anthony

• Opening “Closed” Doors• Reaching Decision Makers• Leveraging Bigger Deals

AwesomeMarketing

Tools

The following slides show some vivid and extraordinary examples of ingenious ways to create marketing, sales, or other promotional materials.

Keep in mind that there is almost no limit to the ideas you can transform into clever items to promote your business.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

To get the immediate attention of senior leaders in a company... talk money! Better yet, include some in your marketing promotions to them! Stun Inc. (a training company) wanted to get more sales appointments with top people in their accounts. While browsing in a gift shop, one of their marketing executives spotted a metal quarter dollar container that caught her attention. She did not know exactly how Stun Inc. could use it in their high-level marketing campaign, but she intuitively sensed value in it.Later, she and her team came up with the idea of quickly “hooking” the interest of a CFO (Chief Financial Officer), COO (Chief Operating Officer), or CEO (Chief Executive Officer) of the medium-size companies Stun Inc. was targeting for their new organization-wide Warp-Speed Innovation training programs.They created the “gift” that included real money (quarters) that surrounded the key (value-proposition) message designed to grab the attention and build the interest of their prospect to learn more about the innovation training opportunity.

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Close up side view showing the black foam-core board cut into a round piece after it was printed, laminated and glued to the foam core. Quarters were glued to the laminated top using silicon glue.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Stun Inc.’s team used a strategy to evoke curiosity from the decision-maker (who received this marketing piece) and “forced” that person to get interactively engaged in its message.“So We Can Impact Your Profits” was highlighted on the middle portion of the disk followed by: “How Much? Multiply the value of all the quarters on this disk by $2.8 – $3.6+ million. That’s our researched estimate.”Few people would resist counting the 16 real quarters attached (totaling $4.00) and then multiplying it to get estimated profits of $11.2 – $14.4 million based upon an analysis of the specific customer’s organization being contacted. Stun Inc.’s strategy worked extremely well, enabling their salespeople to get more appointments at high levels in their top 50 targeted accounts. It worked so much better than their typical direct mail letter pieces.

Who can resist the lure of real and potential money?

A “teaser (proposal)-on-a-board” is a perfect way to entice entice someone to find out more about your stated claims. It will psychologically make them more receptive to receiving your phone call to discuss your business opportunity further. Scouting for ideas in a large arts and crafts store, a sales manager saw a set of small wooden doors in the doll house section. An idea struck! The concept of “Opening Doors of Opportunity” for a client he was trying to contact (with no prior luck) was sparked. On the right side of the board were highlighted seven key benefits to tweak the viewer’s interest and create curiosity. The information was printed on a 13” x 19” sheet of photo quality paper, laminated, and mounted on a black (solid color throughout) foam-core board using 3M Super 77® spray adhesive on both sides. Then a rectangle was cut out using an X-ACTO® knife and the the miniature wooden doors were slipped over it and the sides glued in place. On the back of the doors, was mounted a graphic showing bails of money stacked like hay.

Pictured above is a imaginative marketing piece that will quickly grab an executive’s interest with the goal of moving your sales cycle to the next step.

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Fast Lane Communications, a consulting and training company wanted to get the attention of the Vice President of Marketing of Travex Corporation, a high-tech manufacturer that just came out with a superior technology for video and film production. An industry magazine had an article detailing how Travex wanted to take advantage of their digital breakthrough to gain market share quickly with their new hardware and software product line while keeping main competitors at bay (until their next product innovation). So, speed of grabbing market share became paramount for Travex Corporation.

ScenarioYou can use something like the next idea for marketing/sales campaigns, training class giveaways or as handouts at the end of your seminar or presentation (e.g. an executive summary).

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Fast Lane Communications decided to use a tin car to hold a customized mini-concept sales proposal that nicely encapsulated the benefits and value that Fast Lane could provide in helping Travex to gain market share rapidly. The car and the booklet (which was inside) were selected and designed, of course, to symbolize speed and winning. The booklet cover was color-matched to the metal car and printed using a color printer. The cover was glued to a piece of art board (to make it rigid) and then cut to size. The ten pages of the quick-read booklet gave the head of marketing concise, but compelling information on how Fast Lane would help her company. This interesting sales teaser enabled the sales manager at Fast Lane to set up a meeting. She ultimately got “the checkered flag” for a sale with Travex.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Creativity IS a winning formula!

• More Impacting Presentations• Memorable Conclusions• Focuses Audience Decision-Making

ExecutiveSummary

When giving presentations, it is vital to distill, encapsulate and highlight your information into your most compelling points. That is the job of the executive summary.

The following slides show an interesting variety of executive summaries used as handouts after an oral business presentation. Always look for clever ways to make your key points interesting and memorable.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

In over 20 years of consulting and training, we discovered that a vast majority of people who write proposals or give business presentations do not include a separate handout that encapsulates all their major points and messages.

A SUMMARY HANDOUT IS VITAL, ESPECIALLY IN A SALES OR MARKETING PRESENTATION!

Audiences cannot be expected to remember all the salient points a presenter makes, even if he or she emphasizes those main points while speaking. Often called an “Executive Summary” because it is complete, yet condensed. This one-page (or less) summary condenses and distills an entire proposal or presentation down to its sheer essence, thus helping the client to more easily visualize attractive, compelling reasons to do business with the person or team presenting. Because executive summaries enable an audience to more easily digest and evaluate information and see how everything fits together into a “big picture,” it makes it easier for the audience members to make a decision and, therefore, act upon the information presented. The following pages show examples of some novel executive summaries that will make a highly positive – and sometimes even decisive – difference in the outcome of a proposal or presentation.

Concise Complete Congenial Compelling Captivating Convincing Customized

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Wheeler gave an impressive presentation showing video and animation of their trucks in action. They also wanted to make sure that their presentation summary would sharply point out their superior value proposition.The summary had five key categories with check-marked supporting points under each category. The page was printed, laminated and glued to a foam-core board using 3M Super 77® spray adhesive (spraying both sides). It was cut to size using an X-ACTO® knife and steel ruler. To add dramatic punch to the summary, Wheeler’s graphic designer bought an 8-inch long die-cast model truck and created a customized side panel for the trailer with the slogan “Moving Fabricon Ahead,” since the customer’s goal was to quickly out-pace their previous financial performance – and new trucks would play a role in that metric. The graphic was printed on a self-adhesive sheet and placed onto the trailer’s panel. The impressive executive summary was the capstone of an impressive presentation that convinced the buyers to select Wheeler as their specialty truck supplier!

ScenarioWheeler Truck Company’s executives were giving a presentation to Fabricon Corporation’s buyers to sell them over 95 customized trucks.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Die-cast and plastic model of truck epoxy-glued to the laminated board with a nice customized graphic on the trailer section.

Customized benefits and value proposition written to precisely meet/exceed every one of the customer’s buying goals, while showing superior results compared to the competitors involved.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The senior executives of Raptor Engine Technologies were proposing a business deal with TurboMarine. The overall theme of their oral presentation was that Raptor could produce a “quantum leap” in new sales and other major benefits for TurboMarine.Raptor decided to create a handout that would symbolize the theme of a quantum leap – a vertical arrow. On the handout, Raptor Engine Technologies’ graphic designer included the key information that clearly pointed out to TurboMarine why a decision to use Raptor’s new engines – and why partnering with Raptor – would be the best decision, no doubt! The designer used a black foam core board to match the color scheme of the graphic. The arrow was simply cut out using an X-ACTO® knife after the printed and laminated piece was glued using 3M Super 77® spray adhesive.Think of various geometric shapes that you can use to make your executive summaries and other presentation handouts more compelling and relevant to the key messages you want to communicate and symbolize.

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

This is an example of how executive summaries can be effectively written and benefit-positioned for your client:

You further summarize and distill those reasons into predicted results that you can bring to your customer (financial and/or operational benefits)

Compelling reasons to choose your company as the provider of products and services

Predicted results and beneficial Impact on customer – the real “bottom line”

You include 4-8 main compelling reasons why a potential customer would be best served by buying from your company or partnering with your organization

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Shown here is the essence of a concise, simple, but compelling executive summary focusing exclusively on the four vital benefits a customer would receive. Envision a person summarizing her presentation, then saying something like, “We ‘framed’ our solution around four major benefits. We want you to ‘picture’ the impact we will make if you select our firm as your partner in this project.” She hands out the 8-inch square picture frame. The psychology is that the presenter is giving them a realistic picture of attractive, superior returns on investment, instead of the usual detailed, boilerplate sales pitch information typically included in handouts. A small picture frame was purchased from an arts and crafts store and was chosen for its double-matte effect, giving the picture a three-dimensional look. The visual was printed and taped it to the back of the matte board of the frame. The fact that there’s only vital information makes it extraordinarily impacting and memorable!

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

• Trade Shows and Conferences• Presentations & Keynote Speeches• Seminars and Workshops

Visuals& Props

Whether you are with a group in front of the room or have your display at the back, imaginative and interesting visuals and props can help inform and even entertain people.

In the following slides look at the power of applied imagination. In today’s cost-conscious world, being creative means doing some exceptional things inexpensively!

© 2009 Ray Anthony

We created a display sign that would help us to compellingly present the features and benefits of our new product. We worked with a leading sign store to fabricate the display primarily out of plastic components. The theme (highlighted by the green simulated street sign on top) was “Success Avenue” – meaning that one’s presentations, web sites, and interactive training CDs, for example, would achieve superior results using our still, 3-D and animated cartoons to spice them up. To symbolize “driving” customers to Success Avenue, we built the theme using a movable plastic model of a “cute” taxi and a transparent three-dimensional relief map of New York City that was glued to the back of the clear smoke-colored plastic sheet. Attractive simplicity was the design goal of the display. The other was to create removable items that would motivate people to “play with” the prop.

Combining characteristics of a sign and a prop, we use it to describe our CD-ROM (interactive cartoons used for presentations) at trade shows, seminars, and conventions. It draws people to it because of its eye-appealing three-dimensional aspect.

Designed by Leonard Broussard

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Removable CD-ROM in jewel case

“Street sign” suggesting results of using the PresenTOONS

Hinged plastic door hides removable product information and marketing brochure

Clear plastic covers a paper sheet that focuses on the benefits of PresenTOONS

The friendly taxi that moves along a short track when pushed by hand

© 2009 Ray Anthony

A key part of the theme – the taxi – is mounted on a plastic arm connected to a piece in the display’s back. The whole mechanism moves when pushed by hand, either by one of our staff or by a potential customer. When the taxi is moved to one of three locations, a sign is shown in the cut-out window of the display. The left-sided window shows CARTOON SCENARIOS, the middle one shows 3-D STILL CARTOONS, and the right-sided window shows ANIMATOONS when the taxi is moved in that direction. Moving the taxi is a fun way to explain the three types of cartoons included in our CD-ROM.

The information on this sign (to the right) is the only marketing text you will see on the display. We printed the paper on a color printer and trimmed it to size. You can pull away the clear plastic protective sheet (shown) to get to the paper. The plastic sheet rides on thin, beveled plastic strips that are glued to the main board. With this removable system, we can easily customize the messages for specific audiences.

Plas

tic S

trips

Movement

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Back view of the display showing the wide and sturdy plastic stand that was glued to the main board. The display is glued at an angle to not only make viewing easier, but to ensure stability of the entire display.

Back view of the display. You can see the black plastic thin tracks glued to the main board to support the recessed items like this CD-ROM jewel case.

The jewel case containing the CD-ROM of cartoons fits in a recessed open space supported by two plastic tracks glued to the back of the display. It can be easily removed with one hand.

Opening up the jewel case shows the CD-ROM with an illustration to the left. The friendly taxi is one of the main animated cartoons in the collection.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Pulling on the knob of the plastic cover opens the area that holds a yellow sleeve, inside of which is the 6-sided folded brochure (shown below). The two plastic hinges blend in with the other plastic pieces of the display.

On the back of the small cover (being opened) is a piece of the translucent map that is glued on to the cover. This is the same type of map shown across the back of the whole display.

The marketing brochure (on the left) highlights the key features and benefits of our three types of cartoons. Showing sample illustrations of cartoons within each of the three categories gives the brochure’s viewer a strong sense of the detail, quality, and creativity of the cartoons’ designs.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The Association of Future Rail Engineers participated in a small trade show. Since their culture was focused on innovation, they decided to add some flair to their booth – but do it inexpensively. So, with a can of Tinkertoys®, a model train set, and other materials, their cost of materials came to less than $120! Their goal was to create a prop with signs that enticed trade show attendees to drop by to learn more about their association and get a free 72-page report detailing their plans for the future of the rail industry.All the signs were printed in color, laminated, glued to white foam core boards and then cut to size using an X-ACTO® knife. The real eye-catcher was the bright red arrow hanging from the Tinkertoy®

frame that pointed down to the free report.

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Besides being a wonderfully flexible set of building tools for signs, props, or other objects that you can use in practically all types of meetings or presentations, Tinkertoys® are fun to work with.

You can glue pieces together for permanent use if you plan to transport your structure. If not, you can easily disassemble your creations and build new ones quite quickly and effectively. The structure in this photo was put together in less 20 minutes.

By themselves, Tinkertoys® make nice objects. But, when you combine them with attractive visuals, models, or other objects and materials, Tinkertoys® become much more interesting and useful. The creative possibilities seem endless!

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Above are close-up photos showing the three major signs that hang on the Tinkertoy® frame. Browsing in a hardware store, the builders found the ideal fasteners: metal rings attached to a round shaft of steel.

Epoxy glue was used to attach the hardware to the back of the foam-core board signs. The signs were positioned on the Tinkertoy® rods. Once the rings were centered, super glue gel was used to keep them from moving.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The project team used an HO gauge model train on top of the Tinkertoy® structure to add “eye candy appeal.” Foam core board was cut to fit the top of the structure.

They coated the entire board with white glue and sprinkled gray gravel (used for model train layouts) on top and then brushed off the excess. A straight length of HO gauge track was glued to the gravel using silicone glue.

The final touch was to glue some green shrubs (also sold where model trains are) to the gravel to give it more of a realistic look of scenery.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

The cover of the association report was designed using interesting graphics that matched the basic blue, red, and green colors of Tinkertoys® parts.

A wooden black easel, that would typically hold photos or small art objects, was spray-painted yellow to complement one of the key colors of Tinkertoys®.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Here is how to ingeniously use Tinkertoys® as a platform for storage and display. I-Spark Digital sells DVDs of photos, animations, video, music and sound effects to multimedia and graphic designers. Their goal was to create a low-cost, attractive, functional – “cool” – prop that could be used at trade shows, conventions, or other types of meetings to sell their products and promote themselves. Using Tinkertoys®, light bulbs, a die-cast replica of an old-fashioned gas pump, and foam core boards (cut to size and painted), I-Spark created a make-shift masterpiece that won wide praise from attendees visiting their exhibits.The color scheme of the signs and foam core boards matched the typical red, blue, green, yellow, and orange parts of the Tinkertoys®.The signs on the structure contained just enough important information so that passers-by could easily read and know what I-Spark Digital sold.

Scenario

© 2009 Ray Anthony

This photo gives you a better view of the construction and components of this multi-functional prop/sign/ display. The graphic sheets were printed out in color and glued (using 3M Super 77® spray adhesive) on foam core boards. They were cut to size with a ruler and an X-ACTO® knife.All visuals were then glued to the Tinkertoy® structure using silicone glue. They were clamped together to ensure a precise fit.Round holes were cut in the blue-painted foam-core boards. Lightbulbs were tightly screwed in for a neat-looking fit.For the taller center structure, two pieces of foam-core board were cut into hexagonal (6-sided) shapes for the floors. One side of each was painted red and yellow.This prop is a prime example of the flexibility and wide-range of uses of Tinkertoys® for window displays in your store, trade show props, exhibits at conventions, or hundreds of other uses in business communication environments.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Close-up photos show the construction and signage in more detail. The old-fashioned die-cast gas pump along with the light bulbs were used to symbolize “High Octane Ideas” available using I-Spark Digital’s diverse software products.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

A “diorama” typically refers to a three-dimensional miniature model (as shown above) enclosed in a frame and possibly having a glass cover.

Scenario

Well-designed dioramas will “pull” audiences to your trade show booth or display table (for your meeting or presentation). Our company created this one for our seminars/workshops to draw people to our table at the back of the room that has our products (books, tapes, and learning materials) for sale.We regularly go to hobby and arts and crafts stores to graze for ideas. We ran across a black deep box frame. Almost immediately, we realized we needed to create a three-dimensional prop that communicated one of our key services that we offer our clients. With our team brainstorming, we came up with the idea of visually depicting a person caught in a trap (metaphor for business in a disappointing economy). In a toy store, we luckily found a male figure that also included the plastic desk (and all items on it) and chair. We bought a regular mousetrap and found a small dart board with darts in an arts and crafts store.We decided on including a simply-worded, but hard-hitting series of messages that comprised our value proposition for the unique services that we offer.

© 2009 Ray Anthony

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Here is a side view showing how the objects within the black frame have a raised three-dimensional effect. Also aluminum strips were cut, painted, bent (so the prop would tilt an an angle) and then attached to the back of the wood frame with epoxy glue. This positioning of objects (e.g. signs, furniture, desk accessories, dart board and darts) in such a way gives visual depth to the prop and makes it much more compelling and captivating compared to a flat two-dimensional piece.The trick to creating a meaningful, impacting message collage like this is to use “typical” objects in “non-typical” ways. That is the secret of creativity!

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Small touches help to paint a vivid picture of what a diorama is communicating. We created the small visual “Quarterly Sales” (2” wide x 1 ½” high) with the trend going down, printed it and spray glued it to a piece of art board and cut it to size. We then glued it to the top of the desk using super glue gel.

To add “visual punch” to the trapped man, we designed a star-shaped background that was cut out with an X-ACTO® knife. A piece of thick foam board was glued to its bottom to raise the whole piece up giving it a strong three-dimensional look. © 2009 Ray Anthony

The man in the trap and the “value proposition” sign are linked together in both message and symbolism. The man’s finger (see red circle) is pointing to the headline, “FEELING TRAPPED?” The next line is a psychologically- tailored metaphor: Do not let this economy hold you hostage! which strikes at a primal fear many people subconsciously have today.The remainder of the sign gives four bulleted summaries of the value proposition we offer to our clients. The goal when creating marketing messages like these are:

Value Proposition Sign

- keep it simple - appeal to emotions and needs - make it relevant and compelling - use captivating graphic designs

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Take risks – experiment

Look for ideas everywhere

Be willing to make mistakes

Exercise your imagination daily

Challenge the status quo

Brainstorm beyond the first good idea or solution you come up with

Continuously improve upon what you have done

“Play” with wild, far-out ideas

© 2009 Ray Anthony

Hey, I’m really open-minded!