As consumers of all tastes continue to be more watchful of money spent on food, brands are battling for your wallet, and at Natural Products Expo East, the battle was impressive. So what lures one to visit a vendor booth and place a product order, Twitpic themselves enjoying a sample, or blog about their product experience?

For many, an existing relationship with a familiar brand logo or a green company with a vibrant and consumer-friendly booth draws them in. More often than not, free samples galore or a promotional gimmick can increase booth traffic. For others, it’s a booth’s design – good or bad – and for some, a smiling face. Unconsciously, clean messaging and striking brand logos play a pivotal role in practically all of this split-second consumer behavior. After all, we’re visual animals and all share the title of “consumers.”

With Expo East calling the Baltimore Convention Center home this year, the trade show floor saw more than 1,450 exhibitors and 22,000 attendees covering the natural, organic and healthy product spaces. So how does a company stand out among its direct competitors standing off side-by-side in the same aisle? By presenting an innovative and clean design, each brand was seeking an ideal way to tap into a marketplace where 71 percent of consumers are trying to eat healthier. Happily touting their products as 100 percent natural, USDA organic, Non-GMO Verified, high-fructose corn syrup-free and showcasing their gluten-free labels, each brand sought to prompt attendees to become brand evangelists. With clean designs, a company can neatly display all past and present certifications and seals, putting them one step closer to becoming a household name.

While at Expo East for Oxford Communications, my mission was trendspotting. Head turners included slick matte finish packaging, raw ingredients, smaller packages and bio packaging. Who presented their brand best? This round-up (click http://bit.ly/oNWzI7) lists tradeshow-stopping awards for Best Packaging, Best of Press, Best New Food and others.

Check out the list and decide for yourself who you feel was the best in show and why.

Attending such shows as industry enthusiasts brings the impact of design home with us. Only time will tell if consumers will not drink the non-artificially flavored Kool-Aid flowing in the natural marketplace. Meanwhile, the team at Oxford looks forward to following – and helping to advance – some of the impressive brands I’ve long known as well as those I was recently introduced to at Expo East.

To view photos from my Expo East experience, view my Flickr set at http://bit.ly/qZUQM6.

Questions?

Share your questions about the insights of this post with John, Communications Group Account Manager at Oxford Communications and the author of this post. His email is jforberger@oxfordcommunications.com.