Why brands should never sit still

In this day and age, the majority of us walk around with smartphones in our pockets, equipped with high-definition screens that are crying out for moving content. To add to that, screens are everywhere around us. Smart screens in shopping malls, outdoor digital screens, 3D billboards, digital window displays, monitors, laptops, tablets, smart phones, the list goes on. Even in our own homes, television sets are almost as big as some cinema screens out there.

When it comes to marketing and advertising, motion outperforms static content tenfold in regards to engagement, retention, and emotional impact.

So I have to ask myself why so many modern brands are still sitting still?

In this article, I’ll cover why I believe static brands should be a thing of the past, and why more brands should be embracing animation first and foremost, rather than motion being an afterthought.

Why brands should move

I cut my teeth in branding while working at Interbrand over ten years ago. I was fortunate to work alongside strategists, writers, and designers. Copywriters used brand strategy to inform the tone of voice for new brands, and designers were creating meaningful brands based on in-depth research. It was here that I was introduced to motion branding, where I would be encouraged to think of ways I could translate these same strategic concepts into motion, breathing energy and life into brands as I made them move.

Since then, I’ve continued working in the world of branding, so I’m a huge advocate for moving brands. Although when I sat down to write this article, I did some additional research to check my facts and make sure I wasn’t in my own thought bubble.

The results of my research validated my belief in why brands need to move to have cut-through in a saturated market.

The impact of moving content

Full motion for digital outdoor advertising delivers 2.5 more memory encoding and emotional intensity than static advertising. WARC

When I came across this statistic from WARC, it really resonated with me and solidified my thinking. It reaffirmed how much greater the impact of moving content can be than static advertising.

It doesn’t stop there, I found more stats that talk to the power of moving content across a wide range of applications.

Motion grabs attention.

Social media posts with video have 48% more views than those without. HubSpot

Motion increases retention.

Viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. Forbes

Motion outperforms static content.

Animation is 200% more effective than static advertising. (from research directly comparing the performance of motion and static content in advertising). Neuro-Insight

Motion improves conversion rates.

Motion graphics can help businesses grow revenue 49% faster. Forbes

I found these insights super interesting and they further affirmed my belief in the power of motion branding.

All these sources prove that brands need to ‘move to be seen’ in order to win the battle for brand awareness, while providing solid evidence that motion branding outperforms static branding in various aspects of marketing and advertising.

When we think about motion branding in its most stripped back form, a company logo is at the core of every brand. Even a short logo animation can have an incredible impact, hence why you see a logo in motion at the end of every television commercial. It’s a strategic tool that serves as a visual anchor, enhancing brand recall because the last thing viewers see is often what they remember most, making the brand more memorable.

The power of sound with motion

I’ve always believed that the power of audio and visuals combined is an incredibly powerful combo. When we combine motion branding with sonic branding, it makes brand recognition even stronger. A sonic mnemonic is a powerful asset at the core of a sonic brand. That short, instantly recognisable sound coupled with the logo in motion immediately reminds us of the brand.

If the power of motion isn’t impressive enough, sound is the other 50% when coupled with motion.

You hear anywhere from 20 to 100 times faster than you see. Everything that you perceive with your ears is colouring every other perception you have. Seth Horowitz

Sonic branding is another topic unto itself, although this tells us that audio is a vital component for maximum impact. We partner with the masters in sound design to elevate our visual craft, and together we create distinctive brand assets to resonate with the audiences they serve and have lasting impact. Smith & Western Sound are specialists in the area of sonic branding and they have a page on their website dedicated to it. Check it out if you’re keen to know more. https://smithandwestern.com.au/sonic-branding

All of this ties into how our brains work. In the book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, the author Daniel Kahneman, talks about our brains having two thinking systems, where our left brain thinks quickly and our right brain thinks slowly. Surprisingly, our left brain thinking makes a whopping 95% of decisions compared to our right brain thinking, making the other 5%.

This tells us beyond doubt that we have very short attention spans, and highlights the fact that short and emotional content is most impactful, especially on social media platforms.

In turn, at Never Sit Still we believe in short-format, emotional brand experiences that drive the instinctive part of the brain, and this is what we strive to create with our motion branding projects.

Brain behaviour

Aligned with this thinking, in the book Brain Rules by John Medina, he says.

People are likely to remember 80% of what they see and do, compared to just 20% of what they read. Brain Rules

Sticking on the topic of short attention spans, TikTok data notes that when users are scrolling through content on their platform, there’s a window of 1.5 seconds to grab someone’s attention before they scroll on by.

Average watch time per video on TikTok is 1.5 seconds. Australians spend on average 2 hours every day on TikTok. 90% of TikTok users consume content with SOUND ON. Tik Tok

Taking these stats into consideration, you have to be pretty smart upfront about the content you share if you want people to stick around. This might even reveal an ideal opportunity for motion branding and sonic branding to play a part, with a snappy logo in motion coupled with a sonic mnemonic. Even if the user scrolls past the content, they’re more likely to recall the brand when they're away from the screen.

What happens when brands move?

All of the above paints a pretty convincing argument for WHY brands should move. But what are the outcomes and benefits to brands for creating moving brand identities? At Never Sit Still, we believe these are:

Differentiation - In a crowded marketplace, motion branding helps brands stand out from the competition with motion principles unique to their brand.

Memorability - The combination of meaningful visuals, motion, and audio creates a multi-sensory experience that leaves a strong impression on audiences.

Engagement - Motion branding captures attention with a dynamic and compelling brand experience that resonates with audiences.

Versatility - Motion branding can be applied across various platforms and media, including social media, websites, advertisements, and presentations.

Consistency - Motion branding creates the foundation to maintain a cohesive yet flexible brand experience across various platforms.

Modernisation - In today's digital age, motion branding signals innovation and relevance. Brands that remain static are being left behind by competitors.

Moving with meaning

Motion branding should not be an afterthought for future focused organisations, but a core consideration.

At Never Sit Still we craft beautiful assets to work hard on any screen, evolving your brand and helping to maximise your media plan.?

Whether you’re a company with your own brand, or a design agency working to develop brands, we can partner with you to bring them to life with motion. We’ve made a conscious decision to specialise in the area of motion branding, as we believe it’s a necessity that brands move on every screen in this day and age.

Please reach out to us if you’d like to discuss how we can help breathe life into your brands to prepare them for the future. In the meantime, visit neversitstill.com/motion-branding to explore our Motion Branding process and dedicated projects.