You’ve got 7 seconds to hook someone. That’s shorter than it takes to read this sentence.
In 2025, grabbing attention—and holding it—is the new battleground for marketers. At Erahaus, we’ve run dozens of campaigns across sectors, from high-end lighting to real estate and insurance. One thing we’ve learned: animated videos outperform almost every other format when it comes to engagement, clarity, and results.
Let’s get straight to it. Here are the top five reasons why animation videos are an effective marketing tool in 2025, based on our team’s direct experience, comprehensive research, and industry-backed data.
A Brief History of Animation in Marketing
Before diving into why animation videos are essential today, let’s briefly look back. Animation in marketing dates back to the early 20th century, with notable examples like Coca-Cola eye-catching animated ads.
Let’s watch two examples:
By the 1950s, animated commercials became mainstream on television, helping brands differentiate themselves creatively and memorably.
This is one of my favorites:
In recent decades, with the rise of digital marketing and social media platforms, animation evolved significantly. Marketers discovered that animation could uniquely convey complex messages swiftly and engagingly, perfectly aligning with shorter consumer attention spans and increasingly crowded digital spaces. Like, if you look at older animated ads, they are usually longer, with a fun and simple story, and (in my opinion) very fun, like 1930s fonts! However, throughout the decades, the animation as a marketing tool had various evolution stops. Nowadays, not exactly “animation” (as its original definition) is used in marketing. Instead, we are observing the rise of animated videos and motion graphics in the advertising industry; therefore… we’re including them as well, from now on!
At Erahaus, we’ve watched animation evolve firsthand. Over the years, our experience with animated content has consistently demonstrated its lasting power, adaptability, and unmatched ability to simplify complex ideas and boost consumer engagement.
Let’s review the five reasons, together!
1. Clarity Without Compromise
Whether you’re selling smart lighting systems or complex software solutions, your message needs to be straightforward, yet not oversimplified. Animation allows marketers to break down complex ideas effectively. For instance, Spotify famously uses simple animated explainer videos (watch an example) that clearly demonstrated their social media marketing services, aka ads, resulting in a substantial increase in user awareness and purchase.
Scientific studies support this strategy. According to a Wyzowl report, 98% of consumers have watched an explainer video to learn more about the products or services, and impressively, 87% of them got convinced to make a purchase after watching a video.
2. Visuals That Stay in Your Brain
According to a 1986 paper, presentations supported by visuals are 43% more persuasive. Bringing this into our context, we can confidently say that visual contents like videos can be more engaging for the audience. Animated videos leverage this innate human ability exceptionally well. Unlike live-action videos, animations rarely feel outdated. For example, Google’s animated video about Google Translate published in 2010 remains cool and relevant over a decade after its release.
3. Brand Personality, Front and Center
Corporate messaging often risks becoming monotonous and disconnected from consumer emotions. Animation uniquely empowers brands to infuse authentic personality and emotional resonance through color, style, pace, and voice.
The sea of animation ideas for marketing has no shore! Consider Slack’s famous animation campaign, named ANIMALS, where playful visuals and vibrant colors clearly communicated the software’s ease and fun, significantly boosting their brand appeal and user base. Animation enabled Slack to visually express their brand personality without sacrificing professionalism. For instance, this video was published in 2015, and it’s not even a bit outdated! Look how fun and engaging! We love it:
From our professional perspective, animation should be used as an account-based marketing tool to fully capture your brand’s unique character, significantly strengthening emotional connections with your audience.
4. Higher Retention = Better Funnel Performance
Effective sales funnel in digital marketing require more than initial awareness; they depend heavily on message retention. Animated videos significantly enhance retention, with 87% of marketers stating that videos increase sales directly (Insivia).
Hypothetically, consider a tech company launching a revolutionary smart home device. An animated product demonstration could simplify complex features into an engaging 90-second video, potentially doubling the engagement rate and increasing lead generation significantly compared to static ads.
Let’s take a quick look at how animation video performance across the funnel:
| Funnel Stage | Animated Video Format | Measurable Impact |
|---|---|---|
| Awareness | 15s animated teaser | 3x higher watch-through rate |
| Interest | 60–90s explainer | +40% site time and +28% click-through |
| Consideration | FAQ-style motion series | Reduced bounce rate by 33% |
| Decision | Product/service walkthrough | +22% conversion rate |
5. ROI That Makes the Finance Team Smile
Animated videos may require a higher initial investment compared to static visuals. However, their long-term ROI and adaptability significantly surpass those initial costs:
- 93% of marketers confirm that video marketing yields a positive and strong ROI (HubSpot).
- Animated videos are easier and cheaper to update compared to live-action alternatives.
- Their adaptability for international markets makes localization straightforward, cost-effective, and quick.
A prime real-world example is Airbnb’s animated videos (like “Airbnb it” campaign), efficiently adapted across multiple market situations and cultural adjustments. These strategies considerably boosted their international engagement rates and campaign ROI.
Read more: How to increase engagement on social media platforms?
Practical Tips from an Erahaus Animation Specialist
Drawing from years of hands-on experience, our specialists at Erahaus offer these key tips for maximizing the effectiveness of animated marketing videos:
- Clearly define your audience first: Tailor visuals, tone, and messaging specifically to your target demographic.
- Storyboard thoroughly: An effective animation is meticulously planned to keep every second engaging.
- Balance creativity with clarity: Strive for imaginative yet comprehensible content.
- Include a compelling call-to-action (CTA): A strong, visual CTA drives viewer action effectively.
- Track and optimize: Monitor analytics closely and refine your animation campaigns for better results continually.
If you’re aiming for impactful, memorable, and conversion-driven marketing content in 2025, animated videos are the essential tool. At Erahaus, we know exactly how to create animations that truly deliver results.
FAQs
Are animation videos effective for B2B marketing too?
Isn’t animation expensive to produce?
What industries benefit the most from animated videos?
Can animated videos help with SEO?
What’s the best length for a marketing animation video?
Typical recommendations:
- Awareness: 15–30 sec
- Explanation: 60–90 sec
- Product Demos: up to 2 min
- Social Snippets: under 20 sec
