Animation in Advertising

Advertising has always been a core function of most businesses' operations for a century now, and as TVs, the internet, and smartphones have been introduced and widely adopted, it has been harder and more important than ever before to get your brands and products out there.

It is in this context that the usage of animation in advertising has increased. Animation is beneficial in most niches due to its ability to offer a much more affordable alternative to traditional advertising, its ability to engage your audience, and a host of other advantages; this is why, on any given day, you might see tens of animated ads online, on TV, and your phone.

So, what are the reasons that have led to the popularity of animated commercials? How to use animated ads? What are examples of successful animated video ads? In this article, we'll answer all these questions and more!

Reasons to Use Animation in Advertising

#1 Using Animated Advertising is Effective

Using animated ads is very effective and has an excellent ROI, and this, above everything else, is why a lot of companies are using animations in their ads. Animated banner ads “has better attention-grabbing capabilities, and generate higher recall, more favorable Aad, and higher click-through intention than static ads.” according to one study. And this is just scratching the surface of how successful the creative use of animations can be in advertising and brand building. This is precisely why every single Fortune 500 company makes use of animations to one degree or another.

#2 Extremely Versatile

Animations are extremely versatile in both their use and their budget. You can create a relatively inexpensive banner ad animation, you can create an extremely expensive 30-second animation for prime TV, and everything in between. This versatility in both use and budget means that both large companies and small companies can take advantage of animated ads within their means.

#3 Make Your Ads Stand Out

Originality and creativity are excellent ways to make your company and brand stand out -- this is where animations truly shine. You can be as imaginative as you want while creating animation since there are no physical constraints. You don't have to worry about sets, the laws of physics, or anything else. You're only limited by your imagination.

What's more, while the use of animations in ads is gaining popularity, it is still not widely deployed across the board. When you use high-quality animation in your ads, your company stands out from competitors that use more generic forms of advertising.

#4 It is Affordable

Ironically, most people think animation costs more than it does. As much as beautiful, intricate animation is expensive, so is a full day of commercial filming in real life. A crew, set, make-up, talent, editors, and many more resources are needed for ads using actual actors.

To put it another way, the cost is relative here. Sure, if you are going to compare animated ads to text ads, the animated ad is going to be much more expensive. But if you are going to compare animated advertising to advertising using real actors (which is a much fairer comparison), you'll find that an animated commercial is much more affordable.

Examples of the Use of Animation in Advertising

At Studio Pigeon, we've helped hundreds of clients create attractive animated videos for commercial purposes. In this section, we'll go over a few of the most prominent projects we've worked on. Not only will this give you a holistic and real-world idea about how animation is used in advertising, but it will also help you learn whether it is worth it for your project or not!

#1 The Flower Dress - Vinted TV Advertising

Vinted is a mobile app that allows you to buy and sell second-hand clothes and accessories. They approached us with a project that included creating three short TV ads that would inform the viewer about the app's purpose and where to download it.

The project went smoothly, and we created a beautiful and elegant ad for the company. The biggest challenge was translating the company's guidelines into something appropriate for the animation medium.

But, we managed to overcome these hurdles and create an expressive character that both captured the viewers' attention and showed them how to use the app. We were responsible for script adaptation, storyboard, illustrations, animation, and sound design.

#2 Web Ads for Prowly

Prowly is a media relations and HR management company that approached us to create 4 short web ads for them. With companies that offer niche, complicated services, the biggest challenge is how to communicate their services and USPs (unique selling points) without making the animation too complex.

By making use of animated graphics, icons, and sheets, we managed to create short, to-the-point, and elegant B2B ads that are sure to catch the eyes of company owners and HR managers while successfully communicating what Prowly is truly about, and this is the essence of good advertising.

#3 Animations for Madrinas Coffee

Madrinas Coffee is a brand that covers cold brew grab&go coffee cans that are produced using organic, fair-trade inputs. Our task was to create two 15-second ads that not only presented the products but made sure the viewer learned they were produced using organic, fair-trade coffee.

By enlisting the help of two popular characters (Zeus and Yeti) and choosing a quirky and stylized animation style that captured the brand and reflected positively on it, we managed to create two highly successful animations that not only managed to communicate all the selling points of Madrinas Coffee but also made the brand memorable and visible.

#4 Commercial for Gusto

Gusto is a cloud-based payroll and HR solution. The Giant Ant agency had to find a way to create a commercial that both made Gusto's services appealing and showed how teams of different sizes, shapes, and industries used Gusto to accomplish great things.

By creating an animated world, using 2D and 3D graphics in conjunction, and flawlessly transitioning from one scene to the next, they managed to create a professional, captivating commercial that truly showcased Gusto's services and ethos.

Gusto // Sleepy Planet from Giant Ant on Vimeo.

#5 Working with Slack

After one of their animated videos caught the attention of the Slack leadership, Giant Ant agency embarked on a long journey with the company working on everything from print ads & banner ads to billboard ads and online ads. This campaign was a success, and it demonstrates quite well the skills necessary to successfully cooperate with a large brand on an international campaign.

If a campaign wants to appeal to foreign markets, animators need the skills and know-how necessary to create ads for different cultures and localities.

Slack // Email vs Slack from Giant Ant on Vimeo.

Tips for Using Animation in Advertising

Creating or using animated video commercials in your campaigns can certainly be a great idea, and it offers many unique advantages we went over in this article. But there are tips you should follow if you want to take full advantage of the medium, and in this section, we'll go over some of them.

#1 Consider How You Tell a Story

Telling a really interesting narrative will help you engage the audience. By sharing a heartfelt, uplifting message with your products and brands, you'll be able to humanize your company and make your services and products more appealing.

Paradoxically, by trying to make an emotional connection and build trust with your audience rather than merely selling them a product, you'll have more success selling products. Not only that, but you'll also establish what your brands stand for and leave a lasting impression.

#2 Adapt the Animated Commercial to the Target Audience

Even though this is one of the most established and talked-about marketing principles, it is imperative to not undervalue its significance.

In reality, even the greatest, highest-quality, and most expensive animated video advertising won't help you if you don't adjust your script, animation style, and messaging to target a specific audience.You need to gain as much knowledge as you can about your potential clients and customers. From their hobbies to their interests and their income, any sliver of information will be important in tailoring your animated marketing video to appeal to them better.

#3 Sound Design is Essential

Keeping viewers' attention, enticing them to watch all the way through, and persuading them to adopt your brand or buy your products are the primary objectives of every animated ad. To meet these goals, as much as the animation itself is important, the sound design that accompanies it is equally important.

Adding sound effects to your videos—such as voice-over, excerpts from songs, or more creative sound effects—will make commercials more engaging to watch. What's more, they are relatively easy and inexpensive to integrate. As we showed in our examples, you can achieve excellent ads by combining advertising animations and good sound design.

#4 Make the Animation Truly Stand Out

It might be obvious, but if you're going to use animated advertisements, the material must be of the highest caliber, the visuals must be stunning, and the transitions must be seamless and carefully designed. Many businesses make the mistake of employing a low-cost marketing strategy in the pursuit of immediate gains. But, this strategy can easily backfire.

A high-quality, animated video ad created by a reliable animation studio is probably more effective than ten low-quality ones if employed correctly. Keep this in mind: viewers and potential customers will associate the quality of the animated ad with the quality of your products, brands, and company.

#5 Don't be Afraid to be Daring and Creative

When used effectively, humor can be a terrific strategy for increasing audience engagement and building brand recognition. A punchline, quirky animation, or a creative art direction can stick with a viewer and make your brand far more recognizable.

Keep in mind that you may utilize humor to your advantage even if you are marketing a "serious" or B2B product. Creativity and humor can be excellent ways to make complex services more appealing to potential customers, especially on social media platforms.

Animation in Advertising FAQ

How is Animation Used in Advertising?

The use of animation in advertising is very widespread: from infographics to banners and videos, there are many ways a company can leverage animation in its advertising campaigns. 

What Does Animation Mean in Marketing?

Animations in marketing refer to banners, videos, gifs, and infographics that can be used to advertise specific products and services, tell brand stories, and deliver information to clients and potential clients. The use of animation in marketing is commonplace and very versatile, and whether you're a small or large business, you'll be able to leverage it in your campaigns. 

In What Way Does Animation Help in Marketing and Advertising?

Whether it is a cartoon animation banner or video content, animation can help you reach a broad audience, capture their attention, and interest them in your products and services. Essentially, animations make marketing campaigns much more effective. Animated commercial videos have seen great success in recent years, for example.