Most people still hold the misconception that animation is only for broadcast and film production, or children. However, the rise of motion graphics has made it much easier to engage the target market as an effective marketing tool. Besides, animation isn’t just limited to one particular business type such as B2C (business-to-consumer) companies. Animation is flexible and versatile enough for B2B (business-to-business) companies to use as well.
In these uncertain times, how can businesses ensure that the visual content they are providing online is always engaging as well as relatable?
Why animation?
Gone are the days when animation is what we typically associate with kids’ TV and Disney movies. Don’t be fooled – adults love animation too, especially when they are used by businesses to add life and variety to a companies content such as putting out explainer videos, internal training clips or adverts.
The fact is that B2B animation presents businesses with an opportunity to explain what’s happening on the screen whilst anonymizing the real-life people affected by the message. In an industry like healthcare for example, this removal allows the creator to address more complex scenarios in a clear and precise manner, whilst in other industries it allows for greater accessibility within a diverse target audience – and for a business, this kind of versatility is invaluable.
If a business uses a video with live actors, audience members who can’t relate to those actors or figures will immediately and subconsciously be alienated by the footage and will not view it as relevant for them. Animation takes away those barriers, so that every viewer can input themselves into your story. Not only that, but animation is easier to brand and influence in terms of colour and mood, and it can automatically make content more relatable in its messaging and structure which adds a different edge to business messaging.
There are no boundaries for B2B animation – it can work with even the most dense or hard-hitting messages, and likewise can just as easily bring a smile to the audiences face. It deals with these complex wide ranging emotions in such a way, that the overall effect makes sense and is easy to follow – as many of our different clients have found out.
Using animation as a tool for exploring different tones and emotions
The Business Design Centre
When we were approached by The Business Design Centre in London, they wanted a looped animation that could share everything the venue was doing to reduce its carbon print and be as sustainable as possible. The brief? To keep it entertaining, engaging, and seamless in its delivery. And that’s exactly what we did, using green and white tones that were clear and precise in their imagery and to feed into the sustainable them, refined messaging to highlight the BDC’s main points, and a continuous looping flow to the whole video so that it could play again and again. The tone achieved was light and educational and captured the minds of viewers, without using a single character.
LexisNexis
Our work with LexisNexis, however, had a very different brief – and a very different target audience. They are poised to revolutionise the way we handle data surrounding our vehicles in the 21st century. However, to do this they need to get the right businesses on board to kickstart this change throughout the insurance industry. They came to us needing an engaging way to show off their new services & explain what they do in a way that would help push this change. To do this we created a dynamic 3D video that helps them do that and so much more.
Aluprof
Aluprof was a different proposition to the previous two case studies. They are a premium supplier of aluminium building systems, and our brief was to create something that resonated with the high-end products that they are already associated with. We opted for a 3D animation timeline video that embodied their history and diversity of services. The possibilities of 3D animation allowed us greater artistic license to convey their brand to a new audience and help visualise and anonymise their products in a way that would appeal to global audiences.
The simple fact is that with animation, you can tell bigger and bolder stories from any and every corner of your industry. And the best thing is, you have complete creative control over exactly how those stories are told – and who is telling them, whether it be a realistic detailed character or a blank sheet that anyone can relate to.
Animation helps your business to be seen, heard, and understood, by breaking through your competition with something different.
Cutting Through The Noise
Traditional video marketing doesn’t work as seamlessly for many companies as animation does, and with physical marketing off the cards for the foreseeable future, you need to continue to drive forward your brand engagement, now that it’s predominantly online. Lucky for you, that is what we do every single day. The Animation Guys are here to help, and can help you to design, create, and finetune an animation that delivers your brand’s story.
If there are any other questions that you might have around your animation project, or if you are having trouble trying to nail down the tone, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today to discuss your direction, or call us on +44 (0) 207 2886 319. We’re happy to help and can’t wait to hear about your project!
The Animation Video Workbook
The 1-stop shop for everything you need to know about making the most awesome video possible
