A Look at the Most Iconic Animated Ads of All Time

Animated advertisements are interesting commercials that are poignant at continuing to stick in our minds. These ads entertain, and while they have a catchy tune or character, a funny theme or a bright picture, they stick in the mind. What makes animated ads stand out and effective in brand advertisement? It is only fair we dive into past and probably some of the best-known animated ads, to see how they have influenced the industry.

Why Animated Ads Stand Out

Animated ads have an appeal, which often cannot be felt with live-action advertisements. They offer brands the possibility of building fantastic universes, being colourful and working on characters which may have an appeal to everyone. One advantage that animation offers to advertisers compared to live-action is creativity since, in animation, almost everything is possible. These ads also create a nearly inexhaustible amount of appeal, as the animation can directly speak to the imagination and emotions of the viewers.

Early Animated Ads

The use of animations in the advertisement dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century. The primal adverts were unimaginative, mostly in Black and White, and included cartoon characters and limited to short clips. Nevertheless, these advertisements are regarded to be the foundation for the animation as a strong advertising platform, despite the relatively meager uses of technology at the time. Thus, cartoon characters replaced brands they depicted as logos, and the viewers could instantly recognize them.

Animated Ads – The Golden Age

Animated commercials were most popular in the 50’s and the 60’s, before television and colour animations became popular. People understood brands could come up with personalities like mascots and characters that would make it easy for the spectators to remember their products. Moving right from cereal mascots to soda spokes-characters, animated advertorials started to include personalities that became symbolic of the brand.

Liking the Commercial and the Character Appeal

What determines great animated characters in adverts?: Relatability. The references of characters to animated ads are always quite different, so it is really nice and easy to build some kind of relation with them. Being funny, lovable or quirky, these characters serve brands as personas that are familiar to audiences. Here is the list of some of these famous animated ads and the characters that have ages swept over.

Coca-Cola’s Polar Bears

Coca-Cola company has captured the essence of holiday through the polar bears icon. These friendly bears started appearing in early 1990s as symbols of happiness and unity in the Holiday spirit. Animation also benefited the idea of the bears because it was possible to show their interaction in positive, warm manners. Their sequences concerning family time, recreation and preference for Coca-Cola instantly went viral. To this date, the applicants are aware of the coca-cola polar bears as one of the best examples showcasing animation as a method of depicting emotions and the prospect of the christmas’ .

M&M’s Talking Candies

Two of arguably the best characters in advertising are Red the talking M&M and his friend Yellow and the talking M&M series. The uniqueness of each M&M tailor them to people, which makes everyone find something familiar in the brand and its humorist character. The way they laugh, emote, and look around have made them more than just being mascots of candies, they are personalities. This ad series demonstrate that giving a brand his own set of characters to represent him or her is a good strategy to have memorable advertisement.

The Geico Gecko

Who would have thought a little green gecko would turn into one of the most familiar spokesmen in insurance today? Geico copy dealt with the idea of seriousness of the industry and with the help of an animated gecko and his British accent and sense of humor the company softened up the image and tone of the insurance sphere. Its friendliness and its memorable phrases endeared the gecko into the hearts of many consumers innovativeness is the key to creating memorable advertising campaigns regardless of what and where the characters are.

This one features a kiwi named Doug and Tony the tiger and Frosted Flakes.

If there is ever a single character that could sum up a brand, “Tony the Tiger” would be just perfect. For as long as I have been around and have watched Tony first appear on my T.V set in 1952, he has continuously advertised that Frosted Flakes are simply “Grrrreat!” He is electrifyingly bold, warm, and possess a much-touted slogan – ‘Kia Ora, Kia Ora’ which has made him an icon of breakfast. Icons such as Tony are more effective at creating brand images than human Models, as well as acts as informants meaning that they build loyalty.

Energizer Bunny

The Energizer Bunny is known for one thing: never stopping. Also created in the 1980 ‘tender and caring’, pink, drum-beating bunny is an advertising figure that wants to convey toughness and resilience. By allowing these qualities to be animated characters, Energizer was able to sell itself as the Place That Keeps Going. By constantly appearing in the ads, the Bunny ensured repeated brand exposure proving that sustained usage of animation in advertising brings about consistent brand growth.

Old Spice’s “The Man Your Man Could Smell Like”

Old Spice’s campaign is frequently associated with humorous and the series of scenes revealing the benefits of using the products. As we can observe, animation is used very actively as it helps to set the comic atmosphere in the ad. Specific action features that include overemphasized motion changes and cartoonish locations allow the performers to introduce elements of comedy and fun into the show that would be impossible when using only visual tricks. This campaign illustrates that animation and live footage work hand in hand to produce enjoyable, funny commercials.

Taco Bell’s Chihuahua

Who can already forget the Chihuahua that endorsed the Taco Bell saying “Yo quiero Taco Bell”? The animated, voiced Chihuahua was a hit resulting in the breed’s fame as a popular cultural image in the late 90s. Through combining animation the power of a catchy motto, which it is possible to listen now and smile thinking about the taste of tacos – Taco Bell created an iconic character. The campaign showed that a basic, moving figure could really move people.

Modern Animation in Advertising

Animation is an aspect of advertising that has benefitted from development in technology as we continue to see today. Today animated ads are the blend of 2D, 3D concepts along with augmented reality to engage consumers. It is effective in areas where there is a need to produce short and memorable content that can be viable in-site platforms. Animated ads are especially relevant within the social networks, as people like to share the materials that can be consumed without deep focus and time spending.

3D Animation vs. 2D Animation

Basically the decision whether to use 2D or 3D animation is influenced by the character style and the main idea of the brand. While, the 3D animation gives perspective, gives the animated character a life like feel than it usually would with backgrounds. Thus, the chosen style has advantages of both for storytelling and advertisers decide which one is more suitable for the particular brand and the specific campaign.

The effects of animation on consumer emotions

Animation is effective because I think it appeals to the human sense of emotion. Three areas that animated ads strongly appeal are: Emotionality, the enjoyment or fun of it and recognisability. The kind of characters the advertisers use with regards to appealing to the viewers’ emotions is the M&M’s or the Coca-Cola bears, which appeal to the warmth appeal and or nostalgia appeal. It shows that these emotions can be used by animated ads to have deeper ways of eliciting reactions and leaving a lasting impression with the viewers.

Conclusion

With talking candies, sharing Coca Cola with Polar bears and never dying pink rabbits, animated ads are the most memorable advertises that were ever produced. Through this they develop methods of bonding with the audience through emotional appeal that makes brands stick out. Animation can give more artistic expression than almost any live-action commercials, which is why it is crucial for brands to use. This means, as animation progresses, there will be even more lovable charecters to win over our affections and get in on our screens.

FAQs

How do animated ads leave such a long lasting impression?
Animated advertisements are easy to remember because they are creative, lively, fun, and they can arouse people’s emotions.

What improvement of using animation in ads has been observed?
Brands get the benefit of expression; they can initiate animation stories, characters, and environments, which captivate audiences.

What distinguishes 2D and 3D animations in advertisements?
2D animations, have been around for a long time and create an artistic, retro demeanor, compared to 3D animations which have depth and more believable characters.

What part do characters have in animated advertisements?
Having personalities such as Tony the Tiger or the Geico gecko assist brands has a persona that aids the audience in recall of the brand or that of its personality.

: In what way has animated advertising been impacted by modern technology?
Over time enhanced tools like software and the various social media platforms have made animated commercials equally easy and appealing to the targeted audience by brands.