A table tent is a triangular, tri-fold, marketing or advertising piece that is usually seen in restaurants, bar tops, and random office counter tops. They are effective by nature of its bulky shape and our human tendency to pick them up with our hands. People have grown accustomed to looking at table tents largely in part because of our dining experiences. How many times have you sat down in a restaurant and while deciding what to eat pick up the table tent that is advertising a special. Now more importantly, how many times have you actually ordered that special being advertised on the table tent? I’m going to guess probably a handful of times. You see the table tent has warmed its way into our hearts because we see it as a “supporting advertisement” that helps us makes decisions when the situation calls for it. We make a closer connection with the advertisement because we pick it up with our hands and expect it to show us something interesting and when it delivers it really delivers!
However, table tent advertising can also backfire on you. It’s okay to advertise something on a table tent that some of your customers may not be interested in. Your customers will still appreciate the suggestion as long as it was delivered in a pleasant manner. But if your design piece is visually unappealing, confusing, or misleading than the customer will associate your whole establishment as so and it will leave them with a negative feeling towards your company. So it’s very important to understand the role of the table tent and leverage its persuasive nature towards your advantage. Table tents are great ways to promote seasonal items as well as a promotional piece. Remember you don’t have to be a restaurant owner to use table tents. If you own an auto shop you can create table tents in your customer waiting room, same thing goes for a medical office. So the next time you’re designing a table tent, be creative and be persuasive!