Guide on how to create an engaging animated TV commercial.

Traditional advertising formats are becoming saturated, and viewers tend to "skip" if the content isn't engaging enough. This is where animated TV commercials shine as a powerful, creative, and flexible marketing solution. But how do you create an animated TV commercial that is not only "beautiful" but also "engaging," generates sales, and optimizes costs? This article will provide a detailed A-to-Z guide, leading you through the entire process of producing a professional animated TV commercial.

The power of animated TV commercials in modern marketing.

Before delving into the "how-to" process, we need to understand "why" animated TV commercials have become the preferred choice for many brands, large and small:

• Breaking all creative boundaries: The biggest factor that makes animated TV commercials stand out is their limitless creativity. Want a shark giving a speech about finance? A computer virus being destroyed by antivirus software? Or a family flying through the clouds? Animation can transform any idea, no matter how abstract or unrealistic, into a vivid image.
• Significantly reduces production costs: Imagine the cost of filming a spectacular car chase or an elaborate historical scene. With traditional TV commercial production, the costs for actors, locations, equipment, and crew are enormous. Animated TV commercials completely eliminate these elements. Although the cost of hiring professional animators isn't cheap, in the long run, it's much more flexible and easier to control the budget, especially when edits are needed.
• Ability to convey complex messages: How do you explain how a complex software program works, a cumbersome health insurance process, or the benefits of a chemical ingredient in cosmetics? This is where "Explained Video" animated TV commercials come into play. By using visual graphics and symbols, animation simplifies information, making it easier for viewers to understand and remember.
• Build a strong brand identity: An animated TV commercial allows you to control your brand image completely. From distinctive colors and design style to creating a representative character, everything is consistent. Characters like Vinamilk's cow or Duolingo's quirky characters have become an integral part of the brand, creating a strong emotional connection with customers.

The 7-step process for producing a professional animated TV commercial.

Producing an animated TV commercial is a process that requires close coordination between many departments. Below are 7 core steps that any professional project must go through:

Step 1: Receive requirements and create a description. 

This is the foundational step of the entire project. A poorly drafted brief will lead to a flawed final product.

• Target: What do you want this TV commercial to achieve? Increase brand awareness, launch a new product, boost sales, or educate the market?
• Target audience: Who are they? (Age, gender, interests, pain points). This determines the visual style and tone of the TV commercial.
• Main message: One and only one core message you want your audience to remember. Don't try to cram too much in.
• Budget: The budget will determine the complexity of the animation (e.g., simple 2D versus complex 3D).
• Duration: 15 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute? The duration depends on the broadcasting platform (TV, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok).
• Call to action: What do you want viewers to do after watching? (Buy now, Subscribe, Learn more...).

Step 2: Brainstorming and Scripting

From the brief, the creative team will develop the main concepts. Once the concepts are finalized, the script will be written.

• Literary script: This section contains dialogue, voice-overs, and descriptions of key actions. A good script should be concise, to the point, and emotionally resonant.
• Visual script: Equally important is the precise description of what will appear on the screen, corresponding to each line of dialogue. For example: Commentary: “Solution A saves you time” -> Visual scenario: “A clock running backward transforms into a smiley face icon.”

Step 3: Storyboard

If the script is the skeleton, then the storyboard is the "comic book" outlining the entire TV commercial. Each frame in the storyboard represents a key scene, accompanied by a description of the action, camera angle, and corresponding commentary.

This is a crucial step in aligning the vision between the client and the production team. Editing on the storyboard is easy and inexpensive. Editing once the animation phase begins is incredibly costly.

Step 4: Choose your artistic style and recording technique.

Along with the storyboard, the art style will be decided.

Artistic style: What style will your animated TV commercial be?

• 2D Animation: Popular, versatile, and cost-effective. Suitable for explanatory videos and fun advertisements.
• 3D Animation: Vivid, realistic, and creates a "blockbuster" feel. However, it is more expensive and time-consuming.
• Motion Graphics: Focus on the movement of text, icons, and graphs. Excellent for conveying data and information.
• Stop Motion: Unique, giving a handcrafted, artistic feel.

Voice-over recording: The voiceover must be recorded before animation begins. Why? The animator will match the character's movements (especially their mouth movements) to the rhythm and duration of the audio file.

Step 5: Animatic and character/background design

• Animatic: This is a "draft" version of the TV commercial. The production team will piece together the storyboard frames and integrate the audio files to create a basic video. Animatic helps check the rhythm and flow of the story.
• Design: After the storyboard and animatic are approved, the artists will begin designing the details of the characters, backgrounds, and objects that will appear in the TV commercial, in accordance with the chosen art style.

Step 6: Animate the TV commercial.

This is the most time-consuming and labor-intensive stage. The animators will take the design files (assets) and make them move.

• For 2D: The artist will "bone" the character and animate each movement.
• For 3D: The process is more complex, involving modeling, material preparation, skeletal attachment, and finally, animation.

This process demands meticulous attention to detail, from a character's blink to the trajectory of a falling leaf.

Step 7: Post-production and finalization

After obtaining the raw animation file (without sound), the TV commercial will enter the post-production phase:

• Sound effects: Footsteps, wind, mouse clicks… Every little sound is added to enhance realism.
• Harmony and Background Music: Background music (either selected or original) will be incorporated. A sound engineer will then mix all elements: voiceovers, SFX, and background music, to ensure the final sound is clear and impactful.
• Color correction: Fine-tune the colors to ensure consistency and create the desired "mood" for the TV commercial.
• Publish: The final animated TVC file will be exported in various formats and resolutions, suitable for each broadcasting platform (TV, YouTube, Facebook, TikTok, etc.).

Right Media – Your professional animated TVC production partner for businesses.

As you can see, the process of creating a high-quality animated TV commercial is incredibly complex, requiring expertise in many stages. From creative ideas, insightful scripts, unique design styles to smooth animation techniques and top-notch sound post-production. If you are looking for a company that can transform your ideas into an engaging, effective, and budget-friendly animated TV commercial, Right Media They are a partner you can trust.

Why choose Right Media for your animated TV commercial project?

• Experienced creative team: Right Media boasts a team of writers and artists with in-depth knowledge of marketing and visual storytelling. We don't just "draw," we "tell brand stories."
• A standardized and clear process: We strictly apply the 7-step process as analyzed above, ensuring that every project is quality-controlled, on schedule, and transparent with clients at every stage.
• Diverse styles: Whether you need a simple 2D explanatory video or a spectacular 3D TV commercial, Right Media has the resources and expertise to make it happen.
• Marketing-centric thinking: Our final product must not only be beautiful, but also... effectiveWe advise you on video length, CTAs, and how to optimize your videos for each platform to achieve your business goals.

Let Right Media accompany you on your journey to conquer customers with the power of animated TV commercials. Contact us today to receive detailed advice and pricing for your project!

Key animated TV commercial trends you shouldn't miss.

The world of animation is constantly evolving. To keep your TV commercial from becoming outdated, be sure to update it with the following trends:

• Combining 2D and 3D: Create depth and dynamism in the video, where 2D characters can interact in a 3D environment.
• Flat design and minimalism: Eliminate unnecessary details and focus on the core message. This style creates a modern, clean look, highly favored by technology companies.
• Abstract Motion Graphics: Using shapes, color blocks, and smooth, moving typography to evoke emotion and convey abstract ideas.
• Hand-drawn animation: It evokes a sense of intimacy, authenticity, and humanity, building trust in the brand.

Mistakes to avoid when making animated TV commercials.

An animated TV commercial often fails not because of poor technique, but because of strategic mistakes.

• Overloading with too many messages: Audiences can only remember one, or at most two, things. Focus on the most important message.
• The script is boring and lacks emotion. Don't just present features. Tell a story. Make your audience laugh, think, or be surprised.
• Save on audio costs: A TV commercial with beautiful visuals but poor sound (voiceover, background music) will ruin the entire experience. Sound accounts for 50% of a video's success.
• Forget the call to action (CTA): Beautiful and engaging, but ultimately the viewer doesn't know what to do. Always ends with a clear call to action (CTA).

Animated TV commercials are no longer just a "fun" option, but have become a strategic tool in a company's marketing toolkit. They are the perfect bridge to connect logic (product information) and emotion (brand story), transforming complex ideas into easily digestible and memorable content.

By mastering the 7-step process, understanding trends, and avoiding common mistakes, you can create a captivating animated TV commercial that delivers outstanding results for your campaign. If you find this process too complex and need a professional partner, remember that professional production companies like... Right Media We are always ready to help you "breathe life" into your greatest ideas.