Creating an Urban Persona

Posted by Persona @ 8:11 AM

Urban Planters, the UKâ??s leading interior landscape provider of live and replica plants displays, have transformed some of the countryâ??s most illustrious hotels, shopping centres, offices, car showrooms and leisure clubs. Last week the National Franchise Exhibition held at the NEC, Birmingham, saw Urban Planters capitalise on their business proposition to attract potential franchisees. Making it through to the finals of last yearâ??s British Franchise Awards it was particularly important to attend the exhibition, and being their first they wanted to be remembered long after the event for being different and above all, innovative. As with all franchise businesses, it is the brand that somebody invests in. Therefore it is crucial that it stays fresh and the franchise owners take the lead in developing itsâ?? exposure; so franchisees can take benefit from the entire groups success. With over 20 franchise territories in the UK and with product distribution links in The Netherlands, Urban Planters have been proactive in developing equity in their brand to provide tangible value to their network. The show at the NEC this year proved to be a great platform to showcase the strength in the brand and give new and existing franchisees the chance to see why an Urban Planters franchise may be the right one for them. Planting the seed Joint M.D of the group, Thomas Palfreyman was keen for the exhibition to stand out from the crowd and approached Nottingham design agency Persona Creative for ideas; who Thomas knew previously, having masterminded the award winning planting installation at the agencyâ??s offices. Thomas set Persona Creative a challenge â?? to come up with an idea for the stand that would be fitting to the brand, attract potential franchisees and showcase the groups innovative thinking. The response from Persona Creative was a theme that challenged the way people think about urban interiors. Featuring display graphics of faux office environments; one showing a modern â??inspiringâ?? workplace and the other a typical â??uninspiringâ?? office, the theme was designed to provoke reaction and tempt interaction. Hammad Khan, Creative Director at Persona Creative had this to say about their approach: â??The Urban Planters brand is already very strong, so to be given a challenge by Tom to enhance it was a great compliment to us. Weâ??ve always had lots of ideas we could use for them and this brief gave us an opportunity to show just how creative we can be.â?? Recycled CRT monitors were used as tree planters and a false turf floor used instead of office carpeting. To complete the stand layout, an air quality display was also designed as an area the Urban Planters team could use to discuss the end user benefits to those considering a franchise. The centre piece of the design was a two metre tall â??Urban Treeâ??, made from scaffolding to simulate branches and glass-fronted flat screen monitors mounted as leaves. This would provide an eye-catching focus point for the stand as well as highlight Urban Planters innovative approach to interior landscaping. The concept was received with great applause by the Urban Planters board of Directors, who felt the emotions and values of the brand were given strong presentation. With full approval of the theme, Thomas set about project managing the manufacture of the stand and Urban Tree, whilst Persona Creative produced the graphics and animations required. With the concept designs approved in early August and the date of the NEC show fixed to 6 October, the joint team had 10 weeks to complete the project scope, which included:

• Stand visualisation & designs
• Urban Tree Manufacture
• â??Air Qualityâ?? Bio-Spheres manufacture
• Display artwork for the stand theme
• Screen Animations
• Large format printing
• Dry run testing
• Delivery, installation and logistics

Not wanting to create simply a visual installation, the sales and marketing proposition was also developed further, with two strap-lines created. To compliment the contrasting office environments on the stand, the line â??Same number of trees â?? just less paperâ?? was created to mark the groupsâ?? ethical approach to their business. Another line was produced to appeal to the emotive side of a prospective franchisee â?? â??Do you want a business that lets you breathe?â?? Both lines can be used by the franchisees in their marketing and a positive step from head office in supporting the network. Preâ??Show Activity The day prior to the opening of the show, the Urban Planters team together with Persona Creative set about assembling the components of the stand. Whilst this was in progress the Urban Tree was already attracting a lot of interest from other exhibitors at the show â?? all curious to inspect it in more detail. A number of onlookers inquired about purchasing the tree â?? a request already anticipated by the project team, who have taken steps to copyright the design and market it as another proposition from Urban Planters; revenue from which will benefit the group and ultimately the franchisees. This type of longer term planning and an opportunity to improve the return on investment from attendance of the show is typical of Urban Planters efforts towards the longevity of the brand. Visitor Reaction The exhibition attracted 14,000 visitors, a similar figure to that of the previous year and further evidence that the franchise market remains a strong attraction for budding business owners. One visitor to the Urban Planters stand made a comment that sums up the experience almost everybody who walked past it felt: â??This is the first stand Iâ??ve stopped at; the tree is the star of the show and really grabs your attention. What an innovative way to promote what you do.â?? Franchise Director of Urban Planters and event co-ordinator Alan Page had this to say about the show: â??We wanted to make our company welcoming to as many people as possible, by making the exhibition stand interesting and visually appealing; the stand has been well received by our audience, as well as other exhibitors here today. Itâ??s even more important to demonstrate to people wanting to buy-in to our company that we continue to project the right image to clients and give the right sales and marketing support, so that our franchisees prosper and own a successful business â?? Return on Investment Exhibiting at the show was a great success for Urban Planters, with 11 of the available 13 franchise territories now under active conversation â?? the busiest the group has ever been from a single marketing exercise. Being able to bring a simple set of ideas together that conveys the brand was essential to promoting the franchise and Urban Planters are happy that their approach differentiated them from others at the show. Visitor reaction, lead generation and a new revenue stream from Urban Tree sales has laid down the gauntlet as to what can be achieved from a well planned and executed exhibition attendance and the group are keen to continue demonstrating their innovative approach to conventional ideas. The group will certainly be exhibiting at the show again and have already committed to a space at The Interior Landscaping Exhibition 2006 at the National Agricultural Centre, in November.