Selling without a Product
Situation: Our team was preparing to launch 4 new products (8 new skus) for our biggest customer (online big box retailer). In order to see some revenue in year 1, we had to start promoting the new product online before physical product was available.
Challenge: When launching a new hot tub, historically, we conduct a studio photoshoot to capture beauty images, detail shots, and 360 degree views. Then we conduct a lifestyle photo and video shoot with storytelling involving talent in the hot tubs. Our biggest customer who had exclusivity with this product line required us to provide images for every sku (color combo and seating configuration) before physical products were available for a shoot. We had a limited timeframe and tight budget to pivot from our traditional process.
Approach: I worked with our Industrial Design team to get 3D renderings of the new product. Then I reached out to other Business Units for recommendations for a CGI company who was already an approved vendor that could create the assets we needed on short notice.
The Plan: We developed as many assets as possible in-house to save on time and money, while outsourcing lifestyle images to the CGI vendor. This afforded us the opportunity to position these elegant new spas in geographies different than our traditional Southern California backyard setting. Unfortunately, the customer through a curve ball, requiring us to have talent in the hot tubs for the hero image on their site in order to launch the products. We were able to use beta units for a makeshift photo and video shoot. We brought materials for every color option that we swapped out on set to give the appearance of capturing all skus instead of the 2 physical units we were able to have on set.
The Delivery: The end result was a full portfolio of assets - 3D rendered product and detail shots. Plus, CGI images in a variety of regional backyards to cater to different customers. And, we were even able to deliver a proper lifestyle shoot with families enjoying the hot tub + video footage to help launch these new products. The physical product differed from the actual production materials we saw on set, so we had to retouch a lot of the images. But we delivered a full suite of assets, more than we typically would have, for just over our original budget, supporting our biggest customer’s requests.