Animation has lots of fans at all times. Animated commercial won numerous prizes at Cannes Lions. Many countries hold various animated film festivals. Animated movies have been staying at the peak of popularity for many years by now! So, why does animation still work? Why do famous companies and brands choose animation for commercial? Let's look deeper into this issue.
We have already compared motion graphics and live action video in one of our previous articles (link to «Live action video vs animated motion graphics»), so we will omit any comparison here. Instead, we will focus on situations when animation should be chosen as a key brand strategy.
Animation is commonly used if humor, satire or sarcasm is a key aspect of your strategy or if the target group is of the age under 14. Animation works good to create pleasant associations with brand or to smooth things over.
Animated cartoons: This is the most common and popular way of animation use. Animated cartoons allow addressing your message, with the same success, to both kids and, if created in funny, sarcastic or satiric tone, to adults. A cartoon may be smart, entertaining or informative. Cartoons are easily posted on a website and easily shareable in social networks.
Branding: Motion graphics allows bringing into life the ideas, which could be hardly demonstrated with the help of photo or image. Animation evokes positive emotional response and creates brand connection.
Simulator: You may use motion graphics to imitate any situation or visualize any product. Modeling is the most common use of simulation. Modeling allows you to create virtual office in web, demonstrate a technological process or an equipment assembly.
Communication: Animation is often used to give brief guidelines or tutorials for visitors. How-to animation videos will give guidelines for use of service or assembly of a product.
Brand character: Animated character is used to tell about your brand from the first-person perspective. It is common when characters originate from a brand logo. You may create a brand character with its own story. This story may further underlie your brand strategy.
Trend: Most people adore animation. Popularity of any particular type of animation may differ with the course of time. Thus, interest to a new type of animation may trigger interest to a brand.
We have previously discussed in the article «Is animation a cartoon? Yes, but not only!» how to mix a live action video and motion graphics to enhance a visual impact. Here we will just add that motion graphics allows you bringing into life the most unrealistic and complex ideas in the easiest way:
1. If you need to create an animated character you should not be bothered with castings to choose an actor and you would not depend on human-factor which often causes delays. In the most cases motion graphics may substitute any other tools. Animated how-to video will be even more efficient. However, you should mind that the process of creation an animated character, including sketches and design, is a time-consuming process.
Should you require starring for your video, and your budget allows it, use voices of some famous movie stars for your characters. Lots of actors enjoy voicing animated characters and some of them even admit that they would give voice to some animated character with great pleasure one day.
2. Motion graphics may be more affordable than a live action video, as you may always choose the quality of detalization for your animated video. Currently, animation is widely used in form of infographics, flash animation and flat design. Affordability is the major reason for motion graphics being so much popular!
3. Animated video is more attractive for the viewers, as it appeals to the childhood memories resulting into higher trust factor. This makes animated videos highly shareable.
