I’ve created and seen a lot of animated company videos, and I mean A LOT. There are many that blend together over the years but, here is my top list of the ones that stand out to me even after all this time. These rise above the rest not just in terms of quality design and animation, but in marketing the brand well. So if you’re looking to use an animated company video to market your brand, first glean from the wealth of knowledge in any of these examples.
5) SHORT AND SIMPLE: Prosper Online Lending Marketplace – Handshake
18 seconds and it’s done. Prosper’s purpose and value simply stated and explained with one relatable visual. There’s not a tidal wave of icons or call out text screaming for your attention. There’s places where they could have jumped ship and shown the same icons and visuals that everyone else does but, they stuck to their guns. Shorter is better.
4) ICONS AND APPS: Kifi – Keep it, Find it
Okay, at some point there just has to be a marketing video that needs to showcase familiar tech imagery and iconography. So, if you’re going to tread this well-trod ground, do it like this Kifi video. There are no actual product screenshots in this, everything is a simplified, animated version of a browser, page, or app. This not only saves you money when your product gets yet another UI facelift but, also saves you from having to decipher how Camtasia works again to get the agency screenshots of your product.
3) SHOW, DON’T TELL: Google for Education
Google For Education from Buck on Vimeo.
Over-explaining your messaging is death on screen. The more you can convey the feeling your product or service offers, the better. The style of this Google for Education video is clean and fun while the standalone visuals do a great job of conveying just how easy it is to use the product. There’s no need to explain it when you can watch it happen. A few words here or there do more than emphasize what is already happening. Again, it’s simple.
2) TELLING A STORY: TOMS // The TOMS Story
Not everything is an app clamoring for attention in an overcrowded space. Sometimes you need to tell a story that has heart and is truly making a difference. In that case, don’t hold back. Invest in really incredible design that will engage the audience, because you need more time than usual to tell an important story. If it’s a cause you believe in and is making a difference, it’s worth the extra effort and resources. This TOMS video is one of the Sparksight animation team’s favorite animated videos. We’re huge fans of this one!
1) ALL IN: Fox Retro
My personal favorite and top of the list is this Fox Retro video. It has a joyful and nostalgic style. It fits their branding of “Retro Night” and is showcased with incredible animation. It’s playful, zany, energetic, and a fun ride. We can all relate to the nostalgia of the piece. I’ve always wanted to see more dynamic styles in marketing videos besides the clean, sleek, white space look. Not that clean/sleek is a bad style, but it is used often. So, grab your viewer’s attention in a new way. Ask your agency what fun ideas they may have cooking that they’ve been dying to let loose. They may be like me and have a style in mind they’ve been dying to try out and be able to produce an animation for you that goes all in.
Questions? Or, maybe you want to do a wild pixel animated company video for your next marketing campaign? Contact us! We can help with both!