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Why Major Brands Are Switching From Photography to 3D Rendering

Nov 06, 2025

Article by Aimee Gilmore

"Art is not a mirror held up to reality but a hammer with which to shape it." (Bertolt Brecht)

Reference: Reinhart Julian at Unsplash

The evolution of Brands moving from Photography to 3D Rendering

Photography was first adopted in print ads in the 1880s. It wasn't until the 1920s that consumer culture created a surge of products, people, and lifestyle photographs in billboard advertisements, popular magazines, and catalogs.

After WWII, photography took center stage in advertising campaigns, with companies using photographs in major print and television commercials.

In 1976, the Coca-Cola Company launched its first CGI TV commercial for the Coke machine. It wasn't until 1984, however, with Ridley Scott's Apple Commercial, that 3D rendering illustrated the global appeal of CGI visual effects to consumers. Advancements in 3D software resulted in Nike creating the first animated commercial for their Air Max in 1991.

The Matrix Reloaded commercial in 2004 for BMW, using a combination of CGI and live-action footage, pushed the boundaries of 3D rendering by weaving a compelling storyline with 3D to present a new experience to consumers, which would change their expectations of advertising.

Music was combined with CGI and a heartfelt storyline in the John Lewis Christmas commercial in 2011 to create a mini film with 3D animated animals that touched the hearts of millions of consumers around the world, confirmed that 3D rendering could evoke emotional connections with consumers and elevate the marketing and advertising industry.

Reference: Soragrit Wongsa at Unsplash

Why has 3D Rendering transformed Product Marketing for Major Brands?

3D Rendering has transformed the advertising industry, prompting major brands to use it instead of photography for the following reasons.

Hyper Realistic Visual

3D Rendering allows brands to present high-quality, lifelike images more flexibly than traditional photography because it gives them much more control over lighting, layouts, textures, and environments.

Cost Effective

Traditional photography requires expensive equipment, locations with good lighting, or artificially set up environments, people, and props. In contrast, with 3D rendering, once the model is created, it can be reused and altered easily to be used in many different scenarios and situations.

Real-Time Adaptation

3D Rendering speeds up brand production time and gives creatives greater freedom to amend or update designs to meet changing consumer needs. The designs can also be adapted and showcased to consumers from every angle, creating a connection with the buyer even in online shopping experiences,

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality Experiences

3D Rendering facilitates immersive Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) experiences. Major brands can bring their products to life by using VR and AR to create immersive experiences that showcase how they would look in their homes or in real life.

Sustainability

3D Renderings eliminate the need for physical 3D models, reducing the need for resources and delivery costs. This reduces manufacturers' carbon footprint on the environment and helps ease climate change.

Less Time Until It Goes to Market

3D Rendering allows brands to create a digital version of the product and market it before it begins to be manufactured. When brands release early promotional material, including interactive product demonstrations, this creates even greater hype with consumers.

Reference: Maylene Temoyet at Unsplash

Global Accessibility

Brands can reach a global audience with 3D Rendering without worrying about shipping, travel expenditures, or delivery details. They can also attract consumers worldwide by adapting intricate details in the 3D Render to appeal to their traditions, heritage, and culture.

Brand Storytelling

The flexibility of 3D Rendering means that brands can create entire narratives and worlds around their products to ignite a greater emotional connection with consumers.

Brainstorming to Bring Futuristic Designs to Life

Brands like Tesla use 3D rendering to solve problems and create groundbreaking futuristic conceptual designs. Consumers are then given a glimpse into the future as manufacturers show off early-development cutting-edge designs and see what gains traction in the market. This has the potential to allow consumers to have more say in the creation process through feedback and brand loyalty and make marketing and advertising a more interactive experience.

Reference: Nigel Hoare at Unsplash

What can brands achieve with 3D Rendering in the future?

Brands could revolutionize advertising with 3D Rendering in the future by personalizing users' experiences and creating dynamic interactive experiences that resonate with global audiences.

Interactive Advertising with 3D Rendering

3D rendering has the potential to revolutionize advertising by enabling consumers to interact with, touch, move, or manipulate a digital product in real time. When combined with VR and AR technologies, it can create a highly immersive and dynamic experience. This level of engagement can lead to more informed decision-making for consumers and reduce the likelihood of negative reviews.

AI and Metaverse Experiences

As AI and virtual environments continue to grow, brands have the opportunity to leverage these technologies to present new products through 3D rendering, engage with consumers by offering personalized product recommendations, and create immersive spaces where users can try on and display digital products within metaverses.

AI combined with 3D Rendering will also enable brands to create higher quantities of content in a short space of time. This will create greater consumer engagement and loyalty as the brand ensures it always keeps its content dynamic, fresh, and relevant.

Reference: Shubham Dhage at Unsplash

Live 3D Rendering

Brands could create unique 3D-rendered events and experiences that render products in real time based on consumer preferences. This could be pushed even further by using AI to create multisensory or emotional-response rendering using haptic feedback technology to sense consumers' feelings through biometric sensors or engagement data.

In the distant future, consumers may be able to use 3D Rendering with neural-driven networks to create 3D products based on their behavior, choices, and subconscious reactions using brain-computer interface technology.

Reference: Luke Jones at Unsplash

In conclusion, shifting from traditional photography to 3D rendering has helped brands stand out and offer consumers limitless product possibilities. From stunning visuals, fewer costs, and more adaptable resources to quicker production times and greater customization and control over what consumers want from a product, 3D rendering has elevated marketing and advertising, making it a natural extension of daily life and allowing consumers to buy items with greater clarity and ease.

Stay tuned to the RenderHub Blog for more insights, stories, and inspiration about 3D rendering, digital design, and the evolving world of visual innovation.

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