Top 10 Must-Watch Animated Ads of All Time (2024) | CraveFX
Animated ads have become increasingly popular for brands looking to stand out in our saturated digital landscape. From animated explainer videos that simplify complex concepts to immersive storytelling experiences, the creative possibilities with animation are endless and they are the perfect tool for creating captivating content. As an animation and motion graphics studio, we know the power of using animation in a marketing plan to engage audiences on a deeper, emotional level.
For brands looking for inspiration on how to leverage animated commercials and weave it into their marketing strategy, we’ve come up with 10 must-watch animated ad examples to spark new ideas! These 10 examples represent some of the best animated video ads of all time, each one demonstrating innovative ways to harness the unique strengths of animation.
Here are the top 10 animated ads that are must-watch classics:
- Chipotle “A Love Story” (2016)
- Erste Group “What would Christmas Be Without Love?” (2018)
- Hinge “The Dating Apocalypse” (2016)
- Airbnb “Get an Airbnb” (2023)
- Heinz “A Can Size For Every Aussie” (2017)
- Android “Rock, Paper, Scissors” (2016)
- McDonald’s “Inner Child” (2020)
- Emirates “Department of Family Travel” (2019)
- Oreo “Wonderfilled” (2015)
- Headspace “Say Hello to Headspace” (2018)
1. Chipotle “A Love Story” (2016)
Chipotle’s animated commercial follows two business rivals who started opposing juice stalls in their childhoods, which eventually grow into fast food empires that make them lose sight of what truly matters. However, they found their way and created a joint restaurant by preparing ingredients from scratch and cooking simple food made with love. Prior to the animated ad’s release, Chipotle faced a string of significant PR challenges, which included being charged with food poisoning after several restaurants were found to contain E.Coli bacteria and the resignation of their CEO, Steve Ells.
However, this animated ad reminded audiences of Chipotle’s commitment to using fresh ingredients, separating themselves from the negative perception that fast food places often use heavily processed foods. Created by a former Pixar animator, Chipotle’s ad makes use of lovable characters, a nostalgic visual style and a heartwarming remake of Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” to change the way viewers think about fast food.
Going viral with 4.3 million views in the week that this animated ad was released, the video’s success demonstrates Chipotele’s deep understanding of their customers and brand values.
2. Erste Group “What would Christmas Be Without Love?” (2018)
Racking over 90 million views, this animated commercial by Erste Group is one of the most memorable Christmas ads. Starring Henry the lonely hedgehog, the ad shows how Henry’s spikes make it harder for other animals to approach him. Despite their fears, the other animals came up with a unique solution to finally include Henry in their Christmas celebrations.
Erste Group, an Austrian financial service provider, wanted to distinguish themselves with an emotional approach, after recognising the difficulty of standing out in the finance industry through the sole basis of products and services. This marked the birth of their Christmas campaigns, which continues with its uplifting stories and empathetic approach.
3. Hinge “The Dating Apocalypse” (2016)
This animated ad by Hinge perfectly encapsulates their iconic tagline “designed to be deleted”. The ad portrays the world of online dating as an apocalyptic wasteland, where single people are reimagined as zombies riding the “Cycle of loneliness” or visiting the “Hall of filters”. After getting paywalled from a match, the main character gets more demoralised as he walks through the hellish dating landscape and is shocked to discover a door marked “Hinge” that leads him to a peaceful, pastel coloured world filled with happy couples doing various activities, unlike the dead-eyed singles who could only swipe on each other in the previous world.
Hinge’s animated commercial ends with the main character finding a potential match and engaging in a genuine interaction with her. Through this ad, Hinge positions themselves as a dating app that encourages authentic connections rather than superficial swiping.
4. Airbnb “Get an Airbnb” (2023)
Reminiscent of miniature toy sets, this charming animated ad uses 3D animation to immerse viewers in an idealised Airbnb getaway. Part of a larger campaign informed by user insights, the ad presents booking an Airbnb as the clear choice over a cramped hotel room, where you’ll have to be split from your friends. In an airbnb, you can stay with them in a cosy and spacious home.
The intricate, tactile details of the animated world give viewers an aspirational glimpse of the one-of-a-kind travel experiences Airbnb provides.
5. Heinz “A Can Size For Every Aussie” (2017)
To promote new can sizes in Australia, Heinz created a Pixar-inspired animated short that turned an otherwise dry product update into a heartwarming story. We follow the head innovator of Heinz, Geoff, and his changing life circumstances, which prompts him to create a Heinz can for each different stage of his life – starting with how he met his wife to his growing family.
The beautifully animated ad packs an emotional punch while communicating that Heinz has a can size for every family. Instead of factually showing their new 130g, 220g, 300g, 555g can sizes, Heinz chose to establish a human connection with their creative animation by letting viewers relive their family milestones. Thanks to its broad appeal, the ad was able to effectively reach their target audience of growing families.
6. Android “Rock, Paper, Scissors” (2016)
This adorable 70-second animated commercial uses anthropomorphized rock, paper, and scissors characters as a visual representation of Android’s fragmented Operating System (OS). The classic schoolyard game becomes a poignant story about overcoming differences and standing up to bullies, spinning a positive message about diversity.
The tagline “Be together. Not the same.” movingly expresses Android’s brand ethos. In response to criticisms about how Android has led to messy differences in various android devices, this commercial presents how different devices within the Android OS can seamlessly co-exist.
7. McDonald’s “Inner Child” (2020)
McDonald’s UK animated commercial opens with Tom, a teenage boy rediscovering the magic of Christmas through the love for his family and a little help from McDonald’s. A quick stop at McDonald’s to pick up some Reindeer Treats helps ignite his inner child and he joins his mom for some Christmas fun.
Using a dreamlike 3D animation, the ad simultaneously illustrates the power of the holidays to rekindle your inner child and celebrates McDonald’s role in treasured Christmas rituals and family bonding.
8. Emirates “Department of Family Travel” (2019)
This whimsical 2D and 3D animated ad fearlessly tackles one of the biggest pain points of air travel – flying with young kids. Using a charming toy-like aesthetic, the wooden block world draws viewers in, as Emirates presents itself as an airline where everyone can be happy with their meticulous service, including the tots in tow with tired parents and the disgruntled passengers on a long-haul flight.
The juxtaposition of the playful visuals and its no-nonsense voiceover is delightful. The ad is a joy to watch and presents reassuring news for families embarking on air travel.
9. Oreo “Wonderfilled” (2015)
Oreo Asia’s joyful animated video ad is an explosion of Oreo stacks and vibrant colours that appeal to the kid in all of us. Incorporating the addictive sound from their previous wonderfilled campaigns, the end product is an iconic track to remind you that “it’s so easy to let your imagination go, when you play with Oreo”.
Elevating Oreo from a cookie to a catalyst for imaginative play and togetherness, this colourful blend of 2D and 3D animation is a burst of irresistible fun from a brand that knows how to captivate our inner child.
10. Headspace “Say Hello to Headspace” (2018)
Demonstrating that sometimes less is more, this simple explainer video perfectly captures the clarity and ease promised by the meditation app, Headspace. The concise, well-written script and playful 2D character animation align with Headspace’s mission to make mindfulness accessible.
In thirty seconds, the animated ad gives a succinct rundown of the app experience and value proposition, ending with a clear call-to-action.
After watching some of the best animated ads, here are the key strategies we’ve identified that will make your commercials stand out and resonate with your target audiences.
- Memorability
- Shareability
- Unique Selling Point
Memorability
A memorable ad is one that stays in your mind long after you’ve seen it, and they are more likely to influence future purchasing decisions and brand perceptions. Several factors can make an ad memorable, such as ads that evoke strong emotions like Chipotle’s “A Love Story” or Erste Group’s “What Would Christmas be Without Love”.
Unique concepts also help with memorability like Android’s “Rock, Paper, Scissors”, or the cosy, miniature homes in Airbnb’s “Get an Airbnb”. Research has also shown that our brains are better at retaining stories over facts, and the best ads are often the ones with the best stories.
Shareability
The first impulse for most viewers is to skip an ad. But when an ad is so compelling, entertaining, or valuable that it makes you think, “more people need to watch this!”, you know it’s a true classic.
For an ad to be highly shareable, it needs to be timely, relevant, and tap into the things that matter most to its target audience. Emirates’ “Department of Family Travel” is a perfect example as it humorously addresses the common pain point of travelling with young children.
By focusing on shared experiences, ads become more relatable and shareable. In the age of social media, shareability is crucial to an ad’s success, contributing to its virality and organic reach. The more an ad is shared, the more it pushes the brand’s message out to a wider audience, strengthening the brand’s position and impact.
Unique Selling Point
Often touted as the cornerstone of effective marketing strategies, a Unique Selling Point (USP) doesn’t have to be limited to a product’s features. It can be in the way a brand uniquely presents itself, like how Erste Group, a finance company, broke stereotypes with its emotional and creative christmas ads.
Similarly, a great animated ad can effectively highlight a product’s unique qualities, as seen in Oreo’s “Wonderfilled” campaign, which captures the joy and fun associated with the iconic cookie. By leveraging animation to express their USPs in memorable and engaging ways, brands can leave a lasting impression on their target audience.
Get Started On Your Animated Ads
From bringing a brand’s values to life to addressing customer pain points in an engaging way, these 10 examples showcase the versatility of animation in advertising. At the end of the day, the goal of any ad is to make a meaningful connection – to engage, to inspire and to move your audience. With an experienced animation studio like us, we can make that happen, together!
Have a chat with us to find out how we can help you create captivating animated ads!
