POS superlative

Salon POPAI is an exhibition for advertising and information, digital media, store furniture, merchandising and commercial architecture. The most popular and fascinating part of the exhibition was where innovations competing for the „POPAI European Awards” were displayed. Salon POPAI, a trade fair for the marketing communication industry held in Paris every second year has again proved in 2006 that it is unique. More than 170 exhibitors – many of them major market players – attended the exhibition and demonstrated the fact that POS advertising is spreading at an incredible pace. Every conceivable marketing tool was present at this exhibition. Displays still seemed to be the most effective means of attracting attention to a product in stores. Unlike in 2004, when expensive displays for premium brands dominated the exhibition, most of the displays seen in 2006 were of the cost-effective, modular, cardboard type. The hybrid, cardboard display with an LCD monitor, which was regarded as trendy in 2004, completely disappeared, and was replaced by projected images and special lighting effects. An example of these is the 3D projected image of the product on a cardboard display by Prodisplays Europe, a French company. Digital advertising at the POS is a real box office hit in Western European countries. Moving pictures never fail to attract attention and to sell the product, provided the visual and audio experience is powerful enough. All it takes is an LCD screen, which is simple and cheap to operate. Conferences and workshops were held about topics like, “Comparing digital media with other POS techniques” and the POPAI European Awards creative competition should definitely be mentioned. Unfortunately, there was no sign of any Hungarian participants…