When you think of animation you’re probably picturing Aladdin flying in on his carpet or Buzz Lightyear coming to the rescue in creative and magical ways. But animation isn’t just for the big budgets of Disney, or as many finance brands believe, only suited to retail audiences. Video animation is an effective format that all finance brands can adopt to help convey a key message or cover a complex topic. And with Cisco reporting that video is set to account for 82% of all internet traffic by 2022, animation could be the answer for finance brands looking to capture their share.
Animation for education
Animation is a powerful educational tool and a format that lends itself to explaining more abstract concepts that real life footage would struggle to convey, particularly within an achievable budget. “The finance world is notorious for hiding behind acronyms and complex topics so animation is the perfect format to make tricky subjects easier to digest,” says The Dubs senior digital designer, Tom Bradshaw.
The finance world is notorious for hiding behind acronyms and complex topics so animation is the perfect format to make tricky subjects easier to digest.
Australian retail bank, CommBank has adopted a strong animation style across a number of its educational resources including explainer videos that teach business owners about online scams. Fidelity UK has also produced educational animation content aimed at investors to help them manage their investments in periods of volatility, exploring topics such as diversification, risk and savings plans. Finance brands can adopt a similar style and use animation as a simple and captivating format to explain more intangible concepts such as cryptocurrency, blockchain and asset management. Humble brag, both CommBank and Fidelity UK are our clients.
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Animation that’s flexible
When it comes to last minute changes or edits, animation is far more flexible than real-life video. “Over the years I’ve learnt to never label anything ‘final’ because there are always tweaks and changes to be made,” laughs Bradshaw. “With animation, it can be a much quicker and simpler process updating a scene rather than having to hire a full crew to shoot an update in live film.” Financial marketers should bear this in mind for video production when budgets are tight and a more cost-effective solution is required.
Animation to tell your brand’s story
We’re all used to the Disney classics from our childhood and animation harps back to the colourful nostalgia that captivates its audience. “Animation is synonymous with storytelling and is a great form to draw emotions and feelings,” says Bradshaw. “It can be more visually appealing compared with live film and take users on a magic carpet ride of a journey.” Financial marketers could look to use animation when bringing to life what the brand stands for as AllianceBernstein has done with its responsible investment philosophy. Animation can be used to tell your brand’s story or explain its stance.
There are lots of thing to bear in mind when producing animation so here are Bradshaw’s bitesize tips to producing killer animations:
- Short videos can help portray your brand’s message quickly and effectively so we always recommend to stick to under 90 seconds of video which works out to be 250 words. It might not seem like a lot but it makes you laser focused on what you want to say and how you need to say it.
- Keeping movement in every frame gives your animation a more premium look and feel. Even if it’s a simple marque that’s transitioning one scene to another, some subtle floating or zooming into focus, it will help guide your audience’s eye and keep them engaged. This is also a handy trick for when there’s lots of narration in one scene.
- It’s worth investing in talented voiceover actors as they can set the pace of your animation. Voiceover actors are extremely talented folks and well worth paying a professional rather than choosing someone from within your organisation.
- Music can control the mood of your animation so do away with corporate, stock music and try out some tracks that could stand out. Remember you need to pay for the license to use the music or find royalty-free options.
If you need a helping hand with your next animation project, The Dubs can support your production needs for scripting, designing, storyboarding, animation and post production, get in touch.
