It’s not your typical sales presentation, but talk about impact�. Harvey Nichols recently set up four 42-inch SynthaGram 3D plasma displays from DDD Group plc and StereoGraphics Corporation in the heart of London’s Knightsbridge shopping district. The 3D displays support the introduction of HN, the debut perfume from Harvey Nichols.

The StereoGraphics SynthaGram plasma displays, on the market for about a year, combine a plasma display panel, lenticular screen and DDD’s TriDef 3D playback system to enable 3D viewing without glasses. The units in the Harvey Nichols Knightsbridge storefront windows each present a custom-made 3D animation of the Harvey Nichols logo as well as an animated HN perfume bottle that appears to float off the screen. Think the company is attracting and retaining the interest of its intended audience? You bet. The technology is stopping passersby and starting quite a buzz.

“We have been delighted by the impact this new display medium has delivered,” says Janet Wardley, visual merchandising controller for Harvey Nichols. “By using computer animation we were able to match our holiday window theme, and DDD added the finishing touch by creating a lifelike HN perfume bottle that by appears to float in space, capturing the imagination and attention of passing pedestrians.” Whether the interest generated by the 3D displays has translated into increased sales has not been measured, but there’s no doubt the technology has stopped many who might otherwise have breezed by the window without a glance. So Harvey Nichols executives already have dubbed the presentation a success.

Michael Longerbeam, director of marketing at StereoGraphics, says most initial SynthaGram customers, like Harvey Nichols, have been retailers, but Longerbeam is starting to see some other applications emerge. National Geographic, for example, used the technology in its Explorer’s Hall in Washington, DC, to increase audience retention of information in its Titanic exhibit. Other customers are starting to put the 3D displays in their corporate lobbies, and Sega is evaluating it for all kinds of uses, Longerbeam says. Visit www.stereographics.com and www.ddd.com for more information.