Did you know that in the last few weeks video consumption has grown exponentially? With most of the country working remotely, it’s not all that surprising. In fact, we’d be willing to bet you’ve watched some form of video in the last hour.
With your audience spending more time at home, they are about as captive as it gets. This makes it prime time to explore video use in your own marketing efforts. But how?
Capturing live-action videos can be tricky while maintaining physical distancing best practices. But there’s a risk-free alternative that you may not have considered before: animation.
With animation, any story you want to tell, any message you want to deliver, or any world you want to build can be done completely remotely. And in these times of rapid change, you can get your message in front of your audience safely and expeditiously.
Here are 6 ways that animation can continue to push your creative forward while your team works from home.
Make the most of a single image.
Are you trying to stretch your image gallery while you wait until your next photoshoot? With animation, you have the ability to repurpose a single photo into something much more impactful.
An animator can turn one static image of your product into an engaging and entertaining video. Whether you are manipulating the photo to include additional design elements or to create a live-action look, you’ll be amazed at how much more effective your image becomes.
Animating text onto your image is another great way to breathe new life into it. You’ll still show off your wonderful photography while including a message, a deal, or a story.
Showcase a specific product.
A new product launch is another instance when creative assets can be slim. Often there may not be any photos of the product yet. Luckily, that does not slow down the animation process!
An animator can create an illustration of your product that is as simple or complex as you like. You could even use illustration as an opportunity to create a visually stunning video that captures the audience’s attention.
Or if you want your creative to look as realistic as possible, then explore 3D animation. With 3D modeling and animation, you can recreate your entire product line or store environment. It’s a wonderful way to highlight product details and control the setting, without a video production or photoshoot.
Create a scene full of people while distanced.
Though it’s still possible to shoot live-action, if you are counting on scenes featuring large groups of people, it won’t be easy to achieve. An empty store, office, or cityscape can make the video feel cold, or serve as an unnecessary reminder of what’s happening in the world.
Animation allows you to create a lively scene that’s full of people. Though they will be animated characters, these simulated smiles and laughs can have the same effect on the video’s mood and create a sense of community.
If you chose not to include characters in your animation, remember that colors have an effect on our feelings. Using bright colors can help elevate emotions. Pair that with fun motion, cheerful music, positive-sounding voice over for a lighthearted animation.
Improve your retention rate.
Besides providing a break from reality that’s easy on the eyes, animation has wonderful retention rates. This is primarily due to its ability to provide the viewer with information in three different ways, often all at once.
First, visuals like icons help simplify the message. Second, on-screen text like callouts allow viewers to read along. Third, voice over reiterates what they are seeing on-screen in the form of audio.
Together these three elements help make complex information simple and easy to understand.
Establish strong brand recognition.
Brand recognition comes from strong brand guidelines. Animation can put your brand colors, icon style, photography, and typography to work in a new way that’s true to your look and feel.
Experimenting with animation allows you to expand the type of creative you share without completely reinventing your brand. You’ll find you can explore new ways to show your personality and deliver messages while maintaining your unique and recognizable style.
Reuse the assets for other platforms.
When creating an animation, many elements are created from scratch through design, illustration, 3D, or photo manipulation. These new elements can be reused across multiple platforms. That means one animation project could provide you with additional, unexpected assets, giving you more bang for your buck!
For example, if the animator creates a set of icons to visually show the services you offer, those new icons could then be used on your website, email, print, or wherever you may find a use for it.
Not to mention that the animation itself can be cut and reworked into various sizes and time lengths. This is extremely helpful if you have multiple social media platforms for your business. To be most efficient, it helps to know these size requests at the beginning to ensure the animation is created with this in mind.
Start Your Animation Project
In case you need some ideas of where animation can help your business, review this list of examples:
- About Us
- Brand Development
- Case Studies
- Commercials
- Entertainment
- Explainer
- Informational
- Internal
- Offers
- Pre Roll
- Product
- Promos
- Recruitment
- Social
- Testimonials
- Training
- Websites
- And Many More
All businesses are being forced to adapt and be flexible. Animation is one way you can be nimble and produce beautiful creative remotely. Let’s discuss how we can leverage it for your business.
If you would like to find out how animation can help your brand grow during these difficult times, and in the future, reach out to us today!
