Image is a script we can all read. It conveys emotion better, explains processes more clearly and sticks longer than text. Nearly 65 percent of your viewers will remember what your video was about 3 days after seeing it. Your readers only remember 10 percent. In short: animation video does stick in the heads of your target audience. The reasons for this can be found in psychology.
Animated video grabs attention
We are attracted to moving images. The idea behind this is the age-old “fight or flight response. When something moves, our brains notice it immediately and we then judge whether the movement is a threat. This makes moving images immediately grab our attention and hold it for a while.
Video Psychology
So moving images work better than text. But this has not only to do with primal impulses. Our brains also interpret the images of an animated video faster. Namely, in just 13 milliseconds. It is processed 60,000 times faster than text. Moreover, you remember 80% of what you see, as opposed to 20% of what you read. So: you can convey more information in much less time. And let’s just be lazy creatures and find these energy and time savings to be very pleasant.
Dual coding
Experts even say that images are stored better because we double-encode them in our brains, so to speak. If you read house in a text, it is processed superficially. But if you see the image of a house, that information is processed more deeply. In the back of your head, a larger part of your frontal cortex is reserved for image processing. Your brain registers the visual aspect AND uses your semantic memory, the part where meanings, concepts and facts are stored. This is also known as dual coding. So using your ideas or information visually actually makes perfect sense. You stand out, make something complicated understandable and appeal directly to emotion.
Manual versus animated video
We’ll give you an example to illustrate this. Suppose you have purchased solar panels and would like to save on installation costs. You decide you can do it just fine by yourself. You come across two Web sites that can help you. One Web site offers a 15-page manual that walks you through the process. Each operation requires you to read another piece of text. The other website uses animation and takes you through the various steps in 15 minutes. The visuals clearly show you how to install the solar panels.
Which option would you choose?
See more benefits of animated video here.
Make sure your message sticks
Video ensures that you grab attention and that your message arrives faster and is better remembered. This can be of great value if you sell a complex product or want to explain a difficult business process to your employees. If you have decided that video is the tool for your message, make sure it also contains the following elements:
- Emotion
- Recognizability
- Topicality
Check? Then your animation video will be a guaranteed success.
Creating animated video that sticks?
Want to grab the attention of your target audience and not let go? We’d love to think with you about the possibilities.
