Hot Lab’s new website hits the water

Late last year award-winning luxury superyacht designers Hot Lab came to us to redesign their website. Recently, I talked by phone with co-founder and Marketing & Strategy Director Antonio Romano about their higher-than-high-end business and why Hot Lab decided to update their digital look.

What inspired you to redo your site?

These days most of our traffic comes from mobile, but our old site, which Moskito had designed over five years ago, wasn’t even responsive. So we came back to you for a redesign. We had a pretty clear idea of what we had in mind based on our own understanding of our clients. And now our new Hot Lab website is responsive and mobile optimized.

Big Red: Hot Lab’s Ipanema 50m superyacht, for Mondomarine. Photo by Alberto Cocchi.

Who is your site aimed at?

Buyers, of course, and the shipyards that build yachts. Our customers are generally 40-70 years old. They’re on the move, often travelling, which is why most of them need a quick look. And they’ll do it from mobile.

How does someone make the decision to buy a luxury superyacht?

A luxury superyacht is an extraordinary object – and the price is crazy. Buying one is an emotional, gut decision. But when potential customers get in touch with us, they already have a definite idea of what they want. We’re like tailors – and all our yacht designs are custom-made. People don’t buy directly from our site, which means it just needs to give a quick idea of our style and what we’re capable of.

White lights, big bedroom: stretch out in Hot Lab’s interior redesign of the Keyla 45m. Photo by Alberto Cocchi.

So you actually cut back on the new website?

We wanted to streamline the website. We left the press section, the articles, but we eliminated pages and images to keep the essential things. And now it’s only in English. Even in the luxury superyacht business, less is sometimes much more.

What other channels are essential to your communication strategy?

Sometimes we run print ads in two of the biggest boating publications, Boat International and Barche. But social media is huge for us, particularly Instagram. It’s immediate, gives us a lot of visibility, and gives our followers a clear idea in a short time.

Lap of luxury: the pool deck on a Hot Lab-designed superyacht. Photo by Alberto Cocchi.

What’s coming up next for Hot Lab’s communication?

More visibility, as always. We’ve got a lot planned for the next few years, but top of our wish list is going to be a coffee table book with our design.

Good luck with the book. Lastly, how was it working with Moskito Design again?

It was a real pleasure working with everyone again. Everyone was always available to help, communication was clear and easy, and we were able to go live a week before Christmas, which meant we could use the holiday as an excuse to send greetings and let everyone know about the new site.

We’ve gotten lots of compliments and positive feedback since. Mission accomplished.

Check out the new website at www.hotlab.it