As a manufacturer of premium tools for construction professionals, Liechtenstein-based Hilti has an ongoing challenge: demonstrating to prospective buyers that, although the outside housing looks similar to lower-priced competitors’ products, superior engineering inside justifies the extra investment.
“A professional, within a few seconds of working with our tools, will see the benefits,” said Harald Prantner, head of Creative Agency within Corporate Brand and Communications for Hilti. “So the more we have the chance to demonstrate our tools in real life, the more customers we will convince. Today, however, many people do much of their research online, so it is very important for us to give those shoppers the chance to convince themselves by watching our video demos.”
To do that, Hilti must show online shoppers what is invisible from the outside – internal engineering that makes the tool easier and safer to use, improving productivity and reducing the risk of injury that can be caused by poor ergonomics or fatigue. Photorealistic animations that show how Hilti’s uniquely engineered mechanisms work behind the housing wall can help to demonstrate these benefits.
“If the product is not available to photograph, or if the product has a very high exposure and is a flagship for us, such animations can be very impressive,” Prantner said. “For example, we created a number of videos for our 10- and 8-kilo concrete breakers where it made sense to show how the tool was designed to reduce the vibration transmitted back into the hand, and that it had three completely separate lubrication chambers to protect key parts of the mechanism. When we can give people the understanding that our designs are something special, we justify the higher price and bring the customer a step closer to wanting to test the tool in real life.” ◆
