7 Big Trends in the World of Explainer Videos

For years, explainer videos have been a popular tool for branding and marketing. But like all marketing strategies, explainer videos evolve continuously. If you want your explainer videos to be as fresh, exciting, and effective as possible, it pays to know the latest trends – and the best ideas to incorporate into your biggest explainer videos.

The Biggest Trends in the World of Explainer Videos

These are some of the most powerful and influential explainer video trends to consider working into your own materials:

1. Faster, punchier material.

One of the fundamentals of making a good explainer video is keeping things concise. Viewers have limited attention spans, so it’s important to get to the point as quickly as possible and avoid wasting time on unnecessary details. But modern explainer videos are taking this to the extreme, presenting even faster, punchier material. Brands are cramming more information into the span of just a minute or two – and a sequence of quick cuts and eye-catching animations keep the video moving. Today’s users are more impatient than ever, so you’ll need to be fast and fluid to make an impact.

2. User generated content.

Marketers love user generated content. Because users are generating it, production costs are low. And because users are presenting material through their own eyes, other users are more likely to trust and appreciate it. Consider using your explainer video to show off things that users have done with your product – or content they’ve made related to your product. It could be a major trust builder that doubles as an effective way to show off what your product can do.

3. Augmented and virtual reality (AR and VR).

We’ve been told that augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies are about to take over the marketing world for several years, but these tools haven’t developed quite as quickly as we anticipated. VR headsets aren’t in every household and the technology is still seen, by many, as existing in an isolated niche. That said, these technologies are picking up steam, and forward-thinking brands are doing more to bring them to consumers. Immersing your consumers in a digital environment with the help of these integrated, alternate-reality experiences could elevate your explainer video to be unforgettable.

4. Minimal color palettes.

It’s tempting to think that bright, vibrant, and sharply contrasting colors are ideal for most marketing campaigns. And to be fair, bright and novel colors can work effectively in some applications. They can draw user attention, they can generate excitement, and they can help distinguish your brand from those of your competitors. But these days, brands are making explainer videos with more minimal, muted color palettes. For example, you might make a mostly black-and-white video with a few splashes of blue or red; this way, your sparing uses of color pop more vibrantly, and the muted feel of your video helps set you apart. It’s not an approach for all brands in all situations, but it has the power to be highly effective.

5. More personality.

People are getting tired of stale, repetitive marketing messages from cold, abstract brands. They want more authenticity and more personality. If it sounds like your script was generated by AI and read by a random stranger unaffiliated with your business, most of your viewers are going to roll their eyes and tune out. Instead, brands are finding more value by injecting their explainer videos with genuine personality. Have a charismatic team member step in to make the video uniquely their own – or create a compelling character to anchor your story.

6. Simplistic, but creative graphics.

Minimalism and white space can be great ways to capture attention and distinguish your explainer video. These days, brands aren’t afraid to create entire animation sequences with little more than simple, geometric shapes. You don’t need overly complicated patterns or designs; you just need to weave visuals together in a way that’s both unique and relevant to your presentation.

7. 3D animation.

Thanks to an abundance of free and inexpensive animation tools, it’s easier than ever to get involved in 3D animation. Whether you’re making photorealistic models or quirky, cartoonish characters, the right 3D modeling and animation software can take explainer videos to the next level.

Forging Your Own Path

While it’s useful to generate new ideas and refresh your old concepts with these latest trends, you should also understand that great explainer videos aren’t afraid to exercise creativity and originality. If you’re willing to experiment and be bold in your presentation, you’ll end up earning a better brand reputation – and better appealing to your target audience. If you’re effective enough in your execution, you might end up starting a new explainer video trend all on your own!