Carroll School of Management associate professors Henrik Hagtvedt, left, and S. Adam Brasel studied the impact of "agent animation" company brand logos on consumers. (Lee Pellegrini)
Animated logos are nothing new in the world of company brands, but two Carroll School of Management researchers say there are important differences among the types of animations used that can significantly influence consumers鈥� perceptions of companies.
In a recent study, S. Adam Brasel and Henrik Hagtvedt, associate professors of marketing in the Carroll School, found that 鈥渁gent animation鈥� logos 鈥� those that appear to move on their own in a lifelike fashion 鈥� encourage more favorable attitudes toward firms seen as dynamic and vibrant, such as entertainment companies like .
Object-animated logos 鈥� those that move in predictable, almost mechanical patterns 鈥� are aligned with more businesses that rely on an image of stability, such as life insurance and financial services.
The lesson? Don鈥檛 assume that punching up your company logo will be good for your business, say Brasel and Hagvedt, who reported their findings in the article, 鈥淟iving Brands: Consumer Responses to Animated Brand Logos,鈥� published in the Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science.听
鈥淎nimation is a channel that brands can use to express their brand personality,鈥� explains Brasel, 鈥渂ut that channel needs to fit with the message that brand wants to send.鈥�
鈥淎s with the design of logo graphics, companies should take great care when designing logo animation,鈥� says Hagtvedt. 鈥淭he logo is in many ways the centerpiece of a brand鈥檚 persona, and logo animation can help mold a brand鈥檚 image. It is therefore important that this is done strategically, to fit with the brand鈥檚 overall identity.鈥�
The researchers conducted five studies with 638 adults who looked at animated and stationary logos, along with exciting and sophisticated products. Among the study鈥檚 key findings was that agent animation is associated with dynamism, and can thus be tailored to signal sophisticated or exciting character traits, to fit with firms that have or seek those brand personalities.
Brasel and Hagtvedt also looked at more than 400 30-second commercials broadcast on television and the web and found an astonishingly low usage rate. For the television commercials, 62 percent featured static logos, 35 percent featured object animation (a logo being moved around the screen in a mechanical fashion), while only 3 percent utilized agent animation. Online advertisements featured even less logo movement: 93 percent featured static logos, and 7 percent object animation. 聽
鈥淟ow marketplace utilization suggests such animation could potentially provide early adopters with a competitive advantage,鈥� according to the report. While there are advantages with being a first-mover, companies need to be careful of strategic miscues.
Given that the realm of TV and online advertising is so competitive, marketers want to make sure they don鈥檛 waste any dollars, says Brasel. 鈥淲e know consumers aren鈥檛 paying much attention to commercials to begin with, so we want to make sure that every moment of the commercial has the maximum impact for the messages that it鈥檚 trying to tell. It鈥檚 surprising that more companies aren鈥檛 utilizing logo animation, because it鈥檚 a very low-cost, low-effort way to convey extra brand information. It鈥檚 just not currently being used.鈥�
鈥淪ome brands go out and change their logo when they should not have, and it can cost them millions of dollars,鈥� says Hagtvedt. 鈥淚f consumers respond badly to the change, you have additional losses. On the other hand, if a brand becomes old and stodgy and loses brand equity as a result, that can also be difficult to win back. And that could be a reason to consider animation.鈥�
The favorable effects documented in the studies suggest opportunities for agent animation within retail and shopping environments as well, according to the researchers, who say animation on in-store signage could draw attention to specials, deals, or items that are in oversupply.
鈥淵ou see more electronic signage in stores now, so there are a lot of possibilities for animation in stores,鈥� says Hagtvedt. 鈥淵ou can have little helpers for the customers at the end of a shelf, or you can have larger signs along the walls. There are also future opportunities on the horizon. For instance, perhaps one day we鈥檒l see animated packaging.鈥�
鈥淕iven that so few companies are doing it, there is a chance to gain a very inexpensive competitive advantage in the marketplace,鈥� says Brasel. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a low-cost, relatively low-risk way to increase advertising effectiveness, as long as they do a little research first to make sure it fits their brand and makes sense.鈥�
鈥擲ean Hennessey / University Communications