While speaking about the dilemma of advertisers indulging in cheaply made, highly disposable “App Ads”, a friend stumbled upon a somewhat related issue: Animation.

With the holiday season creeping around our ears, near the point of over saturation, we’re also privy to the flood of ads featuring animated reindeer, digital elf tomfoolery and cartoon Santa overload. It’s enough cloyingly sweet good cheer to turn a smile otherwise, and yet like clockwork, when winters breath cuts through our respective layers, in comes the cuddle parade.

Marketers are forgiven for thinking that this directive is a way of igniting a child-like emotional connection with animated characters and thus the brand, but The Nielsen Company suggests that, “although marketers have a lot to gain with animated ads, they may be sacrificing audience engagement with commercials that don’t resonate as well with savvy consumers.”

The main issue is that viewers walk away with nothing. These nougat stuffed spots are not unlike a guilt-ridden sugar-rush: spikes fast, crashes faster. The percentage of "Brand Recall" is significantly lower when compared with live-action adverts.

So for brands saving money on unruly actors and union labor fines, take note: Spiffy the animated Christmas Dog, may be cute jumping in an out of stockings, but see if you can locate him the next day.

Links to consider: http://blog.nielsen.com/nielsenwire/consumer/should-marketer...