Interactive PDF combines splashy sales appeal with detailed education

After understanding the Autodesk Seek team’s need to create a communication tool that catered to a wide audience and was both marketing-centric and educational, XPLANE recommended a new kind of visual map — an interactive PDF.

Challenge | Autodesk is the world leader in 2D and 3D design software for the manufacturing, building and construction and media and entertainment markets. The company was preparing to launch a new Web service, Autodesk Seek, that connects users of product content (from within the workflow of their applications) with the owners of the product information early in the design process. Because of this new offering, the Autodesk Seek team was asking manufacturers to change the way they develop their product content and, ultimately, how they market them.

On the user side, designers were altering their workflow and specifications habits and processes. Autodesk needed new communications tools that would encourage these changes in behavior on the part of manufacturers and users, and that could also be used on the Autodesk Seek Web site, in presentations and for sales collateral. It was critical that Autodesk and XPLANE succeed in developing tools that would entice manufacturers to participate in the service while ensuring that users, aggregators, and service providers understood their role in the ecosystem and how they interact with the service.

Action | XPLANE facilitated in-person and phone discovery sessions with Autodesk Seek executives to discuss communication needs and plans. During these sessions it became clear that there was an immediate need for high level brochure to be used in trade shows and as a “handout.” In addition to this piece, the XPLANE team made a strong recommendation that Autodesk create a new kind of communication tool that would pique the interest of key parties through an engaging new technology — an interactive PDF. The specialized interactive PDF would be used for pre-call introductions or initial in-person presentation support, or in an introductory email. The piece would be based off of the initial map and brochure and was intended to be used by a presenter or as a stand-alone tool viewed by the end user. An interactive PDF gives viewers more detailed information about the service while allowing them to navigate the information at their own speed. By choosing this option, Autodesk was deciding to create a sophisticated new sales and education tool not widely used in the industry to date.

Results | The interactive PDF presentation selling tool is now being rolled out amongst existing and prospective manufacturers as well as users, aggregators and service providers. The piece communicates Autodesk Seek’s value proposition to the various key audiences in a clear, new and engaging way. Viewers have the ability to “click to explore” for more detail and can also link to external related Web sites. There are more than 30 clickable links and all navigational elements are programmed, with no audio or animation, making the piece easily viewable by most users with the free Adobe Reader application.

“We had specific design and functionality goals, which required a new kind of sales and marketing tool that is easily distributed and understood by our key audiences. Creating an interactive PDF pushed us to think in new and creative ways and the end result is exactly what we were hoping to achieve.”

— Jim Wilson, senior manager, product marketing for Autodesk Seek