Explainer videos, when they first popped up in popularity a few years ago they were inventive, new, fun, edgy.  They filled the important and specific role of telling an audience what a company was all about in a fun way rather than in a ‘read this page’ kind of way.  They worked.  They engaged people because they were a new way of presenting information.  But here we are, a few years down the line and explainer videos have gone from inventive and fun to ‘I’ve seen this type of animation before, I don’t care to watch it again.’  Click away, I’d rather read a page and move on with my life.  The formulaic explainer video has become old news and as such, has lost some impact.

The problem is that explainer videos became so popular that a cookie cutter approach was developed to creating them and they were churned out as fast as possible.  Throw up some stick figures, or a white board with drawings or some graphics/text whipping in and out, use a voice over, add a logo and kick it out.  It’s no longer cute and new, its just another video to watch.

Now, we can’t just abandon the explainer video.  The purpose for creating such a video isn’t going away.  We know that video is the preferred method of digesting information for a large percentage of the population and no company wants to miss out on communicating effectively.  The goal of these videos in the future is to standout and not to get lost in the shuffle. This means to steer clear of the cookie cutter animations and do something that is unexpected or do something that is live action.  Clever, thought out, pre-produced explainer videos will not only garner more attention and shares and likes and thumbs ups, but they will deliver a better message in the end.  Effective explainer videos can’t be done in an afternoon, like most things, they need to be done well, not just done.

Put on your creative beanies and try to stop regurgitating what the last guy did because each time the same video is created with a different logo, it becomes less effective and less desirable to watch.

There are only a few around but production houses like us here at FiveSix will help develop a concept from the very beginning and be sure to follow through so that the end product reflects the company in a unique and effective way.  We’ll also have some fun.