HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN 2024: ADVICE FOR THE 3D INDUSTRY
What does 2024 hold for the 3D industry? For many of us, things are uncertain. The strikes that paralyzed Hollywood last year had a trickle-down effect on visual effects — so much so that for the first time, Disney and Marvel’s artists decided to unionize for greater security.
As Liaison enters its 26th year of guiding our 3D clients, here is the key advice we’d give to leaders looking to stay ahead of the curve in these challenging times.
If you’re a leader in the 3D industry, it’s essential to communicate how your brand fits into emerging trends. Otherwise, you could fall into the trap of making your marketing strategy all about buzzwords with nothing to back them up (just look at how common AI-washing has become!)
You need to clearly understand your ideal outcomes for the year. Whether you want to educate others about new technologies or use projects to build social proof, it’s crucial to ensure you never lose sight of your major goals. From this, you can then reverse engineer how PR and marketing will get you there, so everything you do builds on top of what came before it and creates a snowball effect. That will help maximize the impact you get on everything you do, and help you build your credibility as a leader in your space.
This year’s U2 Sphere show proved that CG now has fewer limitations than ever: 18,000 fans saw 160,000 square feet of LEDs light up with visuals at 16K by 16K resolution. It also showed that at a time when we are constantly flooded with information, brands need to build something notable — that people haven’t seen before — to get audiences to pay attention.
For 3D leaders, the key here is to focus on quality over quantity. When done right, 3D visuals like those made for the U2 show can be astounding and can quickly go viral online. Whether you build a metaverse activation or create visuals for immersive venues like Sphere, tapping into new technologies and impressive, sharable results will help get your brand to stand out from the crowd.
For many working in 3D, this past year was a tough one as multiple studios and 3D tech companies announced layoffs around the globe. This leads me to my final piece of advice for 3D industry leaders: to prioritize the mental health of your teams by putting your money where your mouth is.
That means not just posting on social media about how difficult the strikes have been. It means being honest about your challenges and helping to develop discussions around moving forward. It’s also important to consider other ways you can support your teams through no overtime, additional help on-site, flexible working hours, and more. This will help build goodwill and raise your brand’s profile.
Want to make the most of the year ahead? Get in touch with our team of 3D content and PR experts today.
Heidi Lowell is the founder and president of Liaison. She has run Liaison for 25+ years, building it into a world leader in 3D PR & marketing. She began her career promoting films for Miramax, MGM, New Line Cinema, and Orion before jumping to Waggener Edstrom to launch Microsoft Windows 95. Through her work with Softimage, Heidi discovered a lifelong passion for 3D.
