The impact of animation and the potential it has for businesses

The concept of animation has been around for more than 100 years. According to the Oxford Learners Dictionary, animation is “the process of making films, videos and computer games in which drawings, models or images of people and animals seem to move.”

Of course, animation has changed vastly since its inception, but the core process has remained very similar throughout its lifetime. Now it is used in a variety of fields and industries, such as entertainment, education, and manufacturing. For example, animations can be incredibly useful in language classrooms to help bring a visual aspect to new vocabulary, helping learners associate specific words with the concept or object on-screen.

Animations are also often used in manufacturing or architecture to help produce a semi-realistic visual representation of a finished product, or to help demonstrate how the moving parts within the product fit together and operate.

But does animation have additional use in business and marketing? Absolutely, read on to find out how you could utilise animation to boost your business success.

Animation is a powerful and historic medium for storytelling

In its early days, animation looked very different. The earliest forms of animated film would use cardboard or paper paintings which would be photographed individually and strung together, giving the illusion of movement.

Nowadays, most animations are made using computer-generated imagery, which allows for seamless transitions and fluid movement, rather than the “choppy” nature of traditional animation.

Probably the most famous early animator, Walt Disney, popularised animation in the west, and it is now one of the most consumed forms of media worldwide. However, there is still a stigma in the western world that animation is typically aimed at children or younger audiences, and the words “animation” and “cartoon” are interchangeable.

However, in the east, no such stigma has ever existed. Animation in entertainment is viewed equally among adults and children, with one of the most popular Japanese films of all time, Akira (1988) proving that animation can be for all audiences.

In terms of western entertainment, recent television releases such as Love, Death + Robots (2019), Invincible (2021), and Arcane (2021) have all been targeted at mature audiences.

But animation also has its uses in business and marketing, and you could be missing out on all its benefits by stigmatising it.

Animation can help support your marketing or presentations

Have you ever presented to a packed meeting room with dry, static charts and graphs? Do you know the feeling of talking to a room of people who are trying to look like they are paying attention (when they definitely aren’t)? Ever wondered why an advert seems like it’s missing something?

Animation could be the answer in all the above situations. Animations can be used in many ways in business, from simply sprucing up the stats on your presentation to a full, minute-long video describing a specific service or feature. For example, instead of simply talking at your audience and explaining an otherwise dry concept, why not use an animation to help visualise what it is you need to explain?

If you are looking to appeal to external consumers and potential customers, an animation can succinctly explain or demonstrate your company’s services, values, and the benefits of working with you all through in an interactive and engaging way.

It also means that you don’t need to approach a video production company that may charge you thousands for their service.

In fact, Statista reports that the average person in the UK consumes more than 100 minutes of online video media every single day in 2022. With such high demand for video and animated content, there appear to be few reasons not to use it in your marketing strategy.

Animations are gripping, persuasive, and interesting for your audience

So, the ultimate question is: are animations effective? Sure, they can make things look good, but does that translate to better audience reception? Yes, and here are three reasons why.

1. Animations are unique and underutilised Including an animation in your marketing piece or presentation is going to make you stand out, not only because it will be engaging for the consumer, but because very few companies utilise animations successfully. If you think back to an advertisement or public speech that has stuck with you, the likelihood is that they’ve done something new and innovative. Animations can have that impact on your audience, especially when you engage with the audience through humour, interesting statistics, or new concepts. American software developer HubSpot report that, in 2020, 80% of those who have utilised videos and animation in their marketing believe it has directly increased sales. They also report separately that 83% of marketers say that videos have helped them generate leads.

2. Animations are more succinct and informative than text While giving a presentation or publishing an advert is great for marketing and engagement, you could be missing out on more effective, attention-grabbing methods. For example, you can fit more information in a more appealing format with an animation than with a block of text. A presentation may need a full slide to describe a specific feature, whereas an animation could express similar information in just 5 – 10 seconds. The same could be said for an advert, which is especially important given that you only have a limited time to appeal to your audience.
   

3. Animations are not held to the same restrictions as live-action videos There are several restrictions when it comes to recording videos, especially if you want them to look professional. You’ll need to consider the lighting, camera quality, sound quality, and more if you’re to record your own video and make it look professional. This is unrealistic for most businesses, especially if you don’t tend to do video work. In that case, you’ll need to approach a video production company and pay a fortune to use the camera and lighting equipment, utilise the skills of experienced actors, and find a time when everyone is available. Animation is a more cost-effective alternative, as an outsourced animation company can start to conceptualise your ideas and bring a video to life with just a few back-and-forth emails. Animation also allows you to make edits once the final product has been completed, rather than needing to re-shoot entire scenes. Plus, animation gives you the opportunity to be more fantastical than live-action videos. Your animation is restricted only by your imagination; if you wanted your animation to be set on Mars for whatever reason, you can! Filming on Mars, however, is much more complicated…
   

About EDGE Creative

EDGE Creative are a marketing agency based in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham. They provide businesses up and down the country with bespoke marketing solutions across all areas of business, including website design, content writing, SEO services, and more.

They work to help businesses be seen and understand the necessities of marketing from both a business and consumer point of view. They know exactly what consumers want and have evolved alongside technology to produce the most up-to-date marketing solutions possible. They have previously produced animations for their social media channels and entered a partnership with us to produce their most recent advertisement.