Case Study #1 - Fuji / Polaroid Camera Replica

A New Day in Merchandise Replication and Display

Case Study #1 - Fuji / Polaroid Camera Replica

For this particular project we were contacted by Fuji Film to provide them with a dummy camera display to be used in their rollout into Rite-Aid drugstores across the United States.   The job entailed production of a realistic camera display at low cost in a short period of time.  Because this display was front and center of the Rite-Aid camera department, it had to be detailed and true to the product to draw consumers.

Injection Molding as a Thing of the Past

Traditionally, merchandise display replicas were created using tooling and injection molding.  Because the sample camera provided to us was an injection molded piece, we investigated that option.  Given the required budget and time restraints, injection molding was not realistic for this project.  The cost of the mold by itself was more than our customer was willing to pay for the entire project!   Those costs did not even begin to factor in actual production or packaging.  Not to mention that the time necessary to create the mold also exceeded the time we had for the entire project. 

A New Day For 3-D Displays

We won't sit here and tell you that finding an acceptable alternative display with deadlines and cost considerations looming over our head was not a daunting project.   In fact, our first idea was a total flop!   That's all we need to say about that!

An old Chinese Proverb reads like this: "The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it."    It has become our mantra.  We approached a number of our fabricators only to hear that nothing except injection molding would work for this job.   Never say die.  "It can't be done" is not how we do business.  We're here to solve problems.  We're here to "make it happen" for our customers and that's exactly what we did here.

As fate would have it, we were branding a display for another customer that also did not comply with tried and true methods.   We came upon a new process that not only solved that problem (branding an acrylic case that had to be baked after branding which would destroy any silk-screening) but also contributed to finding the Fuji solution!   We decided to use the new branding process coupled with hi-res imaging and laser technology to create a prototype.  Even our star fabricator was a non-believer but he too eventually came around to being creative and open to our idea and ultimately decided to roll the dice with us.  Needless to say, our camera came to life to everyone's amazement and delight.  It is a display with 3D detail on a 1 dimensional surface!  It is so totally cool!  We knew right then and there that a new day in Point of Purchase and Product Replication displays was born.

In A Nutshell

Long story made short, Point of Purchase displays have met a new day.   We can produce your true to life point of purchase display or better yet -- we can make your point of purchase display a "larger than life" display.  We do have some limitations but those are few and far between.   In a nutshell, we can reproduce virtually and product that can be used as a substitute for more expensive injection molded pieces and/or actual product displays.   Not only is it attractive and cost friendly but if a shoplifter does decide to steal your display, you've lost much less money than you would had he walked away with a more expensive display or your actual camera!

Letter of Recommendation

(excerpted) 

Kim Hughes of Hughes Displays is a miracle worker!  I was assigned the near impossible task of delivering 10,000 realistic, yet empty digital camera shells to a major retailer for their new planogram launch with very little time to deliver.  Kim’s efforts, creativity, tenacity, professionalism and “never say die” attitude found an alternative method of delivering the final products on time, under budget and completely satisfied the customer.  I would whole heartedly recommend Hughes Displays for any future work.

Tom Finnerty
Fujifilm USA

A Star is Born

I want to take this opportunity to thank my children and my grandchildren for their contribution to this project.   We saved a great deal of time, money and worry about royalty infringement by using my grandchildren's photos for this project.   Not only was it cost effective, I cannot begin to put a price on the joy in their faces when they walked into the drug store and saw themselves on display!   Thank all of you....