The Role of Animation in Brand Storytelling
Branding is the image your business projects. It starts from the company’s name, builds with a logo and develops into a full set of branding guidelines which will influence your website, company documents and advertising. The public will recognise you through your brand, and you can engage them with storytelling.
Brand storytelling focuses on the use of narratives to guide your customers through the history, development and values of your business. By adding brand storytelling to your marketing campaign, you can improve customer loyalty and humanise your brand.
Once you identify your story, you have something that is unique. No other brand can copy you, which makes your brand stand out. In 2018, Quantified determined that marketing campaigns which use stories are 22 times more memorable than campaigns which focus solely on facts.
Animate Your Brand’s Story
Animation is perfect for brand storytelling. Animated characters can also do things that would be impossible in live-action, making it a powerful storytelling medium. If your business’ logo is a character, animation can bring them to life in a way live-action couldn’t. Animation offers a vast variety of styles and techniques, which means these videos can be tailored to perfectly reflect your brand.
Consumers are also less interested in listening to ordinary promotional messages and prefer to watch videos that tell compelling personal or brand stories. The ideal way to do that is with an animated video. Animated videos allow you to experiment with various styles and effects and puts no limitations on your imagination.
How do you work out what story is the right one for you to tell?
The first place to look is your brand guidelines. Identify the core themes, particularly what your businesses’ values and aims are. Does your company prioritise customer satisfaction? Environmental sustainability? Quality production? Whatever the answer, it will affect the story you’re about to tell.
Brand storytelling isn’t limited to one piece of marketing content, like a poster or advertising video, so it’s important to be confident in your choice. The story will become part of your public persona, and that is hard to change further down the line. It’s also hard to fake, so ensure your story is true!
According to Brené Brown, only ten percent of organisations have operationalised their values into action which means they’re not real values. In the digital age, it’s hard to profess a commitment to something and not follow through without it quickly becoming apparent to your customers – which can turn them off your brand.
Brand storytelling should humanise your brand, demonstrating to your customers and the public that your business is deserving of their support and their money.
Finding Your Story
Businesses, big and small, have a lot of milestones and accomplishments behind them. So, what story should your animated video focus on?
01. Company History
An animated video can quickly encapsulate a company’s history, tracking every step from its foundation to its present activity. Showcasing your longevity will demonstrate to an audience that your company is here to stay; and highlighting your accomplishments will establish you as a forerunner in your field.
02. Major Rebrand
Major overhaul? A change in directors, logo, name or branding? Transition your customers and clients through this rebrand with an animated video. Create a narrative which explains the reasoning for these changes and makes your audience excited to become a part of your company’s future.
03. Making a Commitment
As public scrutiny on businesses grows, some companies have taken the opportunity to refocus their story to put them in a more favourable light. This could be environmental sustainability, providing a living wage, a commitment to health and safety standards, or aligning with social movements.
04. Mergers and Acquisitions
The world’s largest companies only continue to grow as they merge with competitors or acquire new up-and-coming talent. Announce these changes with an animated video, telling the story of your company’s expansion and showing customers how their experience with you might change.
05. Product Launch
Take viewers to the latest chapter of your story with an animated video explaining your newest product or service. Explain how this was a natural evolution for your company, building upon your experience and the talent of your team. Get your audience excited about this new release and eager to buy in.
Work With Us
Ready to create your brand’s story? Watch the video below to get a better understanding of how Squideo can help promote your business, then get in touch with us to find out more!
