"Digital marketing experts estimate that the average consumer sees around 5,000 ads a day."
Those that spend over 4 hours per day on their smartphone might see double that. The competition to grab consumers’ attention is growing by the day. If companies don’t stay updated with the latest digital marketing trends, they could get left behind.
One of the marketing trends that has been the most effective on consumers is 3D Advertising in digital marketing. More companies are shifting their traditional marketing campaigns to 3D visual design campaigns to create immersive experiences for their customers.
So, what exactly is 3D Advertising in Digital Marketing?
Simply put, 3D advertising is any advert that uses 3D technology to create campaigns. 3D Advertising incorporates technologies to create interactive, dynamic, and immersive content compared to traditional media. The most commonly used technologies for 3D are:
Augmented Reality
AR is a technology that allows overlaying digital elements into the real physical world. Mostly by utilizing smart gadgets like mobile phones, eyewear, and others. It plays a crucial role in 3D advertising in digital marketing.
One of the most successful AR Ad campaigns is IKEA’s place app for iOS. The mobile app features 3D products from IKEA’s latest collections. Users can use their iPhone or iPad camera to scan the size of their rooms. The app allows them to select and visualize a product within the space.
3D visualization
This refers to the use of computer software to create an image. They can be thought of as digital representations of objects, places, designs, and more. The visualization can be based on real or conceptualized items — you can create photorealistic images as well as exciting, abstract images.
3D visualizations work great as a reference through the prototyping process. The image to the right showcases a product concept inspired by “The History of Whoo’s” new Golden CC Cushion. 3D visualizations let designers experiment with textures and materials before the production stage.
3D Motion Graphics
3D Motion Design is a type of animation that incorporates 3D images or objects. It is often used to create exciting product advertisement campaigns in a wide range of industries. As these videos highlight the best features of a product with captivating visuals, it’s no wonder why they are so appealing.
Due to their versatility, 3D Ads can be used for ad campaigns in various industries, like fashion, entertainment, and more. Even tech giants like Google recognize the value of 3D. The company launched its own 3D ad format called “Swirl” to encourage advertisers to use new creative formats. This new format also makes 3D accessible to more people.
What are the benefits of 3D Advertising?
1.Better Customer Experience
Based on a study conducted by Salesforce in 2020, 84% of all surveyed people consider customer experience an essential factor in their purchasing decision. While the impact of traditional advertising can be limiting, interactive 3D Ads make it easier to attract interest while also connecting with customers on an emotional level. Whether it’s rotating an item with the mouse cursor or playing with the color or materials, 3D Ads allow consumers to engage and fully immerse themselves with the products.
One great example of an interactive 3D Ad campaign is the Porsche Live Sketchbook located at the Porsche Center in Yongsan, South Korea. In collaboration with d’strict, a Korean digital design company, the Porsche Center is one of the brand’s many global showrooms designed to provide an interactive shopping experience.
The Porsche Live Sketchbook allows customers to pick their car and customize it to their liking. After finishing the customizations, the sketchbook shows the personalized vehicle in short racing footage. Customers can also share images of their self-designed cars on their social media.
One of the reasons more brands use 3D Advertising is because it gives consumers a chance to interact with a product, thereby increasing interest and the likelihood of a purchase. With so many people shopping online like never before, giving users the best online shopping experience is vital.
2.Increased Engagement and Traffic
In addition to a better customer experience, immersive 3D Ads outperform traditional formats. When it comes to digital advertising, impressions are no longer an indicator of a successful campaign. Rather than attracting many eyeballs that don’t convert, brands need to create engagement through likes, shares, and sales.
VSLB, a 3D Creative Studio, is the forerunner when it comes to stunning 3D marketing campaigns. In a recent collaboration with technology brand OLED Space, VSLB helped to showcase the unique selling points of the brand’s products. The team crafted a series of 3D Virtual Spaces that reflected the architecture and interior design of chosen locations worldwide.
Through this collaboration, OLED space generated 320,000 views and a 65% average engagement increase in their social media campaigns. Working with 3D rendering companies like VSLB allows attention-grabbing visuals to take the viewer into a realm of creativity. It also helps brands minimize time and resources for content production.
3.Attractive to Gen Z
According to Millennialmarketing, Gen Z’s spending power reached up to $143 billion and accounts for 40% of global consumers. To meet the demand of these young shoppers, brands need to innovate their marketing strategies. With an attention span shorter than 8 seconds, Gen Zers emphasize light, interactive, and meaningful content. 3D Advertisements not only attract more attention but can also help increase a customer’s attention span.
Implementing technologies like AR in an ad campaign allows consumers to engage with the brand, belong to a community, and increase awareness organically. An article by Forbes shows that 3D Ads increase the click-through rate (CTR) by 5x. They would also increase a consumer’s engagement time. By taking advantage of both AR and 3D, companies stand out from the competition and boost their CTR and return on investment (ROI) for their ads.
Instagram beauty filters, for example, are the most popular filters on social media. Many leading beauty brands like Sephora, L’Oréal, and Estée Lauder have utilized AR in their ad campaigns.
4.Cost and time-efficient
There is a misconception that 3D Advertising is more expensive and challenging to make. That’s why brands might shy away from implementing 3D Advertising into their marketing strategies. But contrary to those beliefs, 3D Advertising can help brands cut costs and time. Traditional ads, like commercials, require a large team of directors, videographers, editors, staff, and more. In addition, they have to be organized and planned out months in advance to secure a shooting location.
3D Advertisements, on the other hand, only require a skilled 3D design studio. Brands that invest money in a high-quality 3D Creative Studio have drastically reduced the costs and time to create an ad campaign. Advertisers need to take into consideration that most ad campaigns are now targeted for social media. Ads must be short to succeed. 3D visualizations also help to create more content in less time.
As social media increases in influence and value, advertisers carefully strategize and target their ads to fit social media platforms. To succeed, ads need to be creative, short, relevant, and impactful. A great example of a successful 3D ad campaign is LG Signature’s latest campaign, “The Voyage” Series.
For LG Signature’s “The Voyage” campaign, the brand advertised its products in the form of a travel experience. Starting the campaign by onboarding a customer on the “LG Signature Jet”, the viewer is invited to travel virtually to different locations around the world. Through their collaboration with VSLB, the design studio crafted a luxurious in-flight experience without renting a real private jet and visiting the physical/real locations.
Start Creating Digital Assets
The key to succeeding with digital marketing is to stand out amongst the best of the best. If you are thinking of just using a random stock image in your advertising campaign, it will surely get lost. To avoid this, consider using 3D in your next campaigns.
While relatively new and intimidating for some companies, 3D Advertising has practical uses within many industries. Companies and startups do not have to hire a team of designers to create brilliant 3D Advertising campaigns. There are great 3D studios that will work with your brand to make a strong, impactful 3D Advertising campaign.
In addition, these 3D campaigns can help you take your online presence to the next level with visuals that are hard to forget. Best of all, they have the creativity and skills to create ads that will get you the results you are looking for.
Some of the visuals found in this article were created by our media partner VSLB, a 3D Creative Studio based in Seoul, South Korea. Redefine product experiences and take your brand to new creative horizons with VSLB.