Heesen Yachts · Explorer superyacht · 3D marketing campaign video
Marketing Campaign Video for the Heesen XV67: Selling a Yacht Still on Paper
Heesen needed buyers to want the XV67, an explorer yacht that exists only as a concept design. The marketing campaign video sells it in 2 parts: 23 seconds of live-action trips, from snowfields to shark dives, then more than 2 minutes of photoreal 3D that tours the hull, the helideck, the decks and the places it can go. There are no titles: the only words are on the yacht, a drawing and the Heesen logo.
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Heesen Yachts · XV67
- Client
- Heesen Yachts
- Product
- XV67 explorer yacht concept design
- Made for
- Superyacht buyers looking for experiential travel
- Format
- 3D marketing campaign video with a live-action opening
- Style
- Photoreal 3D renders, no on-screen titles
- Length
- 3:05
- Production timeline
- 3 to 4 weeks
- Budget
- $1,200 to $2,000
The problem: no buyer can step aboard a concept yacht
The XV67 is a design, not a hull in the water. Heesen's YouTube description calls it "a springboard for clients' creativity" and names the buyer: people "looking for experiential travel in a way that combines luxury lifestyle and a sense of adventure".
A superyacht buyer wants to see where the helicopter lands, where guests eat and how the hull looks off a coast. With nothing built yet, every one of those views had to come from 3D models, and the buyer had to picture the trips before the yacht.
How the XV67 video sells a yacht that is not built, scene by scene
The video has no titles or captions, so the pictures carry every point. Select a time to play that scene above.
| Time | On screen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Live-action shots: a hand in the sea, a snowy forest from above, a flare on a beach at night, a surfer under a wave, divers among sharks, a helicopter over snow and a skier on a ridge. | Sells the trips before the yacht appears. | |
| Photoreal 3D of a white-hulled yacht at sea in daylight, the "XV" badge on the bow. At 0:40 the hull breaks into pieces on the water. | Shows the earlier XV look, then clears it away. | |
| A dark design studio: a designer at a desk, drawings laid out, then a close-up of a drawing marked "HEESEN" and "17470". | Puts the shipyard's design work on screen. | |
| The new hull appears as a silhouette in blue light, then sails out of the dark. | Holds the yacht back for almost a minute, then reveals it. | |
| Sunset passes around the dark hull with gold trim, the gold "XV" badge in close-up at 1:24, the aft garage behind slats at 1:39, and a helicopter on the deck at 1:57. | Gives the buyer the shape, the detail and the toys. | |
| Deck by deck: a helipad with sunbeds and an outdoor screen, an upper deck dining table, a pool beside a bar, then a waterline terrace with 2 sunbeds at 2:25. | Shows where guests will spend the day. | |
| At dusk a helicopter lifts off the deck, then the yacht sits off a cliff coast with a large stone building, a palm beach and jagged mountains. | Places the yacht in the trips the opening promised. | |
| The Heesen shield logo rises out of dark water and holds to the end. | Signs off with the shipyard. |
Storyboard: the frames that carry the Heesen XV67 marketing campaign video
Key frames from the finished video, in order. Select a time to play that moment above.
The trip comes first: a skier on a ridge, 2 seconds before the yacht appears. 
The earlier white XV look, seconds before it breaks apart. 
The shipyard's own drawing puts design work on screen. 
The new hull is held back as a silhouette in blue light. 
A close-up proves the detail holds up at full screen. 
The helideck in use: a helicopter sets down on the deck. 
The same deck becomes a lounge with an outdoor screen. 
Where guests eat: a pool beside a bar and dining area. 
Down at sea level: a terrace with 2 sunbeds on the water. 
The close puts the yacht where the opening said it could go.
4 decisions behind the Heesen XV67 marketing campaign video
Decision 1
Sell the trips before the yacht
For the first 23 seconds there is no yacht: snow, surf, sharks and a helicopter over mountains. The XV67 world appears at 0:24, after the buyer has pictured the trips.
Copy it: Open on what your buyer will do with the product. Show the product once they want that outcome.
Decision 2
Clear the old look off the screen
At 0:40 the white-hulled yacht breaks into pieces, the video cuts to a design studio and a Heesen drawing at 0:48, and the new dark hull is revealed at 0:52.
Copy it: Launching a version 2? Show version 1 for a few seconds, then show the change, so the buyer sees what is new.
Decision 3
Let the renders carry it, with no titles
From 0:24 to 2:56 the only words on screen sit on objects: "HEESEN" on a drawing at 0:48 and the "XV" badge in close-up at 1:24. No title explains a single shot.
Copy it: If your product is the picture, cut the titles and spend the budget on light and close-ups.
Decision 4
Tour it in the order a guest moves
The helicopter lands at 1:57, then the camera climbs the decks: the screen at 2:03, dining at 2:07, the pool at 2:12, and down to the waterline terrace at 2:25.
Copy it: Map the path a user takes through your product and give each stop one shot, in that order.
From Heesen concept design to sunset renders
- 3D model build. The XV67 hull, superstructure, helideck, aft garage, pool and deck furniture were built as 3D models.
- Materials. The dark hull, gold trim, wood decks and the gold "XV" badge were textured to hold up in close-ups like the one at 1:24.
- Light by time of day. Lighting was set for 3 moods: daylight for the white concept, blue light for the reveal and long sunset light for the tour.
- Animation. Camera passes along the hull and decks, the helicopter landing and take-off, and the hull breaking apart at 0:40 were animated.
- Render, effects and compositing. Shots were rendered, the yacht was placed off a coast, a beach and mountains, and the Heesen logo was set to rise from the water.
- Grade, sound and edit. Color grading matched the live-action opening to the renders, then sound design and the final edit came last.
Scope of work:
Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000. See the 3D video production service for how a project like this is scoped.
Questions about the Heesen marketing campaign video
Why does the Heesen XV67 video open without the yacht?
From 0:00 to 0:23 it shows live-action trips: a snowy forest, a surfer, divers among sharks, a helicopter over snow and a skier. Heesen's description says the XV67 is for people "looking for experiential travel", so the video sells the trips before the 3D yacht appears at 0:24.
What happens to the white yacht at 0:40?
The white-hulled XV breaks into pieces on the water. The video cuts to a design studio and a Heesen drawing at 0:48, and the new dark hull appears at 0:52, the same order as the description: an earlier concept revisited to create the XV67.
Why are there no titles in the XV67 video?
The only words on screen sit on objects: "HEESEN" on a drawing at 0:48, the "XV" badge in close-up at 1:24 and the logo at the end. The renders carry every point, so the video works with the sound off and in any language.
Which parts of the XV67 does the video show?
The helideck with a helicopter landing at 1:57, a deck lounge with an outdoor screen at 2:03, an upper deck dining table at 2:07, a pool beside a bar at 2:12 and a waterline terrace with 2 sunbeds at 2:25.
Where does the video place the yacht at the end?
After a helicopter lifts off at dusk, the XV67 sits off a cliff coast with a large stone building at 2:45, a palm beach at 2:48 and jagged mountains at 2:51. The Heesen logo then rises out of the water at 2:56.
What did it take to make the XV67 marketing campaign video?
3D model creation, texturing, lighting, animation, rendering, visual effects, compositing, color grading, sound design and editing. Production took 3 to 4 weeks on a budget of $1,200 to $2,000.
What Advids clients say
"Advids was a pleasure to work with. They responded quickly to our communications, offered plenty of suggestions for improving our video project, and quickly made edits when needed."Dylan Hill, Creative Director at Smartfirm
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