Marketing Concepts

Case Study: How to Make Your Proofs Go Viral and Increase Sales

Challenge: Advancements in technology have traditionally allowed for “virtual proofs” – those 2D images with a logo on a generic product.  This may work for standard “Logo Only” style products with one- or two-colors, but what about custom desktop items that have full color, full bleed, and are interactive and 3D? Further, with the global nature of business – trade shows and offices spread out around the globe – sharing proofs and getting approvals from multiple buyers can slow down production, and increase delivery time and prices.

Until recently, the only way to show a proof or a spec sample of a desktop item was to create a complete pre-production sample – a sure way to eat up a good portion of a client’s budget while increasing the production time by several weeks. Further, looking at a proof on paper or even in a PDF can, well, fall flat when a distributor’s buyer is reviewing a proof. “Our challenge was to find a way to not only showcase the various manipulations of the MagiCubes®, but also help distributors increase their sales,” says Ron Friedman, Founder, PTI Corp, owner of MagiCubes® brand of 3D folding advertising puzzles.

Solution: MagiCubes® offers free 3D videos for both proofs and specs in as fast as one or two days. Since these desktop items are always 100% custom, showcasing the promotional item via a video proof allows clients to interact with the simulated product in the same way as if they were actually physically interacting with the product. For example, buyers can inspect a 3D product by watching a quick video to view all designs on the cube.  Since most MagiCubes® have nine to 20 panels, this is very efficient compared to reviewing nine to 12 static pages of a PDF proof.

Using specific MagiCubes.com templates, the clients simply place their custom images and text on the template. We then put the artwork through a very sophisticated 3D rendering process to create the video proof. In fact it’s the same technology and same software used by Hollywood Studios and Madison Avenue Ad Agencies for creating 3D motion graphics.

Upon completion, the video is uploaded to Youtube.com. We upload them as private, and they are only available to view with the specific link we provide. The Video Channel is safe and is not branded. The videos have a voice over track that explains that the video itself is a proof, and the buyer should carefully review for copy and image orientation, etc.  Distributors can choose to use their own voice and logo branding on the videos they share with their clients.

Results: 3D virtual proofs are eco- and budget-friendly, and, in many cases, increase sales. Friedman shares a recent example: “Distributor Bob Levitt sent in an order for 1,500 MagiCubes. Shortly after we sent the video proof to Bob, he forwarded it to his corporate buyer, who, in turn, re-distributed the 3D video proof to the company sales team around the world. The original order was 1,500 pieces, a $5,000 value. In the end, the order increased from $5,000 to $12,000.”

Adds Levitt, the V.P. of Sales for Tangerine Promotions [Now  CEO @  Brandsavvy Promotions], “Being able to provide such a quality proof in video format via a simple link, which could then be emailed to various department heads, was the key to tripling the order quantity. Usually, I am only provided one or two physical proofs, which are kept under wraps with the primary buyer. But with the 3D video system, I am able to get this product proof presented to multiple recipients in the far corners of globe in less time than it takes to drive through my Coffee Bean for a latte. Within hours after I circulated the video link, I received a call from my client that  not only was the proof approved, but yet another sales manager who viewed the video wanted to increase his allotment. After all was said and done, that week I received two more calls from the same buyer to keep increasing the order quantity. That video proof in effect doubled my commissions. I love when technology works ‘for’ you.”

The 3D video proof of the promotional item went viral throughout the client’s management resulting in substantial new business. Having a link that corporate buyers can forward is like having the video be the “inside rep” for the distributor. See the actual videos proofs here- http://www.magicubes.com/3dproofs.php