How B2B/Industrial Animation Can Boost Your Marketing Efforts

Really good industrial and technical animation is one of the best investments that a marketer can make.

I was thinking about this once as I sat in a client’s lobby and watched the endlessly fascinating animation we had created of their product in action that was playing behind the receptionist. The photo-realistic animation of their product showed it from all angles and then transitioned into an exploded view of the product which revealed its inner workings and highlighted their key technological advantages in a way that even a non-engineer like me could appreciate. Gradually the product parts reformed into the product and the viewer was “ghosted” through the side of the product to show how the product performed in the furnace-like heat inside – something that would be impossible to capture on a real camera – and I was captivated by what the animation was able to convey.

While I was sitting there in that lobby I noticed that the time just passed as I was drawn into the animation. And I could see that it was the same for the vendor, job applicant, and customers in the lobby who were waiting for their appointments. They were seduced by the animation and along the way were absorbing a favorable impression of the brand of this company and its technical prowess. But what made this animation more effective was the many ways that the client had repurposed it:

• Trade Shows – getting people to stop and engage at a trade show is one of the most important tasks. After all, attending tradeshows is a huge cost and customers are literally bombarded with imagery and sound. A really good animation can stop customers in their tracks and compel them to take a look at you. In some cases it can save you money by allowing you to show an animation of your product in action rather than shipping and demonstrating the product in person.
• Training – the same animation that you use for marketing purposes can be incorporated into training videos or the imagery of exploded views can be used in manuals, etc.
• Advertisements – sometimes the imagery from an animation looks better than anything you can produce from a photoshoot.
• Interactive Pieces – this can be very compelling on your website or at tradeshows where customers can use their mouse or a touch screen to delve into your product and uncover its many features and benefits.
• Sales Tools – incorporating the animation into PowerPoints really turns what can be a bland recitation of features and benefits into something that lifts your product “above the fray”.
• Product Support – technicians that are repairing or servicing your product can conjure up an interactive animation that can help them more accurately identify the problem and how to fix it.

As consumers we are drawn to imagery that excites. Even in a B2B context an industrial/technical animation can separate you from the pack by branding you as cutting edge. And it has so many uses.

Let us know if you’d like the experts from SFA Marketing to discuss how an industrial or technical animation can give your marketing efforts a boost.