Celebrating 20 years of service and innovative solutions was just one of MediaLab’s milestones this year.

When it comes to growth, creativity and innovation, 2015 was a year of honors and recognition for MediaLab. Being ranked among Yahoo, Pandora and Yelp on Inc. 5000’s yearly list showed just how far we have come. MediaLab was also ranked on the Deloitte 2015 Technology Fast 500 list showing our growth among the fastest growing North American companies in the technology and media, like Hootsuite, Twitter, Facebook, Pandora, and Salesforce.

Winning three Telly Awards for work we produced for our clients was thrilling. When we won three W³ Awards, it was like the cherry on top of the sundae. All of this recognition made our milestone 20th anniversary even sweeter.

Inc. 5000 Ranking: 2,798

For the first time, MediaLab was announced as part of the prestigious Inc. 5000 list. The announcement came on the heels of our expansion to our award-winning new headquarters in Tampa, Florida. Bruce VanWingerden, our CEO, feels that the Inc. 5000 ranking shows just how far MediaLab has come. “We’re producing our most innovative work to date, and our growth has no ceiling,” he said. “It’s really gratifying to be honored for the industry strides we have made.”

Averaging an astounding three-year growth of 490%, the companies on the 2015 Inc. 5000 list made this year the most competitive crop in the list’s history. With aggregate revenue of $205 billion, the companies on this year’s list have generated 647,000 jobs over the past three years. Check out the complete results of the Inc. 5000 list at www.inc.com/inc5000.

Deloitte Technology Fast 500 Ranking: 457

This year MediaLab was also named as part of the exclusive Deloitte Technology Fast 500 list, alongside companies that together averaged an amazing three-year growth of 850%. While the biggest industry segment on the list is software (making up 57% of the list), digital content/media/entertainment companies like MediaLab make up the second largest industry segment (with 15% of the list). Others honored on the list include HootSuite, Twitter, Inc., and Zillow Group – so MediaLab is among very impressive company.

“The 2015 Deloitte Technology Fast 500 winners have demonstrated remarkable innovation and at the same time have had a profound impact on businesses large and small,” said Sandra Shirai, principal, Deloitte Consulting LLP and U.S. technology, media and telecommunications leader.

Telly Awards: Animation Innovation

This year was the first year that MediaLab entered the Telly Awards. We were hopeful that we would win one, so when we found out we won three Tellys in the Online Commercial category at the 36^th Annual Telly Awards, it sent a ripple of excitement throughout the company.

MediaLab was selected from nearly 11,000 entries from all 50 states.

We brought home two Bronze awards and one of the highly coveted Silver awards.

MediaLab’s Telly Award-winning Work:

• Our creative work for the SitOnIt Seating’s Focus Family received the prestigious Silver Telly. While the animation was extremely complicated, MediaLab worked with our client’s Creative Team to deliver a winning video.
  

• It was our unique take on educational advertising with Spectrum Brands, Inc.’s SmartCode™ 916 from Kwikset commercial that brought home a Bronze Telly. Our team was challenged by the complexity of the lock features, and clearly showing how the touchscreen worked.
  

• An innovative animation made Contigo’s AUTOSEAL® Pitcher Demonstration come to life and earn us a Bronze Telly. We did it by showing the product’s unique key features in both an entertaining and educational way.
  

W³ Awards: Creative Excellence

The W³ Awards are sanctioned by the prestigious Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts (AIVA). AIVA’s invitation-only members come from Fortune 500 companies like HBO, Disney, MTV and AvatarLabs. They judge web creative work based on a high standard of excellence – which is why we are truly honored to have won two W³ Awards.

After winning Tellys for Contigo’s AUTOSEAL® Pitcher Demonstration and Spectrum Brands, Inc.’s SmartCode™ 916 from Kwikset animation, it should have been no surprise when they were both recognized with the Silver Award from W³. The Contigo animation Silver Award was in the Branded Content: Business to Consumer Category, while the SmartCode™ 916 animation Silver award was in the Online Video: Educational/Training Category.

MediaLab also received a third award for the EveryDrop™ Water Filter from Whirlpool, also in the Branded Content: Business to Consumer Category. We were recognized for producing animation that featured complicated water animation, while showcasing the product’s unique key features in both a stylized and educational way.

Learn more about the W3 Awards to see why we are so happy to be part of such an impressive group.

Looking Ahead: An Even Better 2016

We’re obviously proud to have received so much recognition in 2015 – but we’re already looking forward to what we can accomplish next year. Always pushing ourselves to provide clients with the most innovative and creative solutions in the industry, we’re all looking forward to seeing truly immersive 2016 plans in action. “We have so much talent on our side, I’m really excited about our 2016 plans,” Bruce said, adding, “I wish I could give you spoilers, but you’re going to have to wait and see what we have up our sleeves.”

In the last post, we talked about creating multiple images from one geometry, but what about when your business moves at the speed of thought? In today’s world there is also a need for product images that keep up with:

• Rapid Prototyping and Product Development
• Multiple Configurations
• Just in Time Manufacturing
• Product Updates

Rapid Prototyping

One of our furniture seating clients is constantly designing new products and components, and looking to get them launched in the marketplace as quickly as possible. This means producing images before products are even built. To keep up with development and get the product images needed, they use 3D product images.

Looking at their Chair Builder Tool, you can see the number of images this furniture client requires:

• Products for 3 product categories
• Multiple products in each category
• Multiple ways to customize each product, which depending on product may include:
  • Coverings (including textile, leather, and mesh)
  • Frame
  • Finish
  • Adjustment Options
  • Frame
  • Arms
  • Legs/Feed
• Front and back images for each different configuration

Not only do the 3D product images allow our furniture client to develop new components and quickly launch them to their existing product lines, it also allows them to get more out of the 3D product images since they already have the 3D geometry needed for any new textiles or finishes. With so many options to choose from and over 1,000 textiles available, this is crucial to their business.

3D product images can showcase different fabric designs, cloth or leather coverings, and various mesh colors and patterns.

Helpful Tip #1: Even if we do not have the 3D geometry, we can work from high resolution photos and product dimensions to create the 3D geometry in our computer environments. While this can take a little bit of extra time when compared to working with 3D geometry, it can be a helpful alternative if you are having trouble getting your hands on those files.

Helpful Tip #2: While many textile companies provide tiles for their fabrics, some do not. If you need tiles created, we can work from samples to build the library of tiles you need for your products.

Multiple Configurations

Big Ass Solutions has more than 120 versions of its Haiku fan available on its website. To support this product line, Big Ass Solutions needed product images that represented fans:

• With different blade lengths, materials, and finishes
• With different mounting options
• With and without an LED Light
• With and without SenseME technology

One of the main advantages of using 3D product images for this product line is that by building out the 3D models for 3 different blade sizes and 10 different components, along with 8 different blade finishes, product images could be produced for all of the different configurations.

By having MediaLab build out the different components for the Haiku fan, Big Ass Fans was able to get images for over 120 configurations.

Difficult Subjects for Traditional Photography

Not only did 3D product images help Big Ass Solutions get the image coverage they needed, it also helped get the images faster and more consistently than a traditional product shoot.

In order to get the proper product images, Big Ass Solutions was looking at having to install fans on different ceilings – which would make it very difficult to ensure the exact same camera angle every time.

This is because, not only would Big Ass Solutions have to deal with the normal issues of traditional photography (like the cost of manufacturing and shipping the product, the cost of setting up a studio, the scheduling of people and equipment) – they would need to install each fan in a ceiling in order to photograph it properly. Add to that trying to get installed fans into the exact same position time and time again to maintain brand consistency. All of this created a list of headaches that was easily avoided by opting to use 3D product images.

Just in Time Manufacturing

Another case where 3D product images are helpful is when products do not exist until a customer orders them. While this could be said for examples like the furniture company above or Big Ass Solutions, it is more of a reality when a manufacturer uses just in time manufacturing.

Kohler recently launched a Tailored Vanity Collection – creating over 1,000 product images with MediaLab before the products even existed.

• 5 different styles – the Poplin, Damask, Jute, Jacquard, and Marabou
• Up to 8 different finishes
• Range of sizes from 24-72 inches
• With furniture legs or toe kicks
• With various door and drawer configurations
• With one or two sinks
• Plus accessories, hardware, and matching mirror and medicine cabinet surrounds

Brand Relaunch

Finally, when looking at a brand relaunch there can be a long list of product images that are needed. KitchenAid faced this with the relaunch of their kitchen appliances line. Fortunately, when they found out about this relaunch, they started working with MediaLab to create new imagery nine months ahead of the relaunch. This gave them time to schedule out images as products were finalized and focus on creating the highest priority images first.

3D Images for various KitchenAid Wall Ovens were completed as part of a brand relaunch.

A More Green Option

While many of these companies are using 3D product images to increase speed to market, many are also recognizing this option as a more green solution since it means less manufacturing, less shipping, and less set development.

Especially with companies that are moving to just in time manufacturing, which only produces products when they are ordered to avoid over production and wasted resources, 3D product images are the way to go.

Putting It All Together

Eschelon Cabinets did a brand relaunch and focused on improving their process by designing more products, getting them to market faster, and using just in time manufacturing to decrease waste.

To accommodate these business process changes, Eschelon also created a Cabinet Visualizer that gave sales teams a better tool for showcasing different cabinet finishes, configurations, and options.

This included:

• 3 different kitchen layouts
• 61 door options
• 49 crown molding options
• 29 light rail options
• 9 hardware options

That means the Eschelon Cabinet Visualizer currently has over 2 million kitchens it can produce to help new home buyers select the kitchen options they want for their new homes.

By using 3D images, Echelon can showcase different doors, woods, and finishes – all without having to build each and every kitchen option.

Using 3D images allowed Eschelon to get the product images they needed, for a product that would have been difficult to install and shoot using traditional photography.

So Why Should You Look at 3D Product Images?

You should consider using 3D to create product images if you are facing challenges like:

• Products that do not exist yet or are still being developed
• Products that are not available or that have so many configurations it would cost prohibitive to manufacture all of the variations for traditional photography
• Ensuring you have product images for all products in a product configurator
• Products would be difficult to shoot using traditional photography
• Looking for ways to reduce waste in your company operations

One of the great advantages of using 3D product images over traditional photography is that a single piece of geometry can yield many different digital assets. For example:

• A single model or SKU could have a shot list including:
  • Head on view
  • Isometric views
  • Additional views for packaging (top down, side view)
  • Hero Shots
  • Detail views of the controls
  • Propped and Unpropped
  • Interior Views
  • Cutaways/Exploded Views
  • 360° spinners
• In addition, more product variations could result from:
  • Finishes and color options
  • Variations for different Brands
  • Special versions for Channel Partners

Once we have the 3D assets, they can also be used in photo integrations, 3D set shots, and even product animations.

Best Practice: Creating multiple outputs at the same time increases efficiency and can potentially lower your overall costs. Take the time to consider the different imagery you might need for you and your channel partners. Of course, if you find you need additional images later, those can easily be added to your project.

A Simple Example: One Geometry – Three Outputs

In this basic example we worked with Symmons on a new faucet where one file resulted in three outputs, showcasing the different finishes available.

Benefit: With 3D images, you can ensure that all of your product shots have the same angle, lighting, and brand consistency you are looking for.

Notice how the geometry stays the same for all three versions of this faucet. The only thing that changes is the finish.

Three Pieces of Geometry – 16 Outputs

Of course some jobs involve more than one file, like this project we did for Maytag that included a washer and dryer along with a pedestal.

From these three files we were able to produce a library of 16 outputs – 15 images and one 360° Spinner.

Benefit: Once your geometry is imported into our software for 3D product images, it can also be rotated to create a 360° spinner.

Washer Variations:

Dryer Variations:

Washer and Dryer configurations:

Washer and Dryer on Pedestal Variations:

Not only can 3D images keep the lighting and angles consistent, they can make it easy to adjust one aspect of the product in each shot.

Hero Shots:

Detail Shot:

360° spinner:

All the Possibilities – During Production and After

Another plus is that if product details change after the initial engineering files are sent to manufacturing, the 3D images can be updated – without having to start from scratch.

Best Practice: Send your 3D geometry to MediaLab at the same time your engineering files are approved for manufacturing. This will allow you to have your product images created at the same time (or even before) your products are manufactured.

This can also be useful after the product has launched. If you update the product, the 3D product images can be updated in tandem — maximizing your use of existing assets.

While the products are new to the market, existing imagery was able to be repurposed with specific updates (knobs and graphics) that eliminated the need for new physical product to be sourced.

What Does This Mean For Your Next Project?

While there are still some companies that rely on traditional photography, this is changing. Especially when you consider the volume of images needed for new products.

“We have furniture manufactures that are producing hundreds of images before the products are even manufactured.

We have appliance companies that need hundreds of images to cover all of their different variations.

We have kitchen and bath clients that use 3D product images for web and product packaging images.

The common feature among all of these clients is they are realizing greater scale, and finding 3D allows them to get ahead of the product images they need.”

– Jeff Morrow
Senior Account Executive, MediaLab

Consider evaluating 3D product images if:

• Your list of product images is more than 10
• You are having to wait for product to ship from the manufacturing facility to the studio
• Physical product will not arrive in time for you get the images you need for product launch
• You have multiple variations or finishes and you want consistency among all of your images
• Your products have multiple configuration options
• You have a rapid development, prototype, and launch process
• Your photo studio is backed up and will not be able to get to your project in time for product launch

We recently released our new rendering processes to meet home buyer demand for higher quality images.

Here’s a look at the data behind the need for sharper exterior renderings…

Sharpness Sells

Analysis from Redfin shows that homes with the sharpest 10% of images sold at or above list price 44% of the time, while listings with average sharpness sold at or above list only 13% of the time.

Additional Analysis by Redfin indicates that getting the sharpest images for your property may result in the following advantages:

• Receive an average of 61% more views than their peers across all price tiers.
• Have a 47% higher asking price per square foot.
• Have an increased likelihood of selling homes priced above $300,000.
• Stay on the market an average of 10 days less.

Evidence That Exteriors Are More Critical Than Ever

In addition, the exterior of the home is the image home buyers are likely to spend the most time viewing — both in terms of duration and frequency.

Eye tracking research done by Old Dominion University at Norfolk, Va., found that more than 95% of users looking at a real estate listing viewed the first photo (an exterior of the home) for a total of 20 seconds, and fixated on it 60 times.

In addition, to make a great first impression, you have to capture their attention in 2 seconds.

The New Standard: Hyper-Real Renderings

Knowing sharper images would improve the experience for the home buyer, we developed a new photo-real rendering style, called “Hyper-Real.”

About 75% of our builder clients are moving towards these more photo-realistic renderings and have been quite pleased.

How We Increased Sharpness

Image sharpness can be thought of as detail added to an image.

Typically this is done in photography by using the best camera, lens and lighting. However, with renderings the main levers we have are the improved detail of our 3D models, the textures we use on our renderings, the lighting of our models.

By doing this, we have been able to take the same rendering and update it so it has much more detail than before.

The new style of exterior renderings improves upon the realism of the siding and brick details.

In the image above you can see many of these improvements at work.

• 3D model: By adding the siding detail to our 3D model, we now get shading on each individual piece of siding.
• Texture: The siding texture has been updated to provide more grain detail. Looking at the brick you can also see enhanced detail
• Light source: By changing the position of the light source, we get more accurate shadows and coloring.
• Additional Details: Crisp reflections on the windows, bright foliage in the front yard, and a sharper picture will show a house in its best light and add to the realism.

The new style of exterior renderings really makes the entry way of this home believable and inviting.

The clouds and shadow on the lawn help to improve the sharpness and detail of the new rendering style.

The result is sharper, more realistic look and feel to this house, with enhanced details and better lighting.

If you are interested in more examples of our new rendering style, check out more of our Hyper-Real Renderings.

We already know home buyers have gone mobile, but we also know the amount of time people are spending on mobile devices is increasing. This means homebuilders must have a mobile strategy in place to provide the information new home buyers are looking for.

A recent joint study conducted by Google and the National Association of Realtors uncovered the following eye-opening facts about today’s new home buyers:

• 89% use a mobile search engine
• 68% use mobile applications
• 51% read general home information
• 48% get directions to visit a home
• 44% compare prices

Plus, with Millenials having the highest smartphone penetration rates, homebuilders looking to attract these future home buyers need to pay attention.

Creating the Best Mobile Experience for Home Buyers

To establish a competitive edge, your mobile site needs to be:

• Mobile-friendly
• App-friendly
• Easy to navigate – especially for mobile users searching for important info like directions and new home prices

See why homebuilders must invest in mobile…

Chime In
How has mobile impacted your business? What are you developing for mobile technologies, mobile content and apps? Are interactive and emerging technologies playing a bigger role?

We’ve all done it. You come up with a great concept, create outstanding content, post it on your site, kick back and wait for the business to roll in. But are you doing enough?

With so much content fighting for so many eyeballs, it’s not enough to just post it and forget about it. You need to make sure your best content gets in front of your customers, sales team and partners.

Creating a plan to effectively distribute your content takes time, but also gives you the most bang for your buck.

So stop hoarding your best content and get planning.

10 places to distribute your 3D content:

1) Your Website (on the Right Pages)

Don’t limit publishing to product pages. Customers likely search for product information on your Help, Customer Service, and FAQ sections.

Prominently feature new products and product lines on the home page for maximum visibility. 3D set shots like those used by RODA by Basco make a lasting first impression, especially when placed above the fold.

Screenshot of RODA‘s home page which prominently features 3D set shots from MediaLab.

Do some brainstorming and consider creating interactive tools that get customers excited about your product. ClosetMaid used 3D set shots to upgrade its DIY design tool that generates 5+% of its sales.

ClosetMaid was able to develop a variety of 3D images for their DIY Tool, including propped/unpropped, different materials, different finishes, and different configurations.

NETGEAR took a similar approach and created the 3D Interactive Home — an interactive tool customers use to visualize NETGEAR home networking products and how they work together.

Interactive environments give NETGEAR the opportunity to feature different solutions for different rooms.

Texas Instruments used 3D animation and zoomable images to create an interactive virtual school, complete with classrooms that teachers and staff can customize with TI products and services.

This science class rooms shows relevant Texas Instruments calculators and products.

2) Product Packaging and/or Instructions

Add QR codes, shortened URLs, or other shortcuts to the product itself or in your use/care guides so customers can easily access 3D instructional animations. Whirlpool put codes on their dryers to help customers access 3D instructional animations that explain how to install and use the dryers correctly. The result? Customer satisfaction went up, and complaints went down.

These tags help consumers properly install Whirlpool Dryers and feature QR Codes.

Black & Decker placed QR codes next to key steps in the printed installation instructions for their SmartCode Deadbolt to help customers install the locks correctly. This cut down on complaints and reduced the high return rate for the product.

The SmartCode Packaging also included a Microsoft Tag to Installation Instructions.

3) Print and Digital Campaigns

Done right, 3D images rival the best high-quality photography, which is why big brands are increasingly relying on them. Most companies can easily replace 60% of their shots with photorealistic 3D images and reserve those intensive photo sessions for key hero shots.

Jenn-Air used 3D set shots to promote its armoire-style refrigerator door panels in an annual print catalog.

Jenn-Air used the 3D set shot for their Armoire-Style Door Panel Kit on page 72 of their product catalog.

Basco used 3D images in TV commercials.

Contigo worked their 3D product animation into their QVC segment. Check out timestamps 1:50 and 7:47 of their product video.

And, don’t forget to include helpful 3D content in your purchase confirmation and follow-up emails. Link to the images and animation that reinforce your brand and increase customer satisfaction with your remarkable product.

4) Your Sales Team and Call Center

This one seems obvious, but too often, sharing with your team happens only as an afterthought, or gets forgotten altogether. Jenn-Air created 3D set shots of its armoire-style refrigerator door panels after receiving a request from its sales team for high-quality images to showcase the armoire kit in four different configurations. Your sales team needs the best assets you have to close the deal. Don’t hold out on them!

Instructional animations and images can be a huge resource for your call center, especially when used to answer questions, help with installation, and resolve problems with new products, just like Whirlpool did.

5) Distributors and Installers

Jenn-Air shared their new content with their distributors and created an updated training tool for their installers using their new 3D animation.

3D Images and Animation were used in this training for installers to clearly communicate the steps involved with Jenn-Air‘s built-in refrigerator.

A Few Tips on 3D Content Sharing with Distributors and Installers:

• Make it easy to find. Place a prominent link in your main navigation or footer navigation that’s easy to find, so they can easily access sales, training, or resource information. You can password-protect this content if needed.
• Make it ready to use. Provide 3D product images and set shots in several sizes. These should be optimized for the web and ready to download for use on websites, in emails, or social media. Provide installers that complete trainings or certifications with logos or images they can place on online certifications pages and/or use in print collateral, including brochures, business cards, and vehicle wrappers.
• Keep distributors and installers informed. They won’t know you have new resources available if you don’t tell them. Send emails with links whenever you post new material and consider sending a monthly or quarterly recap if you regularly add 3D images and/or animation.

6) Channel Partners

In a previous blog post, we talked at length about the importance of sharing with channel partners. Many of your partners have large websites that are highly ranked on search engines and bringing in big audiences you need to reach. Whirlpool, Masonite, and ClosetMaid have all found success sharing 3D content with their partners.

Tips for Sharing 3D Content on Partner Websites:

• Keep 3D content above the fold. This is especially important if you’re trying to reach mobile audiences.
• Make sure 3D images and animation are easy to see and/or play. Stay away from anything designed in Flash, since most mobile users can’t access it.

7) YouTube and Social Media

Sharing on social media is an excellent way to expand your reach, especially if you’re trying to target specific demographics, like younger customers or mobile users.

Instructional animations play beautifully with YouTube audiences, especially as more customers realize they can expect to find high-quality content there. Once Whirlpool began posting animations for their high-efficiency washing machines on YouTube, it wasn’t long before call center reps began receiving requests for more.

And while YouTube is an obvious choice for 3D animations, don’t forget about Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, and Vine. These social media sites provide an excellent opportunity to play with the format of your content.

For example, RODA by Basco included 3D product images in videos they shared on YouTube and Facebook. You can also share screenshots pulled directly from 3D animations. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different options to determine what works best for your brand.

8) Channels Using Interactive Technology

With augmented reality (AR), the possibilities are endless. Start by incorporating AR into your next print campaign. Need some ideas to get your creative juices flowing? Check out 12 Practical Uses of Augmented Reality.

9) Location-Based Marketing

Use beacons to locate customers in-store and share relevant 3D content about the products they’re browsing. We’re so excited about this new technology, we can hardly stand it. Check out our favorite beacon-based shopping scenarios and beacon best practices for marketers for more info and ideas.

10) Your Properties and Corporate Headquarters

Showcase your content in every location, showroom, and office for maximum exposure. RODA by Basco even used images from their 3D set shots to create eye-catching framed posters they now display in their showrooms.

RODA created posters from their 3D images to hang in their showrooms and corporate offices.

This is Just the Beginning…

This checklist is just a starting point. As technology evolves, especially in social media, in-store marketing, and the augmented reality realm, you’ll find ways to share your 3D content that you never thought possible.

How have you shared your 3D assets?

Recently, the Tampa Bay Business Journal crowned us one of the coolest office spaces in the Bay Area. In the process, they discovered the secret behind our ability to garner top talent and keep it. It’s all about the Foosball.

Seriously, though, we couldn’t be prouder of our brand-new office space, and our cutthroat Foosball action (awesome though it may be) is just one small part of it. We believe it’s not just about paychecks and paid holidays. You need an inviting work environment to keep people happy and productive, not a gray cubicle-dwellers wasteland.

And, when you build your business on artistry and innovation, you need a great creative space to make the magic happen. So, we decided to invest in our team’s environment in order to reap the richest creative fruit. And the payoff was immediate. After just a month, revenue and productivity were already trending up.

Collaboration, Comfort…and Cappuccino

When we began planning our new space, we knew we wanted an open, collaborative environment that would promote creativity and ingenuity — precisely what we provide our clients. That meant adjustable sit/stand desks for ergonomic comfort, as well as fun break spaces, free snacks and gourmet coffee to help employees unplug and replenish their creative juices.

More than 2,000 of our total 20,000 square feet are devoted to employee spaces like our fully-stocked gym and game room. We brought in new furnishings like file cabinet cubes that double as benches so coworkers can huddle-up without hovering over each other. We also had a chance to work with a couple of clients like Exemplis and Whirlpool in completing the new space.

Then, we invited employees to make their spaces their own.

Connecting With Our Community

As we planned the move, we saw a chance to give back to our community in the process. In addition to displaying our own employees’ art, we commissioned local artists to create some incredible wall murals. And, 40% of our new furnishings are remanufactured, keeping 24,000 pounds of waste out of our local landfills.

The Face Behind the Space

Our VP of Client Services, Jennifer McComas, was the genius behind our new space — with a tireless commitment to an environment that would inspire and support our team of 3D artists, developers, account managers and execs.

“Design that’s actually useful — that’s the focus of both our work and our space. Bold and energetic, with a mix of art styles, but always an eye on utility and value. Our employees’ creative solutions make consumers’ lives easier. We wanted to reciprocate.”

— Jennifer McComas, interior design consultant and VP, Client Services & Production Operations

A Few of Our Favorite Spots:

Our collaborative spaces, built for spontaneous discussion and idea sharing.

The Roy Lichtenstein-inspired TV wall in the kitchen/breakroom.  The color-saturated kitchen is über-social, with plenty of space for office luncheons and expansive countertops designed to hold massive quantities of brain food. That sweet espresso maker and free snacks are a nice bonus.
Our desks, personalized and unique. I still can’t decide whether I like the Space Invaders, Lego men or Red Bull machine best.

My office (of course!)  I wanted an environment that reflected my personality. Again, a special thanks to Jen McComas for making this happen. This space incorporates my love of motorcycles and planes and has a sleek “retro machine” feel. It’s more sophisticated man-cave than cold office.

Here’s what our clients and employees have to say:

“I am pleased to know we are partnering with a company that cares about their employee’s work environment. It really matters. You are very talented, deserve it 100%.”
— Lorena Morales, Creative Director, Masonite (Client)

 “The environment contributes 100% to overall joy. Natural light, sit/stand desks, and many other elements contribute to everyone’s overall feeling of happiness at work.”
— Steve Chubboy, Senior Software Architect and Team Lead

“The new environment has greatly increased collaboration among my production team.”
— Jeff Morrow, Senior Account Executive

 “I LOVE my office and am so grateful for it. Thank you for honoring me with such an amazing work space. I appreciate it so much and am so proud to work in this space.”
— Nate Kuslansky, Supervisor of Account Management

 “I just wanted to thank you all for this nice office space and all that you have provided so that we feel good at work. I really like the new office and feel the difference already.”
— Susana Garcia, 2D Floorplan Artist

“The new office is nothing short of amazing!! Thank you for all the work you have put in to making this place awesome.”
— Ellen Kramp, Junior Account Manager

“The place looks amazing and feels even better. You really outdid yourselves.”
— Ciera Gomez, 2D Floorplan Artist

But, come see the new space for yourself.

Not only do we invite you to come by, we challenge you to a game of Classic Pacman or Foosball if you can take the heat.

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MediaLab Team

Latest posts by MediaLab Team (see all)

• Growth, Creativity & Innovation: MediaLab’s WinningYear - December 16, 2015
• Product Images for Complex Product Lines - May 11, 2015
• One Geometry – Multiple Outputs - April 20, 2015

So you’ve created visual product content that tells your story best. Content that literally gets inside your product to show customers how it works and why it’s better than the competition. Content that answers customers’ problems and helps them see the product in action. Content that helps them install, maintain or troubleshoot. You’re happy. The Marketing department is happy. Your boss is pleased. But what about the customer? Are they even seeing it?

Don’t Be a Content Hoarder

Great content needs to be shared. High-quality product images, set shots, instructional animations, 360° spinners, and interactive tools weren’t designed to languish on one lonely page of one website. So, don’t just post it on your website, check it off the list, and then forget about it.

Why Hoarding Hurts Sales

How much do you think your buyers research your product before deciding to buy?

In 2010, shoppers needed 5.3 sources of information before making a purchase decision. By 2011, that number had climbed to 10.4, and it’s still going up. – Jay Baer, Content Marketing World 2013

And, we’re not talking about a salesperson chatting them up here. We’re talking actual research, down and dirty, checking out every detail of your product and backing their decision with solid information.

Think you’ve got it covered by packing your company site with that fantastic product content? According to the stats above, you’re lucky if your site is even 1/10th of the equation.

To meet the consumer during every step of their research, you must aggressively and exhaustively distribute your product content.

First, Examine Your Channel Partner Sites

Your channel partners have access to huge audiences you need to reach — audiences that already crave and research product information. Once you have the quality content you need, don’t limit yourself. Share the love!

In fact, channel partners are looking for high-resolution, interactive product photography and product videos. Help them out by sharing yours.

Remember, these partners want to sell your product, too. Don’t assume you’re stuck with dry product pages or demonstrations on their sites. Help them beef up product detail pages and demonstrations by sending them the 3D views, animations and cutaways that tell the story best.

Distribute Help

You’ve listened to your customers’ problems, addressed what’s driving them crazy, and answered their questions with outstanding visual content. Now it’s time to reach those customers wherever they’re searching.

For example, Whirlpool created instructional 3D animation to walk customers through the installation of their new dishwashers. Service calls went down and the animations were well received. Whirlpool then shared the installation guides with Sears, who then added them to its DIY website, Manage My Life.

Screenshot of Whirlpool Dishwasher Installation Animation, showing how to attach the ground wire.

Share the Education

You’ve created 3D content that educates customers on the nuances of your designs and explains the advanced technology behind your product. But are your customers even seeing it?

Maytag created a new animation that helped buyers better understand how High Efficiency washers worked.

Maytag then shared that animation with channel partner, Lowe’s, who chose to feature it on their own website.

ABT features a 3D animation from Whirlpool on their product landing page.

Door Manufacturer, Masonite, also had success sharing a series of 3D instructional animations with Home Depot.

Offer Up Your Best Tools

Oftentimes, the best way to reach your prospects is to forgo big chunks of reading and instead engage them with a dynamic, interactive tool that shows them exactly what your product can do. Offering those tools with Channel Partners will only strengthen your reach.

That’s what ClosetMaid did to showcase their home storage solutions. After they created the Do-It-Yourself Designer using 3D animation instead of traditional set shots, they created co-branded versions to share with channel partner Home Depot. The new tool allows users to highlight new products and finishes and experiment with different configurations in a low-pressure environment that allows their creativity to flourish.

ClosetMaid channel partners like Home Depot have seen strong conversion rates from the interactive Do-it-Yourself Designer tool. See the tool for yourself.

ClosetMaid now estimates that its Do-It-Yourself Designer tool contributes to 5-6% of its online sales, as well as the 5-6% conversion rate on Home Depot and other channel partner sites.

The Bottom Line

Even the best content is only as powerful as its reach. Be sure your content can do its job best by distributing it aggressively and strategically. Channel partners are a perfect place to start.

An Estimote beacon; Attender.com

Apple’s latest technological marvel, iBeacon, has the potential to change in-store product marketing forever. It enables push mobile marketing by using stationary sensors to pinpoint the location of a smartphone and proactively send information to it. The technology behind the beacons works with a store’s mobile apps, integrating location and other data to enhance the shopping experience. It’s already been deployed in Apple stores, and adopted by Estimote and the app Shopkick.

How iBeacon Stacks Up to Current Tech

1. Better indoor location awareness. Unlike GPS, which pings satellites and is notoriously unreliable indoors, iBeacon uses stationary indoor transmitters to detect mobile devices moving in and out of range. Even areas that were previously considered phantom zones with poor cell reception can be “geofenced” to detect mobile users anywhere from inches to yards away.
2. Longer-range detection. While NFC (near-field communication) only has a range of up to 20 centimeters (approximately 7.87 inches) with an optimal range of less than 4 cm, iBeacons have a range of up to fifty meters, enabling you to push marketing to shoppers as they approach stores.
3. Smarter “micro-location.” Put three (or more) beacons in a room, and you can pinpoint much more specific positions than GPS. The beacons work together to triangulate the near-exact location of any Bluetooth-enabled smartphone, so you’ll not only know when the mobile user is in your store, you’ll know which aisle they’re on, and which products they’re hovering over.
4. Few devices required. Retailers can pinpoint micro-locations without requiring a device by each product. The triangulation process means you only need a few beacons in each area, at a low cost per beacon.
5. No QR code scanning required. Content alerts can be pushed directly to enabled mobile devices without the user having to initiate a request. The shopper must simply keep Bluetooth on, have agreed to location awareness services, and have installed the store’s app.
6. Greater reach. Not all mobile devices have NFC capabilities, but many are Bluetooth-enabled and therefore iBeacon-friendly, potentially giving you access to a much larger group of consumers. And, thanks to Bluetooth LE (low-energy) technology, iBeacons are more energy-efficient than traditional GPS locators that drain battery life. Presumably, mobile users will be more inclined to leave Bluetooth on than GPS for this reason.
7. Next level buying experience. Micro-location makes it possible for iBeacon technology to guide customers through stores, point them to your products and push them valuable product information. Integration with other data and apps opens up additional possibilities like shopping suggestions based on social media “likes” and hands-free payment for PayPal users.

How Product Marketers Can Use iBeacons:

Estimote beacons can provide micro-location information to shoppers. Click here to watch.

• To trigger enter events like flash sales and special offers as users approach stores, enticing them to come in
• To direct shoppers to specific locations and products with tools like interactive store maps, potentially integrated with the items on their shopping list
• To send relevant, product-specific offers and info to mobile users while they’re in the store
• To trigger exit events, including hands-free payments customers can execute without ever opening their wallets

How Product Marketers Should Use iBeacons

As exciting as these opportunities might be, the only way for this type of push to mobile marketing to work long-term is if in-store mobile users keep Bluetooth enabled and remain willing to receive content. The last thing you want to do is inundate customers with irrelevant offers and information that make them turn off their phones and get turned off of your brand.

“Businesses will have to be careful not to inundate us with crap.”

Wired.com blogger Kyle VanHemert, 4 Reasons Why Apple’s iBeacon is About to Disrupt Interaction Design

3 Best Practices

1. Provide content that adds value and is genuinely useful, not just annoying, distracting and self-serving. We already know that the #1 reason mobile users use their phones in-store is to search for product information—part of the “self-help” trend as buyers seek out more information before deciding which products to buy. Last year, we shared stats from Google’s in-store mobile marketing report confirming that 82% of in-store mobile users use mobile search to research products—beating out price comparisons (72%) and searches for promotional offers (63%).With micro-location, you know what section of the store the shopper’s in. Push ultra-relevant content that educates them about your product and eases anxieties about features, assembly and use.

“Smart marketers will use the new technology to do more than bombard consumers with coupon offers. The cleverest content executions will undoubtedly invite passers-by into virtual experiences that are genuinely helpful in the buying process.”– MediaLab 3D Solutions

2. Make it engaging and interactive. Just because in-store shoppers want more product information doesn’t mean it’s okay to just drop them onto a static page with tons of copy to read. Mobile users want to consume lots of info, but in digestible bits, with increasing affinity for content like video.

“A limited screen with smaller fonts means less tolerance for text-heavy reading. Focus on photo and video friendly content, punch up your font size, and shorten the length of your content.”

-Geoff Livingston, Razoo, Users Prefer Video in Mobile Ads

3. Repurpose your best mobile-friendly content.  The 3D animations and interactive presentations you created to sell your channel partners, train your sales staff, guide installers and wow customers on the web are ideally suited for educating and engaging shoppers in-store. And, if they were created it HTML 5 or integrated into video, they’re already compatible with mobile devices. Recycle product demo animations that show your product in action and animated cutaways that reveal important inner workings and mechanisms. Serve up instructional animations before the sale to let ease of assembly, installation, cleaning or use be selling points that set you apart from the other brand.

A Few of Our Favorite Shopping Scenarios:

• Shoppers browsing closet systems at Home Depot receive a mobile invitation to view a 3D product demo previewing the ease of assembly. As they leave the store with their new purchase, they receive a link to the full instructional animation for step-by-step guidance at home.
• Customers looking at juicers are invited to view an animation that shows them how much easier it is to clean your model compared to other brands. A link to an interactive recipe booklet gives them ideas for getting started. Videos on the benefits of juicing and five star product reviews affirm their decision to buy.
• Appliance shoppers lingering around ranges are alerted to a series of animations allowing them to access info on only the features they’re most interested in. They can watch a demo on the stay-cool induction cooking surface or the oven’s new easy self-cleaning feature.
• Shoppers searching for computer accessories or home networking equipment are invited to access an interactive product selection tool that helps them determine which models are compatible with their existing tech.
• As shoppers pass a car display in the mall, they’re invited into an augmented reality tour that lets them point their phone at features in the car to learn more.
• Department store shoppers retrieve an interactive map that directs them to the items they’re looking for by product name or category.
• Superstore shoppers access an interactive map that syncs with their mobile shopping list—items saved to the list from the store’s website or weekly ad—for down-to-the-aisle guidance to specific products and deals.
• Mall shoppers are alerted as they near items they’ve “liked” in their social media communities.

The possibilities for push marketing with iBeacon technology seem nearly limitless. And, with advances in mobile, augmented reality, and payments technologies—even concepts that seemed futuristic last year are emerging on the virtual horizon today.

Chime In
How could you use iBeacons to promote your products? Which types of interactive tools do you think customers would respond to the best?

Ah, Google – always changing.

Its most recent algorithm change (called Hummingbird) is the next step in Google’s move toward semantic search — a change that should help it better understand what users are searching for. Rather than just indexing pages and scanning sites for relevant keywords, Google’s latest tweaks will allow it to better infer context and intent.

The result? Superior, highly-accurate search results.

Google will now consider the following:

• Who searchers are connected to (with a bias toward members of Google+, Google’s version of Facebook)
• Searchers’ geographical location
• The type of device being used to search

What Does This Mean for Homebuilders?

With Hummingbird, it just became even more important to have quality content on your site — content that’s easy for everyone to understand — including search engines.

First, Fix the Foundation

Despite the changes, one thing remains the same. Quality content is still king. But in order for that content to serve you well on the search engines, you’ll have to do some basic keyword optimization.

Tidy Up Your SEO

The best content won’t do you any good if no one sees it, and that means impressing the search engines first in order to get maximum homebuyer eyeballs on it.

Don’t be tempted to neglect the SEO elements on your website. Making sure your SEO is in order is no different than putting the final touches on a model before you invite visitors to take the tour. You want to make the right impression.

Here’s How:

1. Still have Flash content on your site? Google’s gotten a lot better at analyzing Flash, but most mobile and tablet users still can’t view it. Convert it to HTML 5 to solve this problem.
2. Take a look at your page titles. They tell Google what each page is about. Make sure you include relevant keywords near the beginning of each title and keep it under 70 characters, including spaces.
3. Double-check meta descriptions for each page. Homebuyers see these when they search, so take advantage of this space to tell them why they should click to see more. Many descriptions are either too long (more than 156 total characters, including spaces,) too short, or missing altogether. Make sure to use relevant keywords at the beginning of your description and create a unique description for each web page.
4. Also double-check H1 headers. Like page titles, these short yet sweet headings tell Google what you’re talking about on each page. Use unique, relevant headers with strong keywords to get the best results.
5. Unique, relevant content should answer homebuyers’ questions and make them want to learn more. Incorporating keywords is the best way to ensure that Google ranks these pages well and places them higher in the search results so homebuyers will see them.

Now, Take a Look at Your Interior

Now that you’ve tidied up the foundation, let’s look at ways to draw visitors to your website.

If You Build It, They Will Come

Publish genuinely helpful content to your website on a regular basis. In addition to posting timely content about your communities and floor plans, consider making a list of the top 100 questions homebuyers ask. Pick two questions to answer each week — preferably with rich, dynamic content, and you’ll have valuable, highly-relevant content for a year.

Google wants to be an answer engine. So if you can help answer relevant questions, Google will reward you.

Upgrade to a Multimedia Presence

Today’s web surfers are very visual. Include high-quality images on each page that homebuyers can find using Google’s Image Search.

Make sure to include proper alt-attributes with your images so Google can read them. For more information on alt-attributes and why they’re important, check out Google’s guide: Using ALT attributes smartly.

Add a video (with a transcript), PowerPoint presentation, infographic or other multimedia components for even better results. Incorporating 3D Virtual Tours and 3D Interior Images can also help.

Be a Good Host

Remember, Google also ranks your site based on how it loads and how easy it is to use.

Google-friendly websites contain the three C’s:

• Clean code, that validates. Think of this step as making sure your site passes inspection. Just like with a house inspection, this step double checks that your site was built using best practices and did not skip any steps.
• Clear navigation: Make sure homebuyers don’t have to go through more than 3 or 4 menus or levels to find the information they’re looking for.
• Cross-browser and cross-device compatibility. Look at your website using different browsers and devices, including mobile phones and tablets, to make sure it displays correctly for all users.

Improve Your Curb Appeal

Be Social

Google favors content that’s been posted on social networks, so the more you share and build online relationships, the better your rankings will be.

Don’t feel like you have to start posting and sharing on all of the social networks at once. Just pick one or two where you’re likely to connect with your target audience and branch out from there.

Here are just a few of the social networks you might consider:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Instagram
• YouTube
• Google+
• LinkedIn
• SlideShare
• Vine (video-sharing app)

Repurpose Your Best Content

We’ve all done it. We create content for one purpose and then forget about it.

Why not get more mileage out of your content by finding other ways to use it? Google will reward you, and you won’t have to reinvent the wheel. 3D images and animation are especially versatile.

Additional Opportunities For Your 3D Images and Animation:

• Feature your latest home tour on Facebook.
• Feature your latest design choices on Pinterest.
• Convert your interactive sales center to a mobile app or community “sitelet” on your website.
• Help homebuyers visualize upgrades and options by reusing your 3D images in an Augmented Reality presentation.

Getting Ready for Future Updates and Renovations

Set Up Your Analytics and Testing

Install analytics on your site so you can continually test your content, structure and design. If you need more traffic in order to conduct an accurate test, consider launching a pay-per-click (PPC) campaign on Google.

Using Google’s PPC tools will help you research keyword ideas and determine which words homebuyers are using in their searches.

Take Care of Your Design

Since Google considers your website design when it calculates your rankings, you’ll want to continually tweak it as part of your SEO efforts. Mobile users have already begun to dictate design requirements, and elements like parallax scrolling may soon become commonplace.

Once homebuyers adopt new devices and technology like Google Glass wearable computers and Smart Watches, you can expect to spend more time on periodic site redesigns.

To help manage this process, develop a testing methodology that helps you spot pages on the site that you can improve. Focus on your users and ease of navigation for the best results.

Want to Learn More?

For more tips on how to improve your site architecture and user experience, check out moz.com’s guide to keyword targeting and on-page optimization.