Videos nowadays are perhaps the most powerful marketing tools available to both businesses and marketers. Wherever you go, video always tops all other forms of content, especially in marketing.
Here are some statistics to refresh your memory. 82% of Twitter users watch video content on Twitter. YouTube has over a billion users, almost one-third of total internet users, and more than 500 million hours of video content per day are watched and consumed on their platform.
And 45% of people watch more than an hour of Facebook or YouTube videos a week.
Animated videos are one of the different formats used. It is visual content that can be used for multiple platforms (TV, online sharing platforms such as social media and YouTube) as campaigns, advertisements, and PR material.
They can be utilized either by an individual representing his/her own brand, or businesses and commercial entities that intend to promote the products and services that they sell.
They are a highly-engaging form of media, and are ideal for introducing a new product or a service into the market, while offering minimal information to maintain customer curiosity.
This is why the ideal length of animated commercial videos range between 1 and 2 minutes.
We have compiled together a list of 10 high-quality examples that may inspire your business to team up with us to produce a compelling and entertaining animated commercial video.
What is a Commercial Video?
A commercial video is a short video or film that is used to promote a product, service, or brand. Commercial videos are typically played on television, online, or in movie theaters.
They can also be used for other marketing purposes, such as product demonstrations or customer testimonials.
Commercial videos vary in length, but they are typically 30 seconds to 2 minutes long. The content of commercial videos also varies, but they typically include a mix of images, music, and narration.
The purpose of commercial videos is to persuade viewers to buy a product or service, or to raise awareness about a brand or issue.
Animated commercial videos are usually created by advertising agencies, production companies, or marketing firms. They can be expensive to produce, and they often require the use of professional actors, writers, and directors.
However, there are also many do-it-yourself commercial video resources available online, which can be used to create low-budget commercials.
When creating an animated commercial video, it is important to consider your target audience, the message that you want to communicate, and the overall tone of the video.
You should also make sure that the video is well-produced and edited so that it is professional and polished.
Additionally, you will need to ensure that you have the proper permissions in place for any copyrighted material that you use in your video.
20 Awesome Animated Commercial Videos
Now it’s time for inspiration! We’ll be showcasing the most successful animated commercial videos across industries.
Keep in mind that this list does not include all the amazing animated commercial videos out there but features 20 of the most popular.
Let’s get started!
Honda – Paper
Back in 2015, Japanese automotive company Honda Motor Company Ltd. unveiled a beautiful commercial titled “Paper”.
Honda harnessed the power of nostalgia to illustrate the evolution of the company over a 60-year period, in the form of a flipbook story.
This story format resonates with the target audience, as they remember their childhood, and the commercial is unlike most adverts from a stylistic standpoint. They are thus immediately interested in the commercial.
What is more significant is that the purpose of the ad isn’t to sell a brand-new Honda Civic or Honda Accord. The sole purpose of that commercial is to generate brand awareness.
It serves as a reminder of who Honda is as a brand and where the company has come from, which further increases the trust factor between the company and the viewers.
Chipotle – Back the Start
Chipotle is an American chain of fast casual restaurants, and is mostly known for preparing burritos made from real ingredients. It is an alternative to typical fast-food meals.
The ad titled “Back The Start” used childlike imagery to convey a story about the use of healthy farming practices and how a farmer adjusts his approach to maintain a high-quality output of food.
The ad is able to keep viewers on their toes, since they will not be able to know what is its purpose until the last quarter of the video. It is a story that is gradually unraveling, thus increasing the viewer’s curiosity.
Aesthetically-speaking, the commercial is visually intriguing and conveys an easily understandable narrative, which is a huge advantage of utilizing animated commercial videos.
Google – Project Sunroof
Google’s “Project Sunroof” commercial is a testament to the ability of animated commercial videos to simplify complex stories and convey them in a visually-pleasing manner to the audience.
This commercial was produced back in 2015 to promote Google’s initiative to integrate solar power generation estimates with Google Maps, to tell homeowners how much money they could save in their electricity bills if they opted to use solar power.
While the idea may be difficult to outline, Google is able to tell the story in a precise and concise manner in barely a minute-and-a-half.
The video has almost 3 million views on YouTube, which underlines its popularity with viewers, and the level of ease in which the video’s message was delivered.
Slack – Traffic
Slack is a business communication platform that can help teams communicate in a more efficient way.
The 3D-animated video titled “Traffic”, is a fast-paced and entertaining video, that outlines cartoon characters communicating from one point of a highway to one person in an office, and eventually, to an entire factory.
All this smooth and seamless communication ultimately leads to the creation of the creation of the first flying car.
The combination of high-quality design, animations, catchy music, and the overall concept makes for a great way to encourage prospects to start using Slack as a communication tool.
McDonalds – The New McDonalds App
This commercial is made for one of the most known fast-food brands in the world. The advert itself targets the Singaporean market and outlines how the company’s new application operates.
Again, one of the most notable advantages of using animated commercial videos is the straightforward manner in which they explain what can be new or complicated ideas in an easy and understandable manner.
This commercial clearly underlines the value of simplicity and minimalism in the production of animated commercial videos.
The combination of simple strong colors and animation can work very well to promote a product or a service, thus better highlighting their potential value to viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqSjX3_Wh-E
Sherwin Williams – Where will Color Take You?
Sherwin Williams is a Fortune 500 paint and decorating company. In the commercial titled “Where will Color Take you?”, the key objective is to show paint colors, by combining them with the vibrancy of nature.
The advert also utilizes smooth transitions, captivating animation, and the perfect soundtrack to match the background, all come together to create an enthralling visual experience.
All the colors employed come in various shades. The combination of several palettes to create the animals and the ecosystem of the jungle sends a clear message that Sherwin-Williams offers a multitude of options for viewers that want to decorate, or redecorate their houses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jVfF-Ut9kdY
Wimbledon – In Pursuit of Greatness
This advert celebrates one of the most prestigious tennis tournaments in the world, the Wimbledon Championships. It was launched in 2018 and captures the evolution of Wimbledon as a single continuous tennis story beginning in 1877.
Owing to the tournament’s lengthy history, every generation of tennis fans can relate to the video, since they are bound to recognize at least one of the legendary players that were featured in it.
Additionally, the tennis ball is the main focus of the animated video. It is cleverly used to create smooth transitions as every new era is depicted, and the illustrations are gradually modernized in the process.
In Pursuit of Greatness is a simple and short yet truly breathtaking animated commercial that surely sets the bar high for other animated commercial videos and underlines the importance of combining relatable illustrations and emotionally-connecting music, in order to further grab the attention of the viewers and captivate them.
Nestlé – Nestle’s Commitments to Society and the Environment
Launched in 2015, the commercial outlines the nutrition company’s efforts to ensure that they produce and deliver high-quality products.
By using stunning animations, Nestlé is able to deliver complex information about their commitments to society and safe environment practices in less than two minutes.
It is a short, concise advert that does not try too hard to accomplish too much, hence the emphasis on keeping things as simple as possible when producing animated commercial videos.
The carefully-curated sound design and eye-catching motion graphic animation also add some spice to the overall viewing experience.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LAeZw752VDA
Cadbury – Cadbury Screme Egg: They’re Here
Cadbury’s limited-edition product called Crème Eggs was depicted in a 2013 commercial that spoofs horror movies Dawn of the Dead and Poltergeist.
The commercial tries to entice viewers in a humorous way to try the Screme Egg and harness the power of popular culture to further convince the audience to do so.
For all intents and purposes, the confectionary company was able to do so, as the animated commercial video has over 4 million views on YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_WzH8epLrU
Skirmish.io – Join Skirmish
Skirmish is a platform whose main aim is to match game developers and the gaming community in general with employers.
The commercial launched in 2017 illustrates a great example of how all elements of an animated commercial video can work cohesively.
For instance, the advert combines a sci-fi animation style, cinematic music, and deep voiceover work to create a captivating viewing experience.
One of the main traits of commercial videos Is choosing the type of energy that is intended to be projected, and selecting elements that support that vibe.
Seneca – Follow Your Dreams
This animated piece for Seneca College has to be one of the best ones in terms of seamless motion graphics. It also has a noticeably unique illustration style which adds its own edge to the video.
Other than the cool animation and seamless motion, this video is crafted so well in terms of addressing the target audience.
The script specifically addresses the viewers with the diploma problem and speaks to their pain points moving them toward the solution proposed by the university.
This commercial is proof that college and university commercials don’t have to feature the usual campus life and romanticize the experience for future students.
Instead, commercials can provide a smart and applicable solution for their problems!
Toyota – Stories of Better
Flexing its fleet in the biennial Paris Motor Show, Toyota crafted this breathtaking and sentimental commercial to air at one of the biggest automotive events in the world.
In this commercial, the Toyota team showcased their entire suite of vehicles each optimized in its own field.
The stop motion commercial does not only go over Toyota’s most famous cars but also narrates their story. And as you may know, a story is a brand’s strongest weapon in the field of competition.
We believe Toyota chose the stop motion animation commercial to give their cars and their brand’s story a simpler and more emotional appeal to the audience.
In this commercial, the cars are not just portrayed as horsepower and features, rather they are presented as companions for people throughout the world.
Apple – Mindfulness
This commercial is the true definition of simplicity. Being a tech company, Apple faces a backlash for negatively affecting people’s mental and physical health.
To counter that, Apple works on promoting both mental and physical health care and clearly states its stance in this short and simple commercial.
Stressing the importance of mindfulness and taking a break, this Apple commercial is calm and soothing. It features calm colors, slow animation, and truly simple shapes and cuts.
This goes to show that animation plays a major role in delivering the commercial’s message not only with the storyline but also with the choice of colors, transitions, shapes, and sounds.
Did this commercial make you want to take a deep breath and relax?
Harvey Nichols – Freebies
The absolutely genius introduction to their rewards app, the team at Harvey Nichols comically addressed previous shoplifting CCTV footage from their stores.
What’s genius here is that instead of blurring shoplifters’ faces, they used hilarious animation to cover the shoplifters’ faces and conceal their identities.
This animation added a functional and comical edge to the commercial, making it one of the rare commercials that feature both real-life footage and animation.
This commercial has all it takes to go viral and introduce the new rewards program because of its smart approach and funny take on shoplifting.
Did this commercial make you laugh out loud? Because we sure did!
Android – Be Together. Not The Same
This Android commercial did not feature any Android phones! Instead, it shed light on a truly stressful and important matter which is bullying. This animation video for anti-bullying shows us our childhood companions, rock, paper, and scissors. This choice had a strong first impression being that almost every kid knows rock, paper, scissors and we were all kids once!
Instead of going on about the dangers of bullying or slapping on a STOP BULLYING poster, the marketing team at Android skilfully put out the message through simple yet impactful animation.
Even though the objects are animated, their body language, their eyes, and their shapes and sizes made it easy for us to understand who is the bully and who is being bullied.
This goes to say that animation on its own holds great power in spreading awareness and sharing messages with people without text and explanation.
Headspace – Say Hello
Headspace is all about helping people deal with their issues and they portrayed that perfectly with animation.
The commercial features different situations where people would need support from Headspace like going through loud traffic, or struggling to focus in the workplace.
The animation flows smoothly and does not overwhelm the viewer with crazy details. It’s simple, and to the point, but also presents important details.
In addition, this commercial shows us how non-human fictional animation characters can just as easily convey real-life situations and represent diversity as actors all at the same time.
American Express – Imagine What You Could Do
Part of a large series that includes features on careers in technology, big data, and social media, American Express earned more than 37,000 views on YouTube!
This animated commercial does not only flex American Express’s new service, but it also highlights the exciting role of a travel counselor. This serves as an excellent recruitment tool for the company.
Are we the only ones ready to become travel counselors with American Express after this commercial?
John Lewis – The Bear and the Hare
Taking on a slower and more sentimental take on animated commercials, the 2013 John Lewis Holiday commercial is a heartwarming story accompanied by soothing and inspiring music.
The department store did not showcase its products or services. Instead, they painted us a picture of what Christmas is really about.
By connecting Christmas to its higher purpose, the department store inspires people to make someone’s Christmas by giving them a gift that means to them.
How heartwarming is this commercial?
Oreo – Wonderfilled
Oreo’s animated commercial features a custom-made song by Owl City for their “Wonderfilled” television commercial. The commercial sends a beautiful message as light and uplifting as the band’s song.
With simple yet dynamic animation, the commercial aims to give out a positive message that resonates with different audiences and age groups.
In this commercial Oreo gave their snacks a higher purpose. The commercial playfully proposes giving someone an Oreo to make them a better person. What a great message to portray!
Don’t Fail Idaho – Turning Point
This video by Don’t Fail Idaho is an amazing example of how community and nonprofit institutions can use animated videos to reach their goals. In this video, the animation gives the script more depth and offers the viewers more details.
The animation amplifies the reality of Idaho’s students by appealing to the sense of viewers and also to their emotions.
Whether it’s for collecting donations or raising awareness, this video uses animation and storytelling to successfully get the point through.
Final Thoughts
Well-executed animated commercial videos have the ability to create plenty of opportunities for your business. They combine compelling stories, well-thought-out illustrations and designs, captivating music, and engaging voiceover for your business to outline its brand identity, and engage with the target audience.
If you are looking for an animated commercial video for your business, we at VerveVideos, possess a team of creators with extensive experience in creating animated commercial videos for companies.
We are ready to become your reliable and trustworthy visual partner.
Feel free to contact us at any time that you see fit!
VerveVideos.com is a Canada based animated explainer video production company that has worked with international names including Entreprenuer.com, and Hershey’s. Are you ready to discuss your next animated explainer video project? We’d love to hear from you! Call us at +1-833-333-2578 or drop an email [email protected]
