Why is it that some animated explainer videos get watched to completion whilst others are abandoned in seconds?
It's not just about production quality or flashy design.
After producing animated videos for 15 years—hundreds of projects for clients ranging from Series A-funded SaaS companies to public bodies like the Association of British Insurers, global non-profits like the Salvation Army, and household brands like Heathrow—we've seen firsthand how certain approaches consistently outperform others.
But it wasn't until we started understanding the brain science behind engagement that we could explain why.
The answer is deeply rooted in human psychology, neuroscience, and biology.
Whether you're crafting an explainer video, a branded animation, or other type of animated content, understanding how the brain processes visual storytelling can transform your video marketing strategy.
Let's break it down.
Motion isn't just engaging, it's biologically irresistible.
Our brains are wired to prioritise movement. This is a survival mechanism dating back to early humans spotting predators in the wild. Movement meant potential threat or potential food.
Either way, it demanded immediate attention.
That ancient instinct hasn't gone anywhere. It translates directly to digital content.
Studies show that videos get 1200% more shares than static images and text combined.
Animation tends to hold attention because it does something other mediums struggle with. Yes, it comes down to motion. Or should we say, purposeful motion.
When motion is purposeful and intentional, it guides the viewer's attention exactly where you want it.
Having recently gobbled up all the neuroscience around motion, we decided to put it to work with a client of ours—mthree, a tech recruitment company.
We wanted to take full advantage of how the brain loves motion. So we set ourselves a challenge. Instead of moving from scene to scene, everything had to transform into the next thing.
In other words—we morphed each element into the next. Essentially we were tapping into the brain's hardwired response to motion, and using it strategically to keep attention locked in.
The result? Very high engagement and completion rates. See if it keeps your attention.
Ever heard of cognitive load theory? It suggests that the brain can only process a limited amount of information at once.
According to Hubspot, research shows that 73% of consumers prefer to watch a short-form video.
That said, not all explainers are created equal. One may be adhering to the principles of the simplicity effect, whilst another is crammed full of visual information.
We watch video because we want ease and simplicity. Less really is more.
Take Vodeno as an example. They're a banking-as-a-service platform (BaaS). We needed to build credibility by showing the actual platform, but we also needed to reduce cognitive noise.
The way we did that was by placing the platform in a clean space. We also stripped back the UX so it included only the neccesary aspects to tell the story and show funtionaltiy.
Then we used bold coloured transitions to move from scene to scene, creating a clear hierarchy of design.
This helped us adhere to that simplicity effect and reduce cognitive load. It also, by association, gave you a sense that the software was powerful but intuitively simple to use.
Keep each sentence short, punchy, and purposeful. Be clear on what it's trying to communicate. Also ask yourself—can the visual be doing the talking here? This is a great way of saving on word count.
Are you pacing it right? Are you trying to show too much or too little? Too little is going to hurt engagement because people get bored. Too much and it's cognitive load—people switch off and don't take on board the message. You need to get that balance right.
What actually needs to move, and why? Be clear on where you want the viewers attention. Use motion wisely. A flashy animation might look cool, but it's even cooler if the engagement stats back it up.
Here's something fascinating—our brains don't just watch animation; they feel it.
Ever teared up during a film? That's because mirror neurons in your brain fire when you see emotionally expressive characters or situations, whether they're real actors or simple moving shapes.
Mirror neurons are brain cells that activate both when we perform an action and when we observe someone else performing that same action. They're the biological basis for empathy.
Animated videos tap into this effect through compelling narrative, well-thought-out visuals, animation, and sound design working together.
A well-crafted animated video doesn't just inform—it evokes. And emotion is what makes content memorable.
In his book "How Customers Think: Essential Insights into the Mind of the Market," Harvard Business School professor Gerald Zaltman discusses how 95% of decision-making is subconscious.
This doesn't have to be abstract theory. We apply it in every project.
When we created the explainer for the Association of British Insurers—an animation called "Dad Comes Home"—we faced a particularly difficult challenge.
Insurance premiums had just risen across the board due to legislation changes, and people were angry. Any traditional, feature-led approach would've been met with eye-rolls and immediate click-aways.
Instead, we told the story through the innocent lens of a child whose father had a car accident.
As the family goes through recovery, the child asks questions about why they have car insurance, what it pays for, why it matters. No corporate messaging. Just a kid being curious.
Here's what happened neurologically: viewers' mirror neurons fired as they watched the child's curiosity and the family's journey.
We weren't aiming for them to understand the value of insurance. We wanted them to feell it through empathy with the characters.
The video generated exceptionally high engagement and went on to win two awards (PRCA Financial Communications Campaign of the Year, and PR Week Corporate Affairs Best Use of Content).
The average human attention span is now 8 seconds. That's shorter than a goldfish's.
In our experience, if the first 10 seconds don't show you understand the audience's problem—in language that sounds like them—they're gone. Not "we understand marketing challenges" generic fluff. Their actual problem.
This is why pacing and flow matter so much.
It's the skill of knowing the right pacing for an animated video—both the delivery of the script and how many visuals are set against the script. There's no golden rule. It's based on experience as a creative director.
If you don't have enough visuals, you're going to lose engagement because people get bored—there's no motion happening, it's the same thing on screen.
If there are too many scenes, it's cognitive overload and you're losing attention because people simply can't follow along, so they switch off.
We created an explainer for the Chartered Institute of Physiotherapy about increasing conversations around unhealthy habits like smoking or weight for their patients.
We used a mixed media approach, pairing real photography with animation.
In order to grab attention quickly, it was crucial that we create immediate intrigue with the audience. So we posed a question.
Why do we keep doing bad habits when we don't want to?
It was that which seeded the engagement for the rest of the message.
When we're writing the first few lines of a script, we always come back to these questions: "What's going on for our audience? How do they view the world? What can we say they would relate to?"
If we don't earn their attention in those first few seconds by demonstrating understanding, they've already clicked away.
Animation works. And it's backed by brain science:
✔ It commands attention - Thanks to hardwired motion detection instincts that evolved over millions of years
✔ It reduces cognitive overload - By stripping away visual noise and keeping messages clear
✔ It triggers emotional engagement - Through mirror neuron activation
✔ It works with short attention spans - By compressing information and maintaining purposeful pacing
Today, where we scroll past in seconds, animation stands out—but only when it's built on an understanding of how the brain actually processes visual information.
Understanding the neuroscience is only part of the equation. Before any of that matters, you need to get the foundations right.
Why do you need a video? What does success look like? These questions help understand the best approach. For example, an explainer video is geared towards increasing conversions. Whereas a brand story is better suited to increasing brand awarenss.
Do you know who the audience is? Really? Understanding psychographics—not just demographics—is where the gold dust insight lives.
Are you understanding their pain point? Their world? Are you being too broad in your audience?
If you've got too broad an audience and you've only got 10 seconds to grab attention, and the pain points are different, you're already setting yourself up to fail.
And in terms of the mirror neuron effect and emotions: if you don't really understand the audience and where they're coming from, then how are you going to connect with them?
In addition to pacing and how much is shown on screen, it's worth saying a word or two about length.
After producing hundreds of explainers, we've found 90 seconds is the sweet spot for most marketing videos.
Any shorter (60 seconds) and it's difficult to activate emotional engagement through narrative. You might not get viewers to the threshold where they feel like this is the solution for them.
Any longer (2-3 minutes) and you're asking people to commit more time than they wanted to give an explainer video. Attention drifts. Cognitive load increases. They click away.
We work to the basis of 140 words per minute. We've found that gives the brain enough time to process each idea without rushing, but maintains momentum so attention doesn't wander.
It's about careful creative decisions at every stage.
From the script language and short punchy sentences, to the visual design (how it looks and how much is being shown on screen), to how animation is directing attention.
Do a sense check with each part of the creative process:
Once your animated video is live, you can use stats to understand what's working:
Low completion rates?
You're losing attention. Either the hook isn't grabbing people fast enough in the first 10 seconds, or there's too much information competing for attention.
High views but low conversions?
The narrative isn't connecting with the audience. Maybe the pain point is wrong, or the message doesn't resonate emotionally. Values might not be aligned.
Use analytics tools to track view count, engagement rate, drop-off points (where exactly do people leave?), and conversion rate. Then adjust based on what you're seeing.
Animated videos clearly work. They're biologically optimised for how human brains actually work.
They tap into motion detection instincts that evolved over millions of years.
They reduce cognitive load by giving you complete control over what the brain processes.
They trigger mirror neurons and emotional engagement through purposeful narrative and visual design.
But by getting the strategy right and understanding the principles of neuroscience, you can significantly boost engagement.
Over 15 years, we've learned the importance of asking the right questions at the start and having a robust creative process. And as a result, we're very fortunate that most of the time we don't get asked for amends at the end of the process.
By the time the final video lands, everyone's already onboard and understands the approach. In short, there are no surprises.
If you'd like to learn more about the process of creating an animated explainer video that respects how the brain actually works, get our guide.
Or explore our explainer video services.
