The Medium of Animation Today
Let’s face it; when you think of the word “animation,” you probably already have an idea of what that looks like. That’s made it a bit harder to believe that animation is everywhere. Animation has been used in so many facets of our lives.
If you’re a marketing or creative content professional, it’s time to start thinking of animation as a medium and another tool for messaging. Something that is and will continue to be mixed into our daily lives.
Reality Check: Animation is Everywhere.
The technology we use will continue to expand our creative possibilities. However, as creatives, we must adapt to and recognize its limitations, very few from reality these days. However, long gone are the days when you had to draw everything frame by frame, which is still happening; it’s just more on digital tablets than paper, although some artists are still at it.
The types and styles of the medium we see today are expansive, and just like fashion, the medium has different styles that will be “in” or “out” and constantly changing. As a marketer, communicator, and strategist, you must be mindful when telling a story you want to last. It’s why you sometimes see older animated content rebooted using newer animation technologies, methods, and styles.
But the medium of animation appears in many other categories of our lives; not only in our most beloved children’s entertainment:
Games - all modern games use some form of animation
Visual Effects (VFX uses realistic animation to integrate into the live-action video seamlessly)
Advertising & Marketing (campaigns use animation to target their customers with more engaging elements)
UI/UX Design (User Interfaces and User Experiences are enhanced by animations that covey crucial information)
“Dark Social Channels” with Animated GIFs (Don’t get us started on GIPHY. We have stickers too!)
AI - Artificial Intelligence (animations are being created by machines using global artwork)
AR - Augmented Reality (animated objects mixed within our real-life spaces and seen through our devices)
VR - Virtual Reality (experiences like the Metaverse where the world is computer generated, and Animation is life.)
So, where do you begin?
As a marketer and depending on the organization, it’s hard to know where you will apply animation and where to spend your dollars most effectively.
Animation is embedded in our digital consumption and changing our habits and expectations as buyers. Therefore, it’s essential to know what types of animation are available for your organization to stay relevant over time and choose the appropriate delivery for your intended audience.
The good news for the creatives in the room is that there’s demand, even though you might not feel it just yet. Companies, especially B2B companies, are just starting to realize they need to operate more like content companies. They are not entirely changing their strategies, but they are at least investing some money and effort into dedicated content creation teams, and the most prominent companies are bringing more creative jobs in-house. This means you’ll start to see businesses like Ikea and Target, for example, hiring 3D Modelers, Lighters, and Generalists. As a result, more creative jobs in the overall creative economy will come from businesses, and the whole economy is expected to grow and recover by 2030. Look up the Creative Economy Conclusions from the G20 Summit for a more in-depth look at these global trends.
Animation in Marketing and Advertising
There are tons of opportunities for animation to be part of your strategy. Digital signage ads are going mobile, especially on moving trucks in big cities. These days, commercials look more like short films. We loved the spots from Lyft, Airbnb, and Grubhub, who ran wildly successful ad campaigns with the medium of animation at the forefront of their strategies. And there’s more good news: creatives want to help get the marketer’s message to their audience!
Left to Right: Grubhub, “Delivery Dance” | Airbnb, “Wall & Chain” | Lyft, “June”
You always have choices.
On the marketing side, organizations will have to hire more people, teams, or creative production studios OR learn the tools themselves. Of course, both have pros and cons, and you must decide what is best for you based on your budget and resources. We’ll talk about the pros and cons in another blog.
If you’re a freelance creative, now is the time to start understanding how businesses want to utilize animation. Stay up to date with the tools as they change and understand why and how these tools are changing.
When we work together on these shared goals, we can create a world of seamless production and impactful content.
TLDR
The medium of Animation is everywhere, and it is not going away.
The tools that generate it are evolving.
Businesses and Creatives need to make smarter choices on how they’ll adapt.
Marketing teams should work to understand the creative needs that are appropriate to their audience.
Marketing Departments should hire teams that make sense for the type of communication you want to create.
Creatives must better communicate from the lens of the business they’re looking to help.