Thursday, July 31st, 2008
I’m keen to know more about Manchester in Second Life. I have now visited three times since it was built last year and it has been fairly empty on each occasion. Apparently the aim of the project was to promote the Manchester brand and raise awareness of the city. I wonder if URBIS and the MDDA consider it to be a success.
There’s been a lot of talk about 3D virtual worlds being the future of the internet and I think there’s some truth in that although I’m not sure it’s quite that clear cut. Also, just because 3D virtual worlds are the future, I’m not convinced the virtual world in question is Second Life in its current state.
When I log in to Second Life I am always disappointed by the chunkiness of the experience, it’s frustrating at best and computer crashing at worst. I have been told I need a better computer to experience Second Life properly but my computer meets all the SL recommended system requirements and I have a healthy 8mb broadband connection so there must be plenty of people who have a similar experience to me. (more…)
Tags: 3d, 3d manchester, Advertising, digital, Digital Marketing, interactive, Interactive 3D, interactive media, July, manchester, second life, virtual, virtual environments, Virtual Worlds
Posted in Advertising, Digital Marketing, Interactive 3D, Virtual Worlds | No Comments »
Monday, July 28th, 2008
I was recently asked where I see advertising going in the future. The person asking me had just announced to the room that “absolutely ALL companies who work in advertising or an advertising related field are going to fail completely in the coming months because of massive cuts in advertising budgets”. I made a mental note to contact Saatchi & Saatchi and let them know. I’m sure they’ll be gutted that a Stockport-based life coach has such dire news for them.
He wasn’t completely wrong though, there have been reductions in advertising budgets on the whole. But while traditional media advertising budgets are shrinking, digital and Internet advertising budgets have remained steady.
So the message seems to be that, in times of economic uncertainty, companies want to know exactly where their money is going and what a campaign is achieving for them. They want value for money and digital provides that.
As consumers, we’re finding it easier and easier to ignore brand messages and many people are cynical about the perceived interruptions advertising represents.
The most successful advertising happens when the line between entertainment and advertising is blurred. Engaging our audience and providing an entertaining experience means consumers will not only participate in the media but will involve other members of their social group in it.
The Adidas - Impossible Story viral campaign by Glue is an excellent example of an entertaining brand experience that communicates the brand message through participation with its audience. It combines quirky visuals with nifty technical execution and the results speak for themselves. (more…)
Tags: 3d, Advertising, digital, flash, interactive, interactive media, July, online, viral, web
Posted in Advertising, Digital Marketing, Interactive 3D | No Comments »
Wednesday, June 25th, 2008
I love robots. I especially like it when those who I consider to be nerdier than myself, tell me things they know about robots and what the latest robot technology is. Someone who fits that description recently showed me a video of a robot designed by Boston Dynamics called BigDog and it both intrigued and 
repulsed me. I was intrigued because of my aforementioned love of robots and I was repulsed because, well, I’m not sure. I’m aware of the uncanny valley hypothesis where robots which look and act almost, but not entirely, like actual humans, cause human observers to feel revulsion, but the BigDog robot is not at all human-like (the clue’s in the name really). I think my reaction was probably related to the way the BigDog moves and the fact that it has two sets of legs which go in opposite directions – very “exorcist”.
As you might imagine, I really liked the Citroen C4 Transformer advert which was on TV a few years ago. It was an excellent example of motion capture and 3D graphics put together seamlessly by Toronto Production Company, Spy Films and The Embassy VFX in Vancouver. (more…)
Tags: 3d, Advertising, big dog, interactive, June, motion capture, robots
Posted in 3D Design, Advertising | 6 Comments »
Friday, June 13th, 2008
I read an article on www.adage.com a while ago by the editor in chief of www.searchengineland.com, Danny Sullivan. He described a revolutionary change in the way Google treats video clips in search results. He said, Google video ads will not only appear in YouTube clips and on pages that carry Google AdSense units, but also in Google’s sacred search results as well.
Since I read that article, Google Adsense Video Units have been rolled out in the USA, the UK, France, Italy, Spain, Australia, Netherlands, Poland, New Zealand and Japan.
I haven’t actually come across one yet but as Adwords advertisers start to pick up on the opportunities video ads bring, I’ll be interested to see what impact this has on the way they communicate their message. Like Mr Sullivan rightly pointed out, “…AdWords advertisers have had to shoehorn their messages into a 70-character limit. Well, if a picture’s worth a 1,000 words, moving-picture ads will let advertisers blow through the haiku-like restriction.”
So perhaps, any day now, we’re going to be swamped by enquiries from companies who want their products brought to life with animation and swooshy graphics specifically for use in Google Adsense Video Units. Or perhaps there’ll be a surge in companies buying digital video cameras and cheap video editing software. One thing that’s certain is that some will be shockingly bad and some will be brilliantly slick, and we’ll enjoy them all.
Tags: Adsense, Advertising, Digital Marketing, Google, June, Units, Video, youtube
Posted in Advertising, Digital Marketing, Miscellany | No Comments »
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
How can I use 3D to promote my new product?
If your product currently only exists as a CAD file, or a sketch on a piece of paper, or even as an idea in your head, 3D design can be a fantastic way to help your potential investors understand the product and appreciate its unique selling points.
3D imagery is also a good way to help your customers visualise your product and many of our clients use 3D visuals, which we have produced early in the product’s development, again in their sales and marketing activities. We’ve even had clients use their 3D visuals to train their staff once the product is launched.
3D visuals are an excellent way to communicate the finer details of a product and can be particularly useful for products with complex mechanisms or internal systems which can’t easily be photographed.
How can 3D design help me feature my product in a scene which would be expensive or difficult to photograph?
Using 3D technology, we can create realistic images which show your product in any environment. Just like your favourite Hollywood film, we can create stunning visual effects so that your customers see you product in an interesting environment. This can be an excellent way to attract attention and press and means your creative team can let their imaginations run wild.
Why is interactive 3D content so important?
Where interactive 3D content only used to be possible with long downloads or via CD ROM, increased broadband speeds, mean we can now deliver interactive 3D content through the web.
Using interactive 3D content provides an immersive experience where visitors can interact with your product and this can vastly improve the amount of time visitors spend on your site. Interactive 3D content is particularly useful for those with products that offer the customer configuration options as it can provide an accurate representation of how your product will look with the customers’ options in place.
Interactive 3D is also an excellent way to give your customers a sense of space. Virtual worlds where the customer can walk around and explore are now possible even for SMEs with a limited budget. This is a particularly useful tool for property developers, planners and environmental regeneration organisations who want to show their website visitors their vision and plans for the future.
Can 3D images be used to promote services as well as products?
3D imagery is an excellent way to help your audience understand your processes, proposals and figures and engage with your presentation. We have produced visual representations of graphs and charts which have enhanced multi-million pound projects and proposals and helped convey messages in boardrooms all over the world.
Once we have a 3D visual, can it be used in other formats?
Our 3D team can make your 3D visuals extremely versatile. We can build one 3D model and from that we can render, stills for print and web; interactive models for the web and CD ROM; and animation for TV, DVD and the web. So one 3D project can deliver content for each part of your marketing campaign.
Who uses 3D?
Architects use 3D images to help communicate their plans to clients and to aid planning applications. This can save enormous amounts of time and money by helping planning applications go through smoothly and can help keep last minute alterations to a minimum once building begins.
Property developers use 3D visualisations to help sell properties which aren’t yet complete. The property can be made to look complete with soft furnishings and nice lighting, and this is an effective tool in selling off-plan.
Event planners often use 3D images to show clients how their exhibition stands will look. Again, when used in this way, 3D images can help save vast amounts of time and money and help win business.
Companies launching a new product use 3D images to help their potential investors and customers understand the product and how it works.
Web designers and creative teams use 3D to give their website or brochure an edge and generate powerful visual effects.
Advertising agencies use 3D to show products in an interesting setting without the cost of photography and set design. 3D can be used in advertising to help engage clients and customers and make campaigns memorable and impressive.
Tags: 3d, about 3d, Advertising, animation, architect, Architectural Visualisation, FAQ, interactive, May, product, property, visual, visualisation
Posted in 3D Design, Interactive 3D, Product Design | No Comments »
