Social media animation is a mind-blowing way to engage an audience quickly and create a long-lasting impression about your product or service. With 9 out of 10 businesses using video for marketing, few realise that animated videos offer one of the most cost-effective ways to produce and adapt content across multiple social media platforms.
At Bull & Wolf, social media is our playground – we’re here to help you craft striking visuals, bold graphics, and dazzling effects that captivate audiences and drive sales. Our speciality is creating eye-catching product animations that hook consumers from the very first frame.
Below, you will discover eight supernova-style social media animation examples that combine expert animation with crafty storytelling techniques.
Table of Contents
What are Social Media Animations?
Social media animations are short, eye-catching videos or motion graphics designed to engage viewers quickly on social media platforms. Animations use movement, transitions, and visual effects to make content more dynamic, helping brands tell stories, showcase products and communicate messages in a memorable way. Whether it’s a snappy product demo, an animated infographic, or a fun character animation, these pieces are crafted to capture attention, convey ideas instantly, and keep audiences engaged as they scroll.
6 Best Social Media Animation Examples
1. Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffees
This playful animation brings Dunkin’ Donuts iced coffee to life, showing it unwinding at the beach – chilling in a deck chair, donning sunglasses, and even sipping another iced coffee. The lighthearted captions and upbeat music set the tone for a fun-loving vibe, and the powerhouse moment comes when the coffee takes off with its cape soaring into the sky and orbiting the globe like a true superhero. Though simple, this animation keeps viewers engaged with creative, unexpected shots, like a zoom through the sunglasses’ lenses into a bright blue sky with blazing sunshine. As the iced coffee takes flight, the music builds, and the world spins faster, ending with an exciting, cliffhanger finish that leaves viewers wanting more.
2. NASA’s Mars Rover Landing
This stunning animation draws viewers in with cinematic music, smooth zooms, dynamic tracking shots, and glimmers of gold accents. Though the pace is slow and deliberate, the animation shifts perspectives frequently –offering sweeping views of the entire spacecraft, close-up angles from its robotic arms, and even shots from inside pipes as the space rover collects samples. It crafts a compelling story, taking viewers through every stage of the Mars Sample Return Mission, from landing and gathering samples to the climatic return journey to Earth. As the rocket launches, the music intensifies, building anticipation and awe. In the final wide-angle shot, Earth looms in the distance, with a small trail of light from the rocket at its centre –a powerful image underscoring the mission’s scale and leaving viewers with a sense of accomplishment as the craft heads home.
3. Check My File
We collaborated with Check My File to create a series of engaging, light-hearted animated adverts for meta-business, which were then easily converted into PMAX campaigns. This series transforms the dull world of credit scores into a vibrant journey through relatable goals, such as buying a new car, a new house and getting married. By blending colourful brand imagery with smooth, subtle and playful animation techniques, we struck the perfect balance to deliver easy-to-understand information with an inspirational tone. These short, impactful adverts end with a satisfying three-tone piano chime, offering viewers a gratifying sense of completion whilst giving them a gentle nudge to check their credit scores.
4. Buttermilk
We created this vibrant animation that blends ambient music with playful transitions to support Buttermilk’s fun yet indulgent brand. It showcases bold testimonials in eye-catching speech bubbles, highlighting how good these plant-based treats taste. Visual transitions mirror captions effortlessly, with chocolate eggs bursting onto the screen, followed by the statement ‘bursting with flavour’ – emphasising this marketing message. Buttermilk were over the moon with the series of bold videos we created for their social media channels.
5. Gate Tickets
This simple yet captivating animation whisks viewers through five luxury holiday destinations in just ten seconds. With each open and close of an aeroplane window, the audience embarks on a visual journey – from vibrant cityscapes to turquoise island paradises and breathtaking, snow-capped mountains. The smooth, left-to-right pan of each scene creates a satisfying, immersive experience, making viewers feel like they’re gazing out the window mid-flight. While straightforward in concept, the animation engages the eyes and inspires wanderlust, encouraging viewers to dream big and envision their next luxury getaway.
6. Autentica Cuba
This zesty, tropical collage-style animation combines an eclectic mix of historical landmarks, stunning scenic mountain views and playful creatures. Each second transports viewers to a fresh scene, accompanied by a dynamic ‘whoosh’ sound with bursts of new colours, flavours and layered textures. Clever motion techniques keep the visuals alive as buildings stack up, flower buds open, and crabs and palm trees sway cheekily side to side. With so many tiny details and juicy, vibrant elements, this animation invites viewers to rewatch, discovering new sights and sounds each time they hit play.
The Benefits of Using Animation for Social Media
There are many benefits to using animation in social media, from capturing the audience’s attention to enhancing brand storytelling. Here is a brief overview of each of the benefits.
Captures Attention Quickly
Animation is a powerful way to capture viewers’ attention in the fast-paced world of social media. With dynamic animated content, you can stop people from scrolling and deliver your marketing message in a visually engaging way, especially when you add a playful tone.
Simplifies Complex Ideas
Animations break down complex ideas into simple, easy-to-understand visuals. Through creative visuals, movement, and characters, animation can explain intricate concepts or processes in an easily digestible way. This is super useful for brands in industries such as tech and finance who want to make their services more accessible, interesting and visually appealing to a wide audience.
Enhances Brand Storytelling
Animation enhances storytelling by bringing a brand’s personality and message to life. It allows a creative representation of ideas, emotions, and values that resonate with audiences. Whether it’s an explainer video, a fun character animation, or a product demo, animated ads are powerful tools for conveying a brand’s story and connecting with viewers on an emotional level.
Cost-Effective Over Time
While animation may have an initial production cost, it is often more cost-effective over time. Once created, animations can be reused, repurposed, and updated easily, saving on future production costs. Animations can be used across various social media video platforms and often deliver a high return on investment, as they stay relevant for long periods of time.
Pack a Punch with Social Media Animation
We hope the above animated social media posts examples have inspired you. With the ability to capture attention quickly, enhance storytelling, and be cost-effective over time, animations are a sure way to uplevel your social media marketing strategy.
At Bull & Wolf, we transform your creative visions into powerful advertising campaigns that drive sales, build engagement and create brand awareness. We work with ambitious brands that value real ideas from real people, creating social media adverts that think outside of the box so that you can leave your stamp in the marketing world.
Want to find out more about our animated video production services?
FAQ’s
How long should a social media animation be?
A social media animation advert should be up to 15 seconds for Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. However, adverts between 1 and 2 minutes long may work for more detailed educational content for other platforms, such as LinkedIn and YouTube. Overall, you should deliver the message quickly in the first 3-5 seconds.
What are the 4 types of animation?
The four main types of animation are traditional animation, 2D animation, 3D animation, and stop motion animation; each has strengths that make them suited to different visual styles.
What is the most common form of animation?
The most common form of animation today is 2D digital animation for social media adverts. This is popular because it is affordable, plus easy to revamp and refresh, compared to traditional hand-drawn and 3D animation. With tools such as Adobe Animate and After Effects, creators can animate characters, add motion to graphics and create engaging content without the expensive resources needed for stop motion or 3D modelling.
