Video animation is not just used to entertain the audience; it can also enhance the content and make it more appealing to the target audience. With people consuming a lot of content on various digital channels like social media and streaming platforms, brands need to make an impact instantly. Otherwise, people will just scroll through without paying attention to your offer. And animations in video content are a great way to catch the eye of the viewers.
Now, before we start discussing how you can leverage this strategy, let’s briefly discuss what it entails.
What to Know About Animated Video Content
It is important to keep in mind that animations in videos will only generate attention when they are relevant and align with your brand message. So before you start to incorporate them in content across Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, or TikTok, create a detailed strategy.
Understand what your audience is looking for and how they would be likely to react to animations in video content. With analytics from Meta and TikTok or tools like Hootsuite, you can track user behavior and engagement. This will help you make the right decision about whether to include animations in video content or go with static posts.
Despite that, it’s a good way to attract a wider audience, especially Gen Z (which is the demographic to follow these days!). Given the number of content creators across social media today, people find themselves overwhelmed with what to follow and what to dismiss on their feeds. Animated videos are likely to make them stop and take a longer look.
It’s why such content can make a strong impact on social media and streaming channels. You can add your visual brand assets in animated videos too, like a professionally designed logo at the top to raise awareness among a wider audience. So think carefully, make a well-informed decision, and focus on adding animations in videos that connect with your target customer.
7 Ways to Enhance Video Content with Animations
Once you have decided to create video content with animations, it’s time to strategize how you will add it in a way that the final product is visually and emotionally appealing. Here are some ways that you can consider to enhance video content with animations.
1. Add a Character or Mascot for Brand Association
It can be a daunting task to be noticed in this world of information overload. With creative animation in the video, you can make your marketing campaign go viral. You can include a character or brand mascot that could be associated with your business for a longer time as well. Aldi does this quite successfully by creating ad campaigns around their now-famous mascot, the carrot. Their animated videos are very popular among their target audience, with the animated character becoming closely associated with the brand.
If you are looking for inspiration to add animations to your video content, this could be a great example. Think of how you can bring a character to life and build a narrative with storytelling.
2. Animate Brand Elements for Visual Impact
This can be a bit tricky to pull off in the beginning but as long as you stay true to your brand style guide, you will find it easier to make a strong impact. You can use animated brand elements like colors, typography, or icons in video content and create a memorable marketing campaign that can be recalled quickly as well. These elements have the power to evoke emotions among consumers.
For instance, certain colors bring out feelings of joy and happiness, and if they match your brand’s theme or palette, you could include them in animated videos. Add movement or effects to fonts and enhance a simple video with fewer resources. To help you understand how a brand can do this effectively, I have found this example from a Super Bowl commercial by Coca-Cola.
To promote a message of diversity and inclusivity, the company put out this campaign that was quite powerful and managed to evoke emotions while staying true to the brand. The video follows a black and red color theme (Coca-Cola’s brand colors) which is visually appealing and draws attention to the narrative as well.
3. Explain Product or Service with Animation
Sometimes, a simple product demonstration can be boring, but an explainer with animations can generate a lot of interest. One of the advantages of using animation is that you can visually demonstrate the product’s benefits and features in a way that stays with people for a long time. You can create animated video content to explain or demonstrate how it way by removing anything complex and making the content consumable.
This adds to the learning process, which increases the probability of conversion when explainer animations are used to highlight how a product works or USP.
In this video for Explorium, the animation explains what the company has to offer and makes the content easy to consume as well.
4. Include Illustration Styles in Video
While real people and live-action videos are great for conveying an impactful message, animations can work just as well. But how do you stand out with it? Well, illustrations are the answer. Add vibrant colors, bold text, and relatable characters to your animated video content and launch a memorable marketing campaign.
Think of how you can leverage illustration styles for storytelling or to highlight your brand’s core message. Solve a problem for your target customer or simplify a complicated idea in a short video that features an illustration. This could work well for a promotional campaign or a sponsored ad on YouTube too. People will be less likely to skip a creative animation when streaming or scrolling through social media.
Take the example of this short video for Spotify Ads here. The illustration immediately grabs the attention and draws focus to how businesses can reach out to potential customers with podcast advertising.
5. Visualize a Story with 2D Animation
You don’t have to go for something very elaborate or complex to enhance your video content with animation. A simple 2D animation can generate hype among the audiences and have them hooked from the beginning. This way, it’s also easier to create an animated video within a budget and tell your brand’s story.
If you think about it, 2D animations are quite engaging and can help you build a strong narrative around the core message as well. To make sure that your video content resonates with the consumers, you can consider adding a central character, object or product that people can remember for a long time.
For instance, if you are in the food and beverage industry, showcase the process behind your bestselling item. Highlight the product in the animation and evoke an emotional response with powerful storytelling.
If you are looking to get further insight into how 2D animation can enhance your video content, look at the example from Starbucks here. They have explained the origin of blending coffees and creating unique mixtures for their customers. It is a minimalist animation style that has a strong visual appeal.
6. Use Object Animation in Videos
Go for a classic animation style and make an object come to life! Think Toy Story here. While you do not need to produce a blockbuster movie for your video marketing campaign, you can take inspiration from the animation techniques. Add motion to objects like papers, books, tablets, laptops, smartphones, or anything else that is relevant to your business.
This could help you stand out among your competitors and pitch your product or service to a diverse audience. Be it for a tutorial, explainer, or promotional video, you can get as creative as possible to draw and keep the attention of the audience. With object animations, it is also easier to create an immersive experience for the viewers and emphasize what you have to offer as well.
In short videos, this animation style is great for starting conversations. Android launched this campaign a while back and I recently discovered this video which is quite an interesting play on the game, ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’.
7. Highlight Product in 3D Animation
This may not apply to everyone but a 3D animation is a win-win in most cases. Businesses in technology, gaming, or even construction can opt for 3D animation styles for greater visual impact. Now, this may require a flexible budget and more resources than a minimalist animation, but once you invest in it, the return could be quite high as well. 3D animations can shine the spotlight on your product and convince people to take a second look.
They also attract more eyeballs than simple videos, generating wider interest among the audience. When it comes to 3D animations, you don’t have to go with elaborate designs or long explainers. A short ad for YouTube or a minute-long reel for Instagram could feature a 3D animation with your product at the center.
I found this great example of a visual-heavy video from Razer Naga Pro. It hooks you in right away and keeps the attention on the product. The 3D animation represents the brand closely and has a futuristic vibe to it as well.
Why Use Animated Video Content for Campaigns?
Now, before we end this, it is important to discuss whether you should use animated video content in your marketing campaigns or opt for static visuals. It mainly depends on the message you are trying to convey, the platform and what the audience prefers. For instance, if you are trying to simplify a complex process in finance or looking for a way to present digestible data, then you could consider an animated explainer.
Such videos can be featured on social media platforms, your business website and other streaming platforms like YouTube or Twitch as well. If you are confused about how your audience will react to it, you can always do a test run first. Mostly, animations in video content receive positive feedback and encourage higher engagement too.
So, think of creative ways to promote your business, a product or service within an animated video and launch a successful marketing campaign that creates quite the buzz.
Conclusion
If you think about it, video content can be greatly enhanced with animation, be it something simple or immersive. To create a memorable marketing campaign, you can take inspiration from the examples mentioned here. Take a look at how these brands have created viral content with animated videos and connected with audiences across the globe. With them, you can make complex topics understandable, explain your message clearly, and add a personal touch to your brand.
In addition to that, they may improve your position in search engines and extend the time that users spend on your website. If you are still a bit confused, I’m just going to say that animations could take your content to the next level! It could be the key to creating a viral video marketing campaign and raise brand awareness successfully. But keep in mind that for your content to be effective, it has to be highly rated, engaging, and relevant to the interest of your target audience.
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