Photo and Display by: Expo 3 Int’l http://www.expo3.com/index.htm

This trade show display is only 20′ x 20′ but it uses every square inch of space. It includes work stations with faux paintings, carpet inlay, 3-D back-lighted canopy, a 3-D replica of the Golden Gate Bridge, and 3-D character models.

Is this the new Corporate Culture

If you ever watch cable news, you hear about these people who are body language specialists and who make their livings de-coding the way politicians hold themselves. There’s a message behind every pose, you see. Fist being pumped, fingers pointing in the air, quick blinking—all of it means something. Being a political junkie and a freelance writer with way too much time on my hands, I’ve been reading up on body language interpretation and I’m almost done with an on-line course.

As proof of my newly-found skills as a body language interpreter, I want to draw your attention to the trade show display above. You may not know this, but Hip Hop Culture is the new Corporate Culture. That’s the first thing that these four people are showing us. I am willing to stake my reputation on it—these four definitely love their Kanye West and their Tupac. The outfits are corporate-esque, but don’t be fooled. Look at the body language. These poses, they are nothing less than dope, down, phat, etc.

Aside from a general gang-stah vibe that these four give off, if we dig a bit deeper, it’s clear from their poses that there is a very set hierarchy among them. Starting with the shorter of the standing women, her frontal stance with the slightly cocked hip tells us many things. For one, it seems that she favors her left leg. This could mean that she’s a lefty, or maybe that she has a prosthesis. (I’ve learned that body language interpretation is not an exact science.) What is very clear, however, is that her stance is the stance of a leader. This person is an aggressive, one–legged, take no prisoners type of boss—or at least she’s a left-legged type of boss.

The two individuals standing next to her are also clearly sending us a message. The way they’re standing back to back, they’re obviously competing to be the one-legged woman’s second in command. (They are also probably married and having a lover’s spat, but that’s not so pertinent to our discussion.) In any case, there’s a lot of tension between these two. The man is trying not to be obvious about his ambition—his not looking at us certainly makes that clear enough. But his wife is a totally different kind of animal. In no uncertain terms, she’s making clear that she’s ready to take over just as soon as the one-legged leader says the word. Her set jaw and raised eyebrows says she will not take no for an answer.

Lastly, there’s the woman in what I will call a “crouched Thinker’s position.™” Her place in the company is not clear from her posture. After minutes of research on what this pose means, I came up blank. But thanks to the skills I learned in my on-line class, I dug deep and turned to the hip hop culture that so obviously is influencing these four. I found that in many photos of hip hop groups, there is usually some individual holding a similar pose. Usually the person is throwing up gang signs, it’s true. But then again, maybe this woman is, too. She might be part of a thinking gang—maybe she’s the head of this company’s strategy department. Regardless, take a look at those heels—she’s definitely the shortest of the group, but too proud to admit that so she hides in her crouch, ready, like any good employee, to strike at the competitor.

OK, so let’s review what we’ve learned today. First, I think we can all agree that the body is an open book and all you need are the right decoding tools to make sense of it. Second, if you’re looking to break into the corporate world, look to the Hip Hop culture for answers. It won’t steer you wrong.  Peace out!

Monster Trade Show Display - Big Face

Can you tell me what this person is thinking?  She’s probably not thinking about much other than the fat pay check Chanel’s going to pay her after the shoot.  (Probably explains the hint of a smile.)  My girlfriend makes me watch America’s Next Top Model (ANTM) and the experience of watching Ms. Tyra impart fortune cookie wisdom to her devotees has taught me that good models don’t over think–and some may not think very much at all.  ”They have to stay focused.”  ”Stay in the moment.”  ”Look at the camera longingly.”  These are some of the nuggets of wisdom Ms. Tyra emphasizes when the young girls who come to her seem like they’re trying too hard–when they’re thinking.

But now let me ask you a second question.  And this one’s going to scare you, maybe, because it might show you that without knowing it, you too are taking Ms. Tyra’s advice to heart.  You pass by these kinds of ads, see a giant face, and somehow you never ask yourself what it is you’re being told to buy.  So here’s the question: what the heck is the product here?  A pretty face?  The name Chanel?  Some interlocking Cs?  I know it seems like a ridiculous question.  You know Chanel sells perfume, and bags, and a lot of other things.  But why aren’t they showing any products?  Whatever happened to those ads where what’s being sold is what’s being shown?

I guess I’m supposed to buy into the fantasy.  A pretty woman is looking at me, staring, and without knowing it, I think, hey I should buy me some Chanel thing and maybe my girlfriend will look at me that way.  And if you’re a woman, maybe you might look at this ad and think to yourself that if you bought a Chanel whatever–who cares what it is–that you might be as mysterious as this woman is.  That I guess is the point.  The fantasy survives as long as I stay in the moment, don’t over think.  I’m ruining it.  I’ll stop.  Ms. Tyra, Ms. Chanel, please forgive me.