When it comes to digital ads, a common instinct of brands is to appeal to the young crowd or the millennials and the Gen Zs. Raised on the internet, these generations have seen it all in the noisy and fascinating digital landscape. Millennials grew up at a time when the internet was just emerging, while Gen Z was born in a world already immersed in it. Driving engagement with these consumers means skillfully using tools in your digital marketing arsenal. One of these is a tool that is as versatile as it is powerful: animation.
Animation is a no-fail way to appeal to audiences of any age. However, the ubiquity of social media and the internet in the lives of younger consumers gives marketers both an opportunity and a challenge in creatively utilizing this tool to fit new platforms. Consumers below the age of 40 have been exposed to attention-grabbing techniques way beyond the confines of traditional print and broadcast media.
With nearly everyone having an online persona, it’s now easier for anyone to become a creator. The digital landscape’s lack of gatekeepers resulted in diverse content that can both inspire and challenge marketers that must now be experts in navigating the online world.
This is especially true in marketing to Gen Z consumers, which spend 11 hours on average on their mobile devices. According to a Think With Google study, 71 percent of teens said they spend more than three hours watching videos online while more than half reported that they allocate the same amount of time in both social networking sites and messaging apps.
How do you connect with a hyper-connected demographic that has been conditioned to think critically when engaging with brands online?
This is where animation comes in. The benefits of animation seem immediate: it appeals to all ages. It provides an avenue for creativity. It gives an air of “quirkiness” around your brand. It’s easily modifiable for various budget limits and agile enough to accommodate adjustments if you change your mind about your brand’s message.
Beyond that, animation respects the newer generations and their capacity to think critically. When executed well, the combination of art styles, color schemes, and music can simplify unfamiliar messaging without dumbing it down. Younger consumers’ exposure to various media enables them to appreciate and really pay attention to creative, animated materials regardless of whether they’re executed through their phones, desktops, or TV sets.
Animation’s adaptable nature also makes it suitable for visual content intended for a variety of age groups. There’s an inner child in all of us, and animation knows how to talk to them. Even with sleek and modern art styles, animation also has this way of getting our nostalgia in a chokehold—and it doesn’t have to be limited to the young.
Motion Cabin understands the power that animation holds and how to harness it. Interested in making the most out of animation? Chat with us today. Let’s explore its endless possibilities and go beyond the boundaries of creative marketing together.
