How animated explainer videos can be used as part of exhibition marketing
An animated explainer is an engaging video that communicates a complex idea in a way that is easy for your audience to understand. They can use 2D or 3D animation to represent the subject matter and work well within the interest phase of your sales funnel. They are normally found within the pages of a website rather than at a trade show. However, we recently put together a series of animated explainers that were able to be used as part of Milwaukee’s exhibition marketing.
The brief in more detail
Milwaukee Tools is a brand of Techtronic Industries EMEA. We’ve worked with them previously on an internal communications video but they saw our isometric Sim City-style animations for the Staffordshire Police and wanted to use this for one of their own projects. The project in question was their trade show that takes place in Barcelona each year. The Milwaukee Trade Show is a key part of their sales funnel and they asked us to produce two promotional animations to feature within the stand.
How to use an animated explainer as a promotional tactic
One of the most important considerations for the animated explainers was time. An explainer animation is usually longer in length, say three to five minutes, whereas a promotional video is shorter. We also knew that for these to be used effectively on a trade stand they needed to be under three minutes in length and for information to be easily communicated in every frame.
The first stage in our process is either a briefing session or a video strategy session. In this case, a briefing session was the right approach to understand the key USPs. We also wanted to fully understand their benefits to the customer. We also asked a range of questions about their customers. Using the 5Ws and 1h we asked questions to understand the type of customer: retail b2c, retailers as well as most importantly tradespeople. The animated explainers needed to be engaging to all but primarily attract industry professionals.
Our plan was to convert each USP into a ‘chapter’ within the video. These chapters could be understood in isolation or as a wider piece. They enabled the audience walking past to gain key information quickly. It also encouraged them to stop and ask questions. Both products are incredibly feature-rich, we worked closely with the Milwaukee team to edit the animations to the most salient points. This would help sell most effectively in the environment they were being watched.
What was the impact of the animated explainer at the exhibition?
The two animations were produced in the brand style we developed for Milwaukee. This combined 2D motion graphics with 3D cel-shaded animation and isometric scenes. They had a huge impact for Milwaukee at the show. Not only did they engage attendees they also provided the sales team on the stand with a valuable animated explainer. The videos can be used across point-of-sale by the team. As a result of the trade show, we were commissioned to produce localised videos. These videos would be used regionally by the Milwaukee marketing team.
