3 Tasty Marketing Lessons from DIFFA Dining by Design 2010

2010 DIFFA DBD Table by Marc Blackwell

Behind every winning marketing or media campaign is a set of principles that guide their creation. For me, the DIFFA Dining by Design Event is a fun feast of eye-candy,  where I get to see the marketing exercise come to life in inspiring dining installations by architects, designers and home furnishing brands.  While some went for the fantastic with live models, giant dinosaur egg place settings and sandy floors, overall the event exemplified (as it always has)  the very real and working world of branding. While my eyes feasted on the visual, my mind chewed on the marketing ideas that gave birth to their creation.  Here are a three of my favorite tables from this year's event, and a taste of the marketing lessons they served up:

GIVE 'EM SOMETHING TO TALK ABOUT  

The New York Design Center table designed by Michael Tavano was themed "Connected" and connect it did. Aside from showcasing a range of products from showrooms at the center in a beautiful green and blue color story, the interactive installation invited viewers to take pictures for Facebook uploads and tweet to the New York Design Center Twitter page. People loved it. Passer bys were magnetized to the table, attracted to the tweet waterfall displayed on the big screen monitor that hovered over the table. At the same time, I saw people  inquire about the fabrics and furniture in the setting while they were there. I'm sure you've heard. The "new" marketing is about starting a conversation, not pushing a message. The  NYDC gives us a good  look at the effect  social media has on people and how it can work for a brand. Engage with your audience, make them feel a part of your brand, and give them a reason to stick around and learn about your product or service.

CREATE ONE SINGULAR MESSAGE

 Benjamin Moore's table by David Stark was one of my favorites for the pure and simple fact that the design screamed one loud and clear message. "Check out the Benjamin Moore ben Color Capture iPhone application." Stark chose the techy theme over colorful, making the application front and center and showing us that Benjamin Moore is a leader.  Two tall, black candle operas were "lit" by  iPhones displaying a flickering flame and the entire backdrop included four giant iPhone screens playing the Color Capture application. Some people asked, "Where's the color?" expecting such a given for a paint brand.  (It was all in the app) And that's the point. When you're planning your next marketing or PR campaign, stay focused on the message you want to convey.  Make it strong, impactful and don't let too many colorful ideas distract from the message.

DESIGN SOMETHING TIMELY

While we all love the fantastic, its the tables that are realistic (and comfortable) that merit some attention. The challenge in any campaign is to distill something useful and relevant from our own brand story to create something people care about. This eco-friendly "Cradle to Cradle" table designed by students at the New York School of Interior Design  exemplifies the art of designing a timely message. The booth's walls were decorated with a myriad of different sized and colored recycled wood slatz, while Origami sculptures lined the center of the table. Place settings were matched by eco-friendly director chairs baring green messages like "recycle" and "earth" on their backs. Imaginative without being off-base, the table has real life applications and inspires some real life marketing thought. Set your own brand aside for a while and put the bigger questions on the table.  What do people, your customers, care about? What are their pain points and what am I (or can I be) doing to address them? Once you start answering these questions, you can begin creating something stimulating that will actually help a customer, a reporter and contribute to the conversation larger society is having.