Why marketers are looking more to motion graphics
What’s more likely to get your attention? A static image or a moving object?
For the vast majority of people, it will always be something moving over something still because we are hard-wired to notice things which move in case they represent a threat to us. It’s human nature.
It follows then that effective marketing campaigns include movement.
But getting people’s attention is only half the struggle; keeping it is no easy task and it is getting harder.
US psychologist and the Chancellor’s Professor of Informatics at the University of California, Dr. Gloria Mark has studied attention spans over the last two decades and the results are sobering.
In 2004, people’s attention spans on any kind of device or screen, were found to be around two-and-a-half minutes. By 2012 it had decreased to 75 seconds.
In 2023, it had fallen to just 40 seconds.
This poses a challenge for marketers, especially when they are trying to convey a lot of information to a diverse range of people quickly.
And this is why motion graphics are being used more in marketing to connect and engage with audiences.
What is motion graphics?
London-based design studio Squideo ran a piece on LinkedIn describing the difference between motion graphics and animation.
“Both are moving images, but where motion graphics are static images given movement, animation is a series of moving images,” the piece read.
Pixar films are animation; ads often include motion graphic elements such as infographics and animated charts.
Motion graphics are effective at audience engagement because they combine graphic design, animation, and audio elements to create visually dynamic narratives, conveying vast amounts of information quickly and in an entertaining way.
Another benefit of motion graphics is they are cheaper to produce than animation or video.
Doing motion graphics well
As with all elements of your marketing campaign, we advise you do it well or not at all.
There is nothing worse than an advertising or marketing campaign with amateurish elements thrown in, disrupting the flow and the message.
We encourage you to try to incorporate motion graphics into your next campaign, but to have a professional guide you through the process.
At Strictlymarketing, we are blessed to have a very talented design team which includes artist, illustrator, animator and graphic designer Lara Berkley.
“There is huge scope for motion graphics in marketing campaigns and it’s ability to cut through the noise, attract attention and maintain it, is much higher than many traditional methods used in marketing,” Lara said.
“When used well, motion graphics can create campaigns which are memorable for all the right reasons.”
Check out the video of Dr Gloria Mark talking about why and how our attention spans are decreasing here (https://www.apa.org/news/podcasts/speaking-of-psychology/attention-spans).