We all know you can save 15 percent or more on car insurance. Why? Because a talking gecko told us so.
It’s also common knowledge nobody better lay a finger on Bart Simpson’s Butterfinger, the Energizer Bunny keeps going and going, polar bears love Coca-Cola, and “Trix are for kids” (not some silly rabbit).
Why do we know these things? Animation.
Animation is a powerful tool and motivator, whether it’s being leveraged to sell more cereal, raking in cash at the box office and winning Academy Awards, or informing millions of people of a global crisis that’s going unnoticed.
Most people see animation as this thing that lives on TV, the movies or YouTube. But why can’t it live on your website? Why can’t you be utilizing and leveraging this powerful medium for your business?
You can.
I’ll give you five reasons why you should be using animation in your marketing efforts (caution, samples may contain adult language).
1. Entertainment & Memorability
There’s a reason everyone knows how Cee Lo Green is feeling about his ex-girlfriend.
[Warning: NSFW due to explicit language]
The music video for his F*ck You song has more than 10.7 million views on YouTube and consists entirely of motion graphics (kinetic text, to be more precise).
Not only is this piece entertaining, it is literally feeding you the information both visually and aurally. After hearing the first chorus, you can’t help but sing along the next time around. For me, this video has been referenced by more friends, family and even clients than probably necessary, which goes to show just how memorable it is (and transcending, which we’ll get to later).
This piece we teamed up with Catseye Pest Control to create starts off with 100 percent 3D computer animation for the first 30 seconds, then switches to live-action with 3D integration.
Catseye | :60 Jingle 2012 from O Studios on Vimeo.
The goal for this spot was to create an entertaining and memorable piece that introduces and showcases the company’s new cast of heroes and villains.
2. Visual & Emotional Stimulation
If you want to blab on for a couple of minutes about a certain topic, product or service, what better way to keep your audience engaged than with a visually and/or emotionally stimulating motion graphics piece or animation?
Take, for example, Fraser Davidson’s motion piece “Bill Maher – Irritable Bowl Syndrome”, a short essay animated from a recording by Bill Maher. . It’s a visually–stimulating, highly-engaging piece (not to mention entertaining and memorable) with more than 200,000 views on Vimeo alone.
Bill Maher – Irritable Bowl Syndrome from Fraser Davidson on Vimeo.
Perhaps you don’t want a voice at all… If a picture is worth a thousand words, then how much is an animated sequence worth? This is a piece we produced for BESTPASS to visually explain their business in a fun and upbeat way.
Best Pass | Ident + Tradeshow Loop from O Studios on Vimeo.
3. Supplemental Professionalism
Sometimes called the “wow” factor – nothing says “professionalism” better than a really killer animated piece that speaks to your business. For an example, take a look at Good Books’ “Metamorphosis” piece produced by Buck.
Good Books – Metamorphosis from Buck on Vimeo.
Described as the “graphic equivalent of a drug fueled rant”, it currently has more than 300,000 views on Vimeo. Before seeing this animation, I had no idea who Good Books was, let alone, they even existed. This animation put them on the map, for me and, I’d imagine, at least 290,000 or so others. Upon viewing, you instantly think, “clearly they have their shit together”.
4. Brand Expansion & Market Transcendence
Want to see your brand explode beyond its traditional box and reach an audience exponentially larger than your current one? Nothing does that faster and more effectively than a properly produced video.
Think about when Hellmann’s put together this piece as part of the Eat Real Local campaign.
Hellmann’s – It’s Time for Real from CRUSH on Vimeo.
It was such a powerful use of animation in marketing that is transcended Hellmann’s out of its mayonnaise box and brought them to the forefront of the conversation around sustainable living simply because the video was shared by so many people. It gave Hellmann’s an entirely new platform and context to share material. That’s what good content does. It makes you part of a larger conversation.
The Hellmann’s example also serves as an excellent reminder that the content you’re creating doesn’t always have to fit squarely in your target audience. Sometimes stepping outside of your comfort zone and doing something that is only tangentially related to your business, or not at all related, expands the trust of your brand.
5. Why The Hell Not?
Honestly, what have you got to lose? I’m sure there’s plenty of stuff you’ve blown cash on that barely made a splash in the puddle next to the pond you were trying to reach. Sure, it may seem like an expensive and/or time consuming endeavor up front, but the value it creates for the company, the brand and its effect on your business are well worth it. There’s nothing better than people searching the Web for your commercial or company overview just to show another person how cool or informative it is. Isn’t that what this “content marketing revolution” is all about?
And who do you think will pop into their heads the next time they have a need for the product or service you offer? Top-of-mind awareness is invaluable in this day and age of market floods, ADD-laden media barrages and the vast ocean of digital storefronts and webhomes clamoring for the top search engine results spot.
Like Nike says; Just Do It.
NIKE SPORTSWEAR: NSW+FBGT from fla on Vimeo.
