No, you haven’t heard of these guys – yet. But if their budding talent can match their marketing success, they’re going to be known by every rock aficionado in the country.
Devilcar (www.myspace.com/devilcarband) played the Las Vegas Convention Center’s Central Hall area during lunch time during NAB (ww.nab.org) this week. A great gig to capture since those of us exhibiting were on short breaks and living on the (bad) fast food that the LVCC is known for. Thus, it came about as I was scouting for the shortest food line, I happened to hear the lively rock-n-roll beat of the band playing in the piece of territory claimed by HD Radio (www.hdradio.com). Forgetting lunch, I watched this group perform and promote themselves in a way that left many of the actual exhibitors in the shade.
Marketing – Devilcar Style Devilcar entertained with a variety of songs to show their breadth of talent. In between songs they were handing out free CDs, buttons with their signature “D”, stickers, and pocket-sized 4-color cards promoting their gig at the Beauty Bar in Las Vegas. (They’re playing live every Wednesday night in April, for those who will be in town.) They had their own banner – with their website posted. A young woman was shooting video of them and the audience for their website and other promotion. They were selling tee-shirts. When they ran out of CDs, one of the singers said they’d send free CDs to anyone who gave them a business card. A dozen hands shot out with business cards faster than any customer I’d seen at a booth. It was like watching a quick-draw duel in an Western movie.
Devilcar’s show was as thrilling to watch as it was to listen to their music. These guys were energetic, upbeat, friendly, interested in their audience, and happy to tell their story to everyone in their impromptu audience. The HD Radio rep told me that they found the group through their channel, Last.FM. That’s what real marketing success is about.
Marketing – NAB Style Inside the NAB halls were huge pavilions staffed by professionals and glib employees repeating canned pitches every hour on the hour. Think of the old Comdex show or CES and you get the picture. Some of these giants were like bee hives, with attendees buzzing in and out. To have a small booth bordering one of these behemoths meant that you could capture some of the ‘bees’ as they made their way in, out or around the hive. Many other large companies had glitzy exhibits, but their staffs constantly looked busy or bored or pre-occupied on their laptops.
Many exhibitors were too busy texting to ever look up to see who was passing by. And, in many cases, they didn’t even seem to care. This isn’t anything new. It’s common at every show. After a few events, we all know the badge names to look for. But in any show, if you’re spending the money to exhibit, you should make the time to market your presence ahead of the show, at the show and after the show. If Devilcar had learned marketing from the exhibitors, they would not have given their CDs to anyone with a non-US company badge, or someone older who might not be a rocker, or someone in a suit, or someone with a company name that didn’t sound relevant, or -- you get the picture: Sometimes, you don’t know who your customers are. I have the Devilcar CD, button and postcard to prove it. -Barbara Kalkis, Maestro Marketing & PR (sm)
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