events

Book Expo Canada – Does Flair Work?

“People can get a cheeseburger anywhere, ok? They come to Chotckie’s for the atmostphere and the attitude. That’s what the flair’s about. It’s about fun.” – Stan, Office Space

Regardless of the size, every company at BookExpo Canada – from Random House to Napoleon Publishing to Dundurn- had one thing in common – flair. What is flair, you ask? In the 1999 cult classic movie Office Space, flair is defined as slogan buttons that contribute to the fun atmosphere of a work environment. Flair are stylistic items that can range from buttons (in the case of Office Space) to posters to calendars to mugs. Really anything that can carry your message, whether that message is a provincial slogan or the title of an upcoming book, can be considered flair.

In the publishing world items of flair, such as bookmarks, BLADs, pens, CDs, sample chapters, and postcards, are usually used to publicize newly released titles, upcoming titles, and the company. At the Dundurn booth this year we were offering pens that promoted Dundurn, our blog Defining Canada, and our new Now You Know It All website, which features our line of Now You Know books; buttons; bookmarks for upcoming titles such as The Young City and Doom Lake Holiday; postcards for newly released titles such as Kickstart and upcoming titles such as Labours of Love and Mike Filey’s Toronto; and BLADs for Caribou and the North.

Another form of flair is free books. Most publishers at BookExpo will host author signings at their booth as a way to create buzz about an upcoming title.

Everyone loves flair at BookExpo, with some people scooping it up by the armful, but does it work? Will it lead to sales? Does it sway booksellers, buyers into placing an order for an upcoming title or for a title that they perhaps overlooked? Will using our Now You Know It All pen lead to users typing in the website and spending some time there discovering why humans kiss and what is the origin of the expression “bite the dust”? Does our flair get into the “right hands” ie the decision makers, whether it’s a buyer for a bookstore or the event coordinator at a festival? I can tell you that, although I love my Harcourt Genius Squad button, it probably didn’t get into the right hands since I’m not a retailer and won’t be calling their distributor to purchase copies, but then again maybe it did since this fun yellow button has found a home on my purse for all (perhaps an Indigo buyer) to see. Are potential customers too overwhelmed with all of the freebies that are given to them that they don’t give them a second look?

I’m not sure what the answers are to these questions. I don’t have scientific proof, statistics to tell you that x amount of flair leads to x amount of sales. What I can tell you is that unique and memorable flair have the ability to help sell your product. As well, in-booth author events along with promotional materials not only contribute to the branding of a company but they also create buzz around one’s booth and encourage attendees to stop by, which can lead to networking, new accounts, securing reviews and author appearances at festivals.

Photos From BookExpo Canada

© 2008 Defining Canada.