Ever since we were little most of us have been immersed in the stories of Animated Characters. I, for one, spent most of my childhood watching Spongebob and Patrick wreak havoc in Bikini Bottom or Chip and Dale traumatise Donald. But, animated characters are almost never designed for an adult audience. So, it is little wonder that questions circle like hungry cartoon sharks around the use of animated characters for branded content.
But, that’s why we’re here! We can answer all of your character animation questions so you can see why we love animated characters so much. Well… not all of your questions. We only have time to answer the seven most frequently asked questions about character animation.
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1) Why should I use characters for my brand?
Aside from the nostalgia for simpler times that animated characters bring us, characters also serve a plethora of other purposes. Perhaps most importantly, characters are able to encompass your brand’s tone and personality better than any live action performer ever could. This is because animated characters are basically test-tube babies that our scientist animators can engineer to perfectly cater to the look, feel, voice and needs of your brand.
Another key reason you should use animated characters to represent your brand, is that your customers want to feel understood. That’s the first rule of marketing, understand your target audience’s needs so you can show them how you can fill those needs. What better way to represent your audience than with a character designed to feel exactly as they do?
2) My brand is very serious, animated characters wouldn’t be appropriate… would they?
Ummm, of course they can. Animated characters provide the right counterbalance to the serious tone of the project, providing the perfect balance between the seriousness of your brand and the lightheartedness of animation. This keeps your audience engaged whilst still delivering the professional outcome you require.
The use of animated characters is also the perfect way to take your audience on an emotional journey. Not only can they illicit all manor of emotions from viewers, but they can also be easily manipulated to exhibit precisely the emotions you want shown.
3) If I want characters why shouldn’t I just use real people?
Sure people are great and all but there’s just so many reasons why the fake ones are better. Animated characters are a fun and easy way to express emotions and can be designed to look and act in a way that suits your brand, right down to the length of their toenails. There are only so many ways you can alter the appearance of an actor to suit your brand and all of them take time and money. With animated characters, you can completely change most things with just the click of a button.
Speaking of money. Filming live-action content can be expensive. Which is great if you have the budget, but for those times we don’t, animated characters can be a more affordable way to achieve the same result.
4) Aren’t animated characters just for kids?
Never have I heard such a blasphemous statement. Just in case you haven’t read the first three answers and skipped straight to this one – I’ll say it again. Animated characters are able to embody the personality of your brand, no matter how adult or serious that may be. Better yet, they walk the tightrope between professional and entertaining so your audiences remain engaged whilst receiving an education on your brand.
5) How can I use characters to show off my brand?
In sooooooo many ways. I could write an entire blog post dedicated to answering this question (and maybe I will…). Animated characters can be used in how-to videos, social media content, banners, advertisements, explainer videos, internal videos (like for training and stuff), virtual events and oh so many more things. Basically, if its for on a screen, you can use them, and even if it’s not, you can put your characters on billboards and print media too. The opportunities truely are endless.
What makes this sweet deal even sweeter? You can re-use the same character across years of content, different campaigns, all types of platforms and types of projects. Where actors might move on or become unavailable, your animated characters will always be there for you.
6) How do I know what my characters should look like?
Luckily for you that’s where designers come in. With some knowledge of your brand, goals and audience, designers can do what they do best… design. They can work with you to create unique characters that fit your brand like a glove. Sure, if you have specific features or attributes you desire, they can work them in, but the great part is that you don’t have to.
So there you are. All the answers to every question you could ever have about why animated characters are great for your business.
Now I know what you’re thinking “But Caitlin, you only answered 6 questions. You promised us 7!”
I know, I hear you.
7) Where can I get one of these epic animated characters from?
Right here of course! **sly wink**
Written by Caitlin de Graaf.
