MG Motor launch 3D immersive advertising campaign with Poplar Studio
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MG Motor, the British automotive brand, recently launched a 3D immersive display advertising campaign using Google Swirl to promote the release of their first car in the Compact SUV segment, the MG Hector. This campaign was developed in collaboration with Poplar Studio, the creative platform that provides 3D and AR campaigns on demand.
To drive brand engagement with the new car model, the Google team proposed a campaign using their new 3D Swirl immersive display format. This is an immersive advertising format which allows users navigating the web to engage with 3D objects within display ads. As part of the project, Google approached Poplar Studio as one of their Trusted Partners, to commission the building of the 3D model and the design of the creative for the 2D ad. Poplar Studio were uniquely positioned to deliver this project based on their ability to bring a cross-disciplinary set of skills to the table, including design and build of the 2D ad and 3D modelling. The project also needed to be delivered in a very short timeframe, which Poplar Studio was able to accommodate.
The resulting display ads showcased a 3D model of the Hector car, which rotated automatically as the user scrolled down the page. The user could interact with it by zooming in and out, rotating the model and entering full screen. Call-to-actions (CTAs), a logo and information on pricing also appeared. The campaign was targeted at key audiences in order to drive engagement with the right prospects.
The campaign proved very successful, with MG Motor seeing a 8x higher engagement rate versus rich media, a 70% viewability and a whopping 4,600 engaged hours.
Of the company’s launch of the 3D campaign, MG Motor Head of Marketing Udit Malhotra said, “MG Motor is an experience brand. We are always on the lookout of solutions which help us position it accordingly in the market. 3D Swirl Ad Format aligned with our brand objective and has delivered on our expectations. Not only did the format help drive hours of engagement with our core audience it also proved to be more efficient than other ad formats we have been using. Look forward to using this for future car launches.”
Of their work with Poplar Studio, Google said they were impressed by the 3D and AR platform’s ability to deliver technical guidelines to their standards, which in the case of Google Swirl are complex. Moreover, the ability for client and creator to preview 3D models using Poplar Studio’s messaging system is particularly useful in editing 3D models. Tools such as Poplar Studio’s 3D model commenting tool allow clients to pin feedback directly to specific areas of the 3D model, making the process more efficient.
With the launch of this 3D campaign, MG Motor are among the first brands to make use of Google’s revolutionary 3D Swirl format, particularly within the automotive sector. As the thirst for more immersive advertising grows, and particularly in the current Covid-19-dominated climate which makes visiting stores difficult, we can expect this trend to grow across clothing, electronics, high-end luxury furniture, and other retail brands. Formats like 3D are perfectly positioned for this climate because they can deliver highly realistic models of products to audiences anywhere, allowing them to engage with them from the comfort of their homes.
