Tag: pop-up

Omote 3D: The 3D Printing Photo Booth

Ever wanted a life-like miniature action figure of yourself. Not a cartoon avatar, but a small, physical replica you can hold in your hand.

Omote 3D makes that possible by setting up what is billed as the world’s first 3D printing photo booth for a limited time at the Eye of Gyre exhibition space in Harajuku, Japan.

From November 24 through January 14, 2013, people with reservations can have their bodies scanned into a computer. Then, instead of a photograph, they receive miniature replicas of themselves.

The miniature replicas are available in three sizes. S (10cm), M (15cm) and L (20cm) for US$264, US$402 and US$528, respectively.

In consumer experiences where attention is scarce and products are increasingly interchangeable, turning personalization into a tangible object is a reliable way to earn talk value and remembrance.

Why this “photo booth” feels like a shift

The mechanism is the message. A booth that normally captures a flat memory instead captures a 3D dataset, then materializes it into a keepsake. The output is not content you scroll past. It is content you place on a shelf.

Definition-tightening: this is not 3D “photography” in the traditional sense. It is full-body 3D scanning plus full-color 3D printing, packaged in a familiar photo booth ritual.

What makes it work as an exhibition idea

The booth turns the visitor into the exhibit. It also turns waiting and anticipation into part of the experience, because the “print” is a manufactured object, not an instant print strip. That shift makes the end result feel earned and premium.

What to steal if you build brand experiences

  • Use a familiar ritual as the wrapper. “Photo booth” is instantly understood, even when the technology is new.
  • Make the output physical. Physical artifacts extend the campaign life long after the pop-up closes.
  • Price by meaning, not by material. People pay for identity and memory, not for plastic and ink.
  • Gate with reservations when demand is the story. Scarcity plus scheduling can reinforce that this is special.

Additionally click here to see how Polskie Radio in Poland has used 3D printing technology to market their website.

A few fast answers before you act

What is Omote 3D’s 3D printing photo booth?

It is a pop-up booth that scans your body in 3D, then produces a full-color miniature figure of you instead of a standard photo print.

Why call it a “photo booth” if it prints a figure?

Because it borrows the familiar booth ritual. You step in, you get captured, and you leave with a keepsake. The technology changes, but the mental model stays simple.

How is the miniature created?

Your body is scanned into a 3D model, then the final figure is manufactured via 3D printing in full color and finished as a physical object.

What sizes are offered and what do they cost?

Three sizes are offered. 10cm, 15cm, and 20cm. The listed prices are US$264, US$402, and US$528, respectively.

What is the marketing lesson for brands?

Personalization becomes more valuable when it becomes tangible. A physical output turns novelty tech into an object people keep, show, and talk about.

The Escape Service: Press the red button

DDB Paris creates a new service for the French rail booking site Voyages-sncf.com. “The Escape Service” lets people escape to any destination they want by simply pushing a magical red button.

Together with the French collective Pleix, they design three celebrations that emerge from a 3×3 meter black box that unfolds like a giant jack-in-the-box. In Paris, the cube lures passers-by in, asks where they want to go, then bursts into a destination-themed surprise and hands out a mock ticket for the chosen trip.

In European rail and travel marketing, turning an abstract promise like “escape” into a public, physical moment helps people imagine the journey instantly.

The film also ends by inviting viewers to press the button themselves and experience a first-person view version of the Escape Service.

A black box that behaves like a travel shortcut

The mechanism is deliberately minimal. There is one obvious choice, press the red button. The payoff is oversized, because the box transforms into a celebration that makes “go anywhere” feel real without explaining routes, prices, or schedules.

Why the red button is the real interface

The button turns travel intent into an action you can perform in one second. That matters because it removes hesitation. You do not need to “plan” to participate. You only need curiosity, and the street does the rest.

What the campaign is really proving for Voyages-sncf.com

This is not about a single destination. It is about choice and immediacy. The idea says: if you can decide on the spot, you can book on the spot. The mock ticket detail pushes the story from spectacle into something you can take away and show.

What to steal for your next service launch

  • Reduce the interaction to one decision. One button is better than a menu when you need street participation.
  • Make the reward visible to bystanders. If spectators can understand the payoff, the crowd recruits the next person.
  • Personalize the outcome fast. A destination choice and a ticket-like takeaway make the moment feel “mine”.
  • Bridge offline to online without forcing it. A first-person online version extends reach without changing the story.

A few fast answers before you act

What is “The Escape Service” for Voyages-sncf.com?

It is a public pop-up experience where a black box invites people to press a red button, choose a destination, and trigger a surprise celebration that dramatizes the idea of escaping by train.

Why use a red button and a box?

Because it is self-explanatory. A single button removes friction and creates a clear before-and-after moment that people remember and film.

What makes this more than a stunt?

The mechanic maps cleanly to the service promise: pick a destination and go. The mock ticket detail turns the experience into a personal travel intent, not only entertainment.

How does this support online booking?

It makes “decide and book” feel effortless. The film’s first-person online extension reinforces that the same impulse can continue digitally.

What is the transferable lesson for service marketing?

When your product is intangible, build a physical interface that compresses the benefit into one action and one memorable payoff.