Outside of fall and Halloween, I think my favorite time of the year has to be Spring! The weather is warming up, the thunderstorm/tornado season is here (you can take the Okie out of Oklahoma…), and there are so many fun activities! One of my favorites being the annual Oddities and Curiosities Expo; there are so many really cool promo examples!
For those of you who don’t know what The Oddities and Curiosities Expo is, it is a two-day traveling expo that celebrates the strange and unusual! Some booths sell bones & taxidermy (everything is ethically and sustainably sourced), antiques, apparel, jewelry, and more. As an avid antiquer and a lover of all things weird, this is right up my alley. And, as a lover of marketing, I can’t help but appreciate the level of branding that the expo produces.
I could talk all day about their social media marketing, which I’ve very much taken an interest in since I first started following the expo a few years ago. But, what struck me most when I attended this year was their branding and how seamlessly the design mirrors the aesthetic of the expo itself.
Let’s take a look!
Another thing I am always excited to see is their new theme each year. For example, last year, the colors were golden with a crystal ball. This year, they’re a very pretty deep sea green. As you enter the expo, you’re greeted by signage that beckons you forward with the columns. Once you’re in the Expo, banners line each row above you. From there, you can wander the aisles, check out the booths, take a photo in their sideshow-themed photo booth, and check out one of their taxidermy or etymology classes. You could even wander over to the stage and watch some sideshow stunts.
We’ve already covered branding, especially brand consistency. And we know that having good branding and consistency is key to making a recognizable brand. With the Curiosities and Oddities Expo, through their high-quality branding, I know that I’m going to get an experience that will be consistently excellent and that the taxidermy and wet specimens will be sourced from ethical and sustainable sources.
However, having a branding guideline and consistency doesn’t mean you have to stay stagnant. Like the Expo, you can experiment and explore with your branding. Adding things like additional artwork, fonts, and colors can help your brand stand out more.
We see promotional products everywhere—literally! from work to restaurants to the grocery store. But the next time you’re out and about, look at the branding around you and the businesses you trust to see how they use their branding.
Need some help creating a branding and style guide? Well, we’ve got a guide for that! Click here to take a look and get started with your own branding adventure.
