The digital frontier

Why CGI holds immense potential for B2B marketers

In the world of B2B, the products and solutions companies produce can be challenging to promote because they may be large, complex, abstract or even – when it comes to digital technologies – invisible. Moreover, it is often not enough to show a product in isolation. Customers need to understand how it fits into their application, how it works and the benefits it can deliver to their operations – which is often more than a photo or video alone can communicate. This is where Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) comes in, with the power to visualise virtually anything and make the impossible not just possible, but even tangible.

CGI has been around for decades and has significantly transformed the entertainment industry as well as many other sectors including science, architecture and medicine. The technology has come a long way since the first animated movies in the 1970s and nowadays, when looking at the work of talented artists, CGI and reality are almost indistinguishable. Looking further afield, CGI enables brands and businesses to create visually compelling and impactful content for their promotional and communications efforts, holding an immense amount of potential value for B2B marketers.

Product sampling, product understanding

In B2C, product sampling is common. However, in the B2B realm it can be more difficult to allow customers to test your products or solutions. How do you provide a hands-on experience with fluid control systems for food & bev or showcase entire chemical processing facilities when engaging with customers? By creating a detailed, interactive 3D model or experience, businesses can offer a unique opportunity to experience a product, to dissect it, learn everything about it, allowing them to understand how it works and what difference it can make to their operations.

More than just a product

The products B2B marketers sell usually need to fit into a larger application. As a result, it’s vital for customers to understand how they can function in that environment. Thanks to CGI, marketers can craft that narrative, demonstrating how a product functions in an application. This creates a richer, more in-depth understanding among potential clients, allowing them to envision the solution and the benefits it holds within a setup similar to their own.

Adaptability and flexibility

Products also evolve and especially when it comes to the technology sector, regular updates are the norm. With CGI, tweaks can be made to visualisations without starting from scratch, ensuring that marketing materials remain up-to-date. Moreover, 3D visualisations and representations can be amended to meet the needs of different markets and industries offering companies a much higher level of flexibility which is often crucial in a fast-paced marketing environment.

A sustainable marketing tool

Additionally, with sustainability at the forefront of global discussions, marketing too must adapt. Traditional means such as printed catalogues utilise significant resources when it comes to production and shipping. The same applies to product displays on exhibition stands, the logistics required can be costly and carbon intensive.

CGI, on the other hand, offers an alternative that not only eliminates the need to ship physical (and often heavy) goods around the world but also makes it easy to update assets.

One tool for multiple platforms

Everything is digital or has a digital element to it. This means that CGI assets can be used across a variety of campaigns making them a long-term investment. Renders of 3D models can be used to build interactive online environments, at live events, featured on social media, sent via email, or embedded in presentations and animated in highly engaging videos.

Philip Howe, Account Director at DMA Europa comments, “The saying goes “A picture is worth a thousand words” but in today’s B2B marketing world, it seems a CGI model might be worth even more than that. As the lines between the digital and the real continue to blur, CGI offers endless opportunities to B2B marketers by allowing them to push the boundaries of creativity to effectively communicate product features and engage audiences in innovative ways.”

About DMA Europa

DMA Europa is a full service multi-language PR, marketing, advertising and communications agency for industry.

Our services are designed to solve one of the most difficult tasks facing professionals who have sales and marketing responsibility across international borders, that is to effectively co-ordinate simultaneous multi-channel campaigns in several countries.

Services are optimised for both European and International remits, including modules for effectively addressing new markets such as Russia and Asia.

As a centrally managed resource, DMA Europa allows you to work with cultural and linguistic differences, not against them and maximise the effectiveness of your time and efforts.

Sales and media messages seamlessly co-ordinated and implemented across International markets. Media coverage and web publishing achieved simultaneously in many different native languages.Sales leads from the web, direct mail, email and printed media maximised.