In a world of social media, hashtags and character limitations, it can be easy to forget the importance of great storytelling within our marketing.
‘Storytelling’ is often thought of as a buzzword from decades ago, but is vital to understand the positive impact it can have when used in the workplace, or in your business’ marketing. People are attracted to stories – we are social creatures and crave that connection, whether we realise it or not. But where do you start?
Let’s get to the emotional root of your business. How do you want your potential consumer to feel? Maybe you want them to be excited by the possibilities if they contact you. Maybe you want them to be concerned for the outcomes if they don’t.
Video marketing is a great way for businesses to showcase their superior service and products, but sometimes this can seem bland, or even off-putting, to the consumer. Storytelling engages consumers on a more emotional level, and allowing you to be relatable, honest and relevant within the market place.
Each year in the US the Superbowl is one of the most watched TV events, with 111.5 million viewers tuning in in 2014. Businesses know the importance of airing a great commercial during the breaks, so every year the production values seem to get better and better, and every 30 second ad is like a mini-movie. The production may be epic, but it’s the stories that entertain and impress the viewers. Storytelling helps the audience view the business in a new light, and allows them to engages with a brand in a way that they haven’t before.
Budweiser have have made use of this technique, and have won first place in USA TODAY’s Ad Meter two years in a row. Their 2014 Superbowl ad tells the tale of a the puppy that keeps escaping from an adoption farm to visit a horse on another farm, and is eventually adopted by the owner of the horse, and their 2015 ad continues the story, with the same puppy getting lost and finding his way back to the farm. The product is only visible for a couple of seconds, and is not in the foreground of either of the ads – the selling point is the story.
At the beginning of this year, a study revealed that 65% of senior marketing executives believe that visual assets (photos, video, illustrations and infographics) are core to how their brand story is communicated. And in 2015, mobile video plays were up a massive 844% from 2012. Using animation, we can blend the perfect mix of these visual assets, text and sound to connect with the senses of the viewer, while being easy to absorb and understand. Animated, likable characters make emotional connections with audience, allowing a business to tell a story that hits the consumer right where statistics and figures cannot; their heart.
If your business has a story they need to tell, or you are interested in how you can use animation in your marketing strategy, drop us an email at info@sbanimation.com or give us a call on +44 (0)207 148 0526.
