3D printing and experiential marketing

By February 22, 2016General

Katjes has launched the world’s first confectionery 3D printer – and it’s going to be great for experiential marketing.

If you’ve got a sweet tooth, you’ll be glad to hear that the world’s first 3D sweet printer has become a reality, with the launch of The Magic Candy Factory.

After months of research and development, Birmingham based confectioner, Katjes Fassin presented their flagship product at the International Sweet Fair earlier this month.

The development marks a real breakthrough in the industry, as Magic Candy Factory is the first food 3D printer to reach consumer retail.

It takes about five minutes to print sweets weighing between 15-25 grams. To put it in context, existing prototypes in other sectors take an hour to do the same amount.

The printer enables consumers to customise their own confectionery. There are 20 different designs, including frogs, octopuses and hearts, pus different choices of colours, flavour combinations and finishings, including edible glitter.

Customers can also print personalised greetings on ‘gummy cards’ as unique gifts. As an extra coo, all Magic Candy Factory products are vegan, gluten-free and dairy-free.

How 3D printing works

3D printing or additive manufacturing is the process of making three dimensional solid objects from digital files. 3D printed objects are achieved using additive processes – where an object is created by laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is created.

The potential of 3D printing for experiential marketing

3-D printing offers huge potential for experiential marketers. It is in many ways the ultimate immersive retail experience, with personalisation at the core.

A growing number of brands have recognised this and are experimenting with the technology. For example, footwear brand Asics won the hearts and minds of marathon runners and their supporters in 2014, with a 3D printed campaign.

The brand asked registered runners to supply front and side head pictures of themselves as part of the registration process, and, with the help of a team of 3-D artists, they were immortalised in 3D printable files, and turned into miniature statues.

Volkswagen also harnessed the power of 3D printing for their ‘Polo Principle’ campaign. People were invited to visit Volkswagen’s website and customise a Polo online, or upload their own design as part of a competition.

The 40 most creative submissions were exhibited in Copenhagen, and whittled down to one winner, whose design was 3D printed on a real Polo, which the winner got to drive for two months over the summer.

Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.