The advertising industry has adopted animated video into every facet of their communication and branding strategy; from the glitzy fashion and entertainment sectors through to big tech and bluechip corporate titans.

Video is now the primary tool for communication for businesses on social media and its share over the written word is growing exponentially year-on-year. The advent of 4G and increasing access to the internet globally has enabled video to be used in more places, on more platforms to reach more people.

Animation and stop motion have a long and storied history, indeed the first campaign using these early processes are rumoured to have run back in 1899, which is evidence for its effectiveness as a device for telling stories and sharing ideas. But, it was around the Millennium that computer animation started to make a sizeable impact on film and advertising.

With the impact of COVID-19 continuing to push brands to rethink how they communicate with their customers, more brands are using animation to advertise their products, services and concepts in a landscape that is favouring digital over physical connection at present.

Animation Growth

Key reasons animation continues to grow in popularity:

• Animation can be extremely entertaining to watch.

• Animation has no creative boundaries as it is not constrained by reality.

• Animation offers an efficient way to explore big ideas quickly and efficiently.

• Animation is proven to enable and promote brand message retention.

• Animation offers many cost efficiencies when compared to live action.

• Animation is flexible and can lend itself to any brand aesthetic, language or ethos.

A snapshot of product video and why you should be making it

As published by Hubspot, 92 per cent of marketers are choosing to make video with assets they already have, echoes by another report by Animoto that showed that brands are looking to make more of their existing collateral and investing in extending the life of their campaigns. Animation provides a handy way to refresh and rejuvenate old creative.

A staggering 83 per cent of video marketers said that video has helped generate leads according to a 2020 report from Wyzowl and 84 per cent of people said that have been convinced to buy a product through watching a brand video. 95 per cent went so far as to say that their understanding of the product increased after watching brand video with 93 per cent of brands claiming to have gained more customers through running video campaigns on social.

With so much emphasis being placed on the effectiveness of video, there has been a huge surge in the need and desire for animation services to enables brands to create and disseminate information quickly and without physical constraints. This is only being highlighted and exacerbated but the travel restrictions being imposed globally sue to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The psychology behind animation

Animation offers brands the chance to explore behavioural phycology that induces a variety of audience reactions. This isn’t to say that animation has direct hypnotising qualities, more that the mere fact it is developed wholly within the digital space affords motion designers the ability to evolve their strategies based on what they want their animated video to achieve. Universities often use animated videos to explain complex ideas to students and help them commit these ideas to memory. They may also seek to drive sign ups to a particular club or student community or drive another direct action.

Why brands are using animation in 2020

Due to inter-state and inter-country travel restrictions, live action and traditional form of video making have to radically change and adapt to societal circumstance. Brands are looking for alternative ways to make social videos and television commercials and animation offers many positives over live action when it comes to feasibility in 2020. Animation can be made 100 per cent online and bridge states and countries. Illustrators, animators and producers can collaborate using a team enabling software applications that are fast and affordable. In this way animation is much more suited to working in 2020 than many other processes.

How brands are using animation in 2020

Because of increased influx in brands making and investing in animation, there has been an explosion in the creative application of it across all platforms. Snackable spends hours each week pouring over the latest campaign releases to glean idea for our own projects. And with so many to choose from its not easy to pull out just a couple of examples. Still here are two of our favourite animated works at the moment.

Why brands are using animation in 2020

International travel is now non-existent or extremely reduced thanks to COVID-19 and in many countries even interstate travel is difficult. Due to theses restriction live action and traditional video making is being dramatically reduced. Brands are looking for alternative way to make social videos and television commercials. Animation can be made 100 per cent online and can bridge states and countries. Illustrators, animators and producers can collaborate using a variety of software applications relatively quickly and affordably. In this way animation is much more suited to working in 2020 than many of the processes of making favoured by brands and agencies in 2019.

How brands are using animation in 2020

Because of increased influx in brands making and investing in animation, there has been an explosion in the creative application of it across all platforms. Snackable spends hours each week pouring over the latest campaign releases to glean idea for our own projects. And with so many to choose from its not easy to pull out just a couple of examples. Still here are two of our favourite animated works at the moment.

Headspace

Headspace, the app that makes meditation accessible to everybody and anybody has used animation is stunning effect in recent years. Crafting a group of relatable but bombastic characters they have made a famously woo woo subject feel approachable and pedestrian in a way that feels inclusive and comfortable. Mark Perrett and his team have created over 150 unique characters to date, which helps highlight features, products and new services across their websites.

Social platforms and within the app itself. They also form a part driver for sign up too, helping to drive new customers and more revenue. In a time where people are looking for services like Headspace to help them find balance, animation is proving a useful tool for the company as they seek to educate, enlighten and entertain simultaneously.

Bankwest

One of our favourite animated campaigns (that isn’t our own) right now comes care of Bankwest, the charismatic retail bank that have used animation to set their apart from their more corporate competitors. Now with a large suite of animated ads and explainers in their arsenal Bankwest use a variety of character to explain the benefits to almost all their key products and services as well as increase brand awareness across social and print.

Animation Sales

The impact animation has on sales

Video and animation elevates your brand, engages customers and adds a layer of credibility to your offering that undeniably leads to better sales conversions. By places video alongside written collateral and tailoring it to driving specific actions, video can help drive sign ups, downloads, product purchases and brand awareness.

How brands will use animation in 2021

According to a report by Wyzowl in 2020, marketers admit that the video market is now more crowded than ever and that they need to stand out to get noticed. Some more key stats include:

• 99% of people who use video for marketing

• People are 1.5x more likely to watch video daily on a smartphone than on a computer. (Facebook, 2020)

• 43% of survey respondents say that branded video is the most memorable type of content shared by companies.

This means animation and product-focused video will only grow and improve and it will be down to brands to push the envelope when it comes to creativity and storytelling. Snackable’s head of motion Matt Roberts says animation will only increase in popularity among brand managers over the coming months. “From basic web video, web and mobile UI through to the high-end CG of Hollywood movies, design and animation are omnipresent already, he says. “It’s here to stay, and brands can’t get away with cheap and anti-aesthetic content. It needs to look great, feel great and move well. Motion and animation has been maturing and brands need to ensure their output is up to scratch.”

To find out how Snackable can animate your next campaign contact us today.