4 Trending animation styles to level up your marketing in 2022

In marketing, as in life, change is the only constant. Trends in marketing come and go—causing a burden of uncertainty that torments every marketer. What might have worked last year may not work as effectively now, if it even works at all.

One marketing trend you’ve likely heard of is the use of animated videos—and videos in general. A highly compelling, profound and intriguing medium of marketing, animation holds the power to provide a massive ROI that maximizes leads and conversions. And its use and effectiveness are likely going to increase with time.

Let’s explore the four most effective and modern types of animated videos you can leverage as we head into 2022, with some relevant statistics to underscore their importance.

Statistical analysis of video marketing

The use of animated videos in marketing hit an all-time high in 2021. According to statistics collected by Insivia, your website is 53 times more likely to rank on Google if it has a video on its front page.

Plus, 72 percent of viewers prefer watching videos to understand a service or product rather than reading through a lengthy text. Not surprisingly, as I dug a bit deeper, the majority of video types used while collecting these statistics are of the following styles.

4 effective animation trends for 2022

1. 2D animation

If you consider two-dimensional or “2D” animation as a thing of the past, it’s time to revisit your thinking. Currently, 2D ranks as one of the coolest and most deliberately used types of animations among startups—and for very good reasons:

• It’s incredibly cost-effective when compared to its counterparts.
• As far as visual aesthetics are concerned, 2D animation provides you with unlimited creative possibilities while being fully expressive at the same time. This promotes user engagement, one of the key factors in digital marketing, and enhances persuasiveness when the video is paired with a compelling script.

If you are thinking about stepping into the video marketing game but have limited investment, 2D animation is an excellent starting point.

2. 3D animation

Although it’s more expensive, three-dimensional or “3D” animation gives the most bang for your buck—if you have the budget. 3D animation takes the concept of storytelling a step ahead and provides a visual experience that’s closest to reality.

It gives viewers a 360-degree experiential view of all the characters, environment and objects contained within the video. This makes it highly immersive and engaging compared to every other form of animation.

Whether you have a brand story to tell, a new product to introduce to the world, or an explainer video to create, 3D animation is the gold standard.

3. 2D animation with 3D elements

If you want to leverage the mystique of 3D animation in a more budget-friendly manner, why not combine 2D and 3D together? This combination is a rarity, seldom used and not even known by many people. However, it does exist—and you can leverage its unique nature to your advantage. Because of the peculiar combination of elements, people will be drawn into watching it out of sheer curiosity.

However, because high-level mixing of 2D and 3D elements is a complex and challenging process, the production time for making your video might be higher than usual. And that aspect can drive costs higher.

4. Kinetic typography

The idea of moving text in a video doesn’t seem like an attractive feat in terms of developing user engagement and persuasiveness, but here’s the shocker: According to Statista, businesses that used video elements with kinetic typography experienced a 14.6 percent improvement in customer attraction and retention.

How is that possible? Well, the magic of kinetic typography falls more on the psychological side than the actual visual experience. When these “moving words” are accompanied by just the right background music and an emotionally touching script, the enforcement created by highlighting essential points takes the persuasiveness factor to the next level.

Contributed by Alex Safavinia, the CEO and creative director of Kasra Design, an award-winning animation company specializing in motion graphics and explainer video production. As a motion graphics artist, he converted his passion for animation into a successful international animation company.