Video advertising has become the dominant force in business marketing. Businesses are using the digital universe to garner up more business than ever, and consumers keep eating up videos like candy. Attention spans continue to dwindle, repelling people from large strings of text and toward videos because they are a much more condensed way of sharing information.
With that said, producing live-action videos can be quite costly and is usually dominated by large businesses with impressive marketing budgets. Animated product advertisements are one of the examples, how animated video advertisement is not only a cost-effective medium but also helps in retaining consumer interest. Animated video advertisements are looking to bridge that gap, making it easier for small businesses to keep up. In fact, in many ways, animated videos are even better than their live-action counterparts.
Before we dive into that, let’s look at a few of the statistics that make prove the dominance of video marketing.
- 65% of individuals process and learn from videos better than text.
- Videos placed on a landing page boost its conversion rate by 80%.
- 33% of online activity consists of watching videos.
- Consumers have the attention span of a goldfish.
Different Types of Animated Video Advertising
Animated video marketing is taking the online world by storm, and small businesses are able to take advantage of it. Here are some of the different types of animated videos that will convert at the highest levels.
2D Animation Videos
This is the most common and popular form of animation in the world. Its traditional roots dig back through decades of television, so when people see these, it brings about a sense of nostalgia. In 2D animation, artists use width and height to convey their stories. This type of video is quite affordable and allows brands to capitalize on nostalgia, which is proven to be quite powerful in certain demographics.
Example: Airbnb
“Breaking Down the Walls” is a powerful 2D animation that tells a powerful story based on the Berlin Wall. But it’s using nostalgia to tap into certain emotions, only to bring in the Airbnb brand while capitalizing on emotions attached to war, family, and healing. This is all done in the span of just over 60 seconds.
3D Animation
3D animation adds an additional layer to 2D design, depth, and uses that to enhance the viewer’s experience. This replaces the nostalgic impact with more realism, allowing businesses to portray their products and services in more realistic ways than 2D animation can. 3D animation has become the norm for animated entertainment, so brands that want to capitalize on realism are going to choose this type of video.
Example: Nike
The 2014 video “The Last Game” had a huge payout for Nike as the world prepared for the World Cup. It used realism to detail the complexity of cityscapes, crowded auditoriums, and used that realism to tell its story. However, take note of how difficult (and expensive) this would have been to achieve with live-action. This type of success was only possible through animation.
Stop Motion Animation
This animation style utilizes small movements that are photographed and then moved rapidly in the animation to create a sense of motion. This is another time-tested form of animation that has been used for over a century and continues to produce a certain sense of nostalgia. Think about the classic ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’ and just how well it has aged. That should provide a sense of how stop motion can continue to convey emotions that other styles cannot.
Example: Honda
Honda’s conceptions always start on a piece of paper, so they wanted to depict that process through animation. Stop motion was the best way to accomplish that goal and tell their story. Starting with their sketch on a piece of paper, Honda’s video takes the audience through their entire conception process, moving them through numerous illustrated conceptions.
Whiteboard Animations
This animation type is seen a lot in businesses today. It depicts an illustrator drawing an image or words on a whiteboard through the course of the video. YouTube started this trend since it was the easiest way for people to post videos back when the popular video service was first launched. Now brands are getting even more creative with it.
Example: Elevations Credit Union
Learning to keep videos as engaging as possible is one of the largest concerns with video marketing. Remember that an audience today has the attention span of a goldfish, so videos must keep them engaged throughout. So this style of video utilizes whiteboard animation to maintain engagement while still relaying the overall message.
Motion Graphics
Motion graphics animation typically uses a lot of simplistic graphics and text to convey its message. This strays from the traditional animation storytelling styles that are created around characters. Motion graphics pave the way to graphics and shapes being used as the primary focus, thus telling unique stories.
Example: Shell
In this example, Shell uses a simple visual animation to convey a complex message through the use of motion graphics. Watch this video and pay close attention to every moment a graphic is used. They are seamlessly transitioned into the perfect scenes, thus enhancing the message being told.
Combining Animation and Live-Action
There are certain live-action videos that could be improved through the use of limited animation. This is a powerful combination that was made popular by the film ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit.’ Today, this style is used by a number of brands to add depth to their marketing and to tell unique stories. For instance, a brand can showcase a real-life situation and then amplify it with animation. This can evoke emotions that could not be discovered through live-action or animation alone.
Example: PayPal
This video would have been expensive with all live-action footage, and it would not have achieved the same emotional depth. So, they used animation to accompany the live-action footage of Samira Wiley to talk about financial security in a thought-provoking, light-hearted way.
Benefits of Animated Video Advertisements
The power of animated marketing videos stems from the fact that they are able to tell stories from a unique perspective. The problem is that many people still misunderstand the benefits of animation over live-action and are therefore underestimating their true impact. So here are some of the benefits of animated videos.
Animated Videos are More Affordable to Produce
Live-action videos can be quite expensive and will quickly eat away at a marketing budget. The animation is much easier to manage because it doesn’t require props or sets. In fact, an animated video can theoretically be created by one person.
Provide more Context to Ideas
Context is sometimes hard and expensive to create live-action videos, but with animation, it can be a snap. Animated marketing videos provide a great canvas for even the most far-fetched of ideas!
Abstract Ideas are Not Out of the Realm of Possibility
One of the most appealing aspects of using animated videos is that they can convey abstract ideas more fluidly than live-action. Imagine being able to capture ideas that you can’t necessarily point a camera at.
Strike the Perfect Tone with a Message
Live-action videos have a way of distorting a message and can often fail to properly describe the topic. Or worse, it confuses the audience. Animated videos are capable of clearly presenting a message and have a profound emotional impact.
They Bring Concepts to Life in Ways Live-Action Cannot
Animation allows the creators to bend reality in ways that live-action cannot. Brands can be more imaginative, thus bringing more concepts to life. It provides them the ability to create complex messages without a huge budget.
Hire an Expert Today – Partner with Video Caddy!
Most small businesses have to cut costs wherever possible, so video editing might be one of those areas that you think can be done in-house. While this might be true, you need to ask yourself whether the value you save is worth the value you sacrifice.
Companies like Video Caddy (VCD) are able to offer cost-effective solutions that deliver higher quality animated advertisement videos to present your products and services in great light. Along with corporate video editing, animated advertising, and sales pitch video editing, VCD provides a vast range of video and audio editing services for the corporates. Add that professional touch to all of your animated videos by bringing in a professional editor like Video Caddy!
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Disclaimer:All the product names, logos, trademarks, and brand names are the property of their respective owners. All the products, services, and organization names mentioned in this page are for identification purpose only and do not imply endorsement.
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