You ever wonder what it costs to produce an advertisement? At Ydraw we turn down a mountain of clients each and every week because they feel our prices are just too much. But how do our prices stack up against other companies? And just how cost effective is a whiteboard animation compared to other forms of advertising on the market?
Let’s do this thing.
I’m going to start with whiteboard animation, since that’s what Ydraw is primarily known for — though our library is quite diverse in terms of the types of products we offer.
A whiteboard animation running sixty seconds costs $7,500. This includes the customer’s choice of voice over artist, visual artist, a screenplay, and music/SFX.
Here’s an example:
Now, check out these prices for various forms of advertising, per Adage.com:
$400,000
The average outlay for a commercial during the fifth season of AMC‘s “The Walking Dead,” making it the costliest scripted series on TV. The Oct. 12, 2014, season premiere drew 17.3 million viewers; the March 29 season finale, 15.8 million. According to averages from media buyers compiled by Ad Age during the upfronts; ratings according to Nielsen.
$750,000
The amount Snapchat demands per “Brand Story” ad, a branded post (or “snap”) that appears within the app’s “Stories” feed. Snapchat doesn’t disclose user numbers. According to media buyers interviewed by Ad Age, January 2015.
$35
The cost for a thousand impressions on Hulu for standard run-of-site in-stream video ads, with a minimum requirement of two ads per campaign. According to Hulu’s rate card, March 2015.
$1.55 million
The cost of 30 seconds of ad time in the championship game of the 2015 NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Tournament on CBS, when Duke will take on Wisconsin. That’s up from $1.49 million in 2014. Last year the championship game averaged 21.2 million viewers, down from 23.4 million in 2013. According to Kantar Media, Nielsen and media buyers interviewed by Ad Age.
$112,000
The average cost for 30 seconds of commercial time in prime time broadcast TV last year. That’s up from $110,00 in 2013. According to Nielsen
$344,827
The average cost of a 30-second commercial during “The Big Bang Theory” on CBS, the most expensive comedy on TV. “Big Bang” averaged 16.7 million viewers this season through March 12. According to Ad Age interviews with media buyers during the 2014 upfronts; audience according to Nielsen
$50,000
The cost of one full-color ad on the front page of The New York Times. To appear on the Times’ front page, though, marketers must commit to a certain frequency, such as front-page ads every Tuesday for six months; the total cost of running frequent page-one ads would likely top $1 million. According to current and former Times executives interviewed by Ad Age, March 2015.
$24.76
The average cost of a thousand impressions for a 30-second commercial in broadcast prime time in 2014, down from $25.06 in 2013. According to Nielsen
$20
The cost of a thousand impressions for a sponsored photo on Instagram, down from $40 in 2013 when Instagram first rolled out ads. Instagram says more than 300 million people around the world check out the photo-sharing app each month. Instagram’s minimum ad spend is $200,000. According to rate cards provided to media buyers by Instagram in spring 2015, before any discounts; minimum spend is according to a media buyer interviewed by Ad Age, March 2015.
$30
The cost of a thousand impressions for a sponsored video on Instagram. According to rate cards provided to media buyers by Instagram in spring 2015, before any discounts.
$2.5 million
The cost of four weeks on Times Square’s biggest billboard, Clear Channel’s eight-story sign on Broadway from West 45th Street to West 46th Street. According to sources familiar with the sign’s cost as of March 2015.
Can you imagine paying over a million dollars for an ad that runs less than one minute?
Obviously, these are extreme examples. Here are some you might be more familiar with, according to this website:
National TV Advertising
Setup Cost — $63,000 to $8 million
Cost of Media — Approx. $342,000 per 30 second ad
National Magazine Advertising
Setup Cost — $500 to $397,800
Cost of Media — Approx. $250,000 per ad
National Newspaper Advertising
Setup Cost — $11 to $1.4 million
Cost of Media — Approx. $113,000 per ad
Direct Mail Marketing
Setup Cost — $50 to $7,200
Cost of Media — Approx. $51.40 per order
Telemarketing
Setup Cost — $1,000 to $5,200
Cost of Media — $7-$70 per hour, or $35 – $60 per lead
National Search Engine Optimization
Setup Cost — $4,000 to $10,000
Cost of Media — Free, though it’s roughly $500 per month for an internet marketer
National Pay Per Click Marketing
Setup Cost — $4,000 to $10,000
Cost of Media — $0.05-$3 per qualified visitor, plus $500 per month to internet marketer
National Email Marketing
Setup Cost — $4,000 to $10,000
Cost of Media — $0.05 – $3 per qualified visitor, plus $500 per month to internet marketer
Web Content Marketing Campaign
Setup Cost — $6,000 to $12,000
Cost of Media — Free
A Whiteboard video falls in line with the final choice: Web Content Marketing Campaign. So, while the upfront cost of $7,500 for a sixty-second ad might throw you off, consider it a lifetime investment in terms of how you can promote your business.
Other campaigns, such as magazine or newspaper ads require constant updates and monthly fees. And while you’re certainly guaranteed to get a lot of impressions, chances are only a small percent of them are catering to your audience.
You have a little more leeway in this regard with a television or radio ad since you can choose which time of day, or programs to run it; therefore, guaranteeing the audience is at least fit for your product.
But, again, the fees. Lots and lots of fees. Plus, such ads quickly become dated. Or, they may not even be seen at all!
According to an article written in The Guardian in 2010 (!), it was reported that nearly 90% of audiences skipped through TV advertising. Such is common practice in today’s high-tech world of streaming services, and DVR satellite systems that let you fast forward through advertisements.
Ask yourself: when was the last time you truly paid attention to the commercials during a TV show, sporting event (outside of the Super Bowl), or movie you were watching?
In my house, we have our smart TV connected with our Google Movies account. Between that and Netflix, Hulu, and HBO Go, our exposure to TV advertising is quite limited.
Same with radio, where most ads go unheard because there are so many more convenient streaming options for music these days.
Now, the thing about a Whiteboard video, specifically, is that it features eye-catching visuals that are designed to attract an audience’s attention. And there are so many inexpensive ways to market them.
Yeah, Facebook charges a fee to advertise on their site, as does YouTube, and Instagram. According to FitSmallBusiness.com:
The short answer is $0.65 per click in the US. In other words, every $65 you put into Facebook gives you around 100 clicks on your ad, according to the Salesforce Advertising Index Q3 2015.
You can put your Whiteboard video on Facebook, and then, using the site’s unique features, ensure it gets seen by your target audience. You can customize the features to allow only specific states or regions to see your content, and you only pay when a potential client clicks your ad. That cuts out a lot of needless excess cost.
No, I’m not here to advertise for Facebook, but merely to demonstrate the myriad of ways you can use a Whiteboard video. You can post them on YouTube, or simply post them on your website. You can share them with clients, potential clients; use them at shows, and even put them on TV if you’ve got the budget.
And you can do all of this for $7,500!
There’s no worrying about OCD directors, stuck up actors, shooting schedules, or the myriad of problems that exist with a live-action commercial production. Check out this quote from JLB Media Productions:
The DGA (Director’s Guild of America), of which I am a member, considers low budget commercial work to be $75,000 per day, up to $225,000 for a three-day production. Most national commercials are several hundred thousand dollars up to a few million dollars. Directors are typically paid anywhere from $10,000 to $50,000 per day of shooting, but many times that means $25,000 for a one-day shoot that also involves two weeks of prep and another week bidding on the job against other directors.
And that doesn’t factor in the aforementioned cost to advertise your product. Smaller production companies will charge less, but the result more often than not looks like this:
Yikes! Does that ad reflect the company it’s promoting well?
Now, check out this Whiteboard video, which cost less to produce:
See the difference? Which business looks more professional? Which one required the least amount of time and headaches to produce?
So, before you dish out a gazillion dollars on a thirty-second TV, radio, or newspaper ad, give Ydraw a call. Our process is simple and guaranteed to produce the results you’re looking for.
Whiteboard videos are a dynamic marketing tool with lots of benefits. They incorporate many aspects of a traditional animated video yet they have an imaginative twist–the animation is drawn on camera as the whiteboard video progresses.
The artistic aspect of a whiteboard video has the advantage of engaging an audience in a unique way. Drawing out the message of an ad while viewers are watching helps keep them focussed intently as the point of the ad is presented. It takes more to distract a viewer who’s eyes are glued to the sometimes hypnotizing movements of a pen in hand on paper as the story and point of a video are revealed.
The creation process of whiteboard videos breaks down to the message, script, sound and animation. All of these key factors work hand in hand–no pun intended. Pinpointing the message your organization would like to share with the world is essential and guides the process.
Message:Choosing your message is relatively simple. Decide what you want your viewers to take away from the whiteboard video. The takeaway may be your organization’s values, service, or the quality of the product being marketed.
Script: Once you are confident in your message, begin writing your script. Scripting is where imagination comes in as you write your message in story form. You’ll also want to write out what is going to be drawn during the art phase.
Voice Over: Next, consider what your whiteboard video is telling viewers and then decide what kind of voice over you want to have–if any. Typically there is either one person narrating the whiteboard video or none at all.
For instance, if you are creating a video for a political campaign you may choose to use a narrator and have the Star Spangled Banner playing in the background.
If you prefer to produce a video free of narration it can be drawn and animated to music as words pop on or are being written out on camera. Your audience doesn’t necessarily have to hear spoken words to get your message.
Animation: When your script is finalized and you are ready to step into the wild world of animation, the sky is the limit. Use your imagination and have fun with it!
As most of us are visual learners, the whiteboard video style of drawn out animation helps us grasp the message(s). It is truly an art form and can translate your message into something exciting and fun. Just as children love cartoons, grown-ups are still captivated by animation.
Financially speaking, creating a whiteboard video advertisement is very economical. Compared to a typical television commercial there are overall lower production costs.
Because whiteboard videos are produced for the internet, there is an added aspect of consumer sharing.This means that your whiteboard video can be shared between internet users via social media and is, in a sense, a form of word of mouth advertising.
Choosing a whiteboard video as a way to advertise has many benefits and is an excellent way to promote brand awareness.
There are many platforms where you can launch your whiteboard video including the landing page of your website, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, email blasts, etc.
Enjoy the creative process and add whiteboard animation to your brand marketing.
Try using a whiteboard video for your business today.
If you want to know more about Whiteboard videos click here post.
We love our customers and appreciate the business you all have given us. Without you, we would not be eating.
You would think that after creating animation videos for five years our ideas would run out, but they have not. Success breeds more success, and animation video creation only breeds more video ideas. It’s racking our brains and we just have to make it stop.
You’re going to help us…lol
Over the last year we have come up with some glorious ideas that will certainly go “viral” or at least put you on the map.
For our happy customers, we are going to present you with three video styles and ideas that could change your business forever. These ideas can be adjusted, changed, or adapted to your business, so my hope is that your marketing director will take a look and maybe bring us back some more ideas.
Now, I must warn you that these ideas do not come cheap, nor are they going to be simple. It’s going to take a big budget and for this to work you are going to have to let our professional animators do what they do best:
Create amazing stuff!
I will tell you whom these video ideas are not for…
· Companies with a very tight budget. (Sorry, it’s going to take a lot of time and teamwork. This does not come cheap.)
· Companies that have a hard time pushing the envelope.
· Companies who worry about offending every Tom, Dick and Harry on the planet. These videos will be loved by most, but there will be haters. There always are.
So lets jump in.
I am going to give you examples of these ideas so that you can see what type of traction they have received in the past. Remember, the reason for sharing our ideas is to spark a few ideas of your own.
Video Campaign Number 1
“Fart On A Plane”
All of us have experienced the misery that comes with plane travel. It ranks among the worst experiences – next to death. Personally, I feel like we are being treated like a bunch of lost sheep and I am sure airline workers feel like we are a bunch of dumb lost sheep.
We want to create a series of funny videos. (Five of them to be exact.) These videos are going to show the different scenarios that happen on a plane. It’s something we all relate to and it will bring a smile to the face of the audience.
The kicker is, after each video we will have branding and a message that applies to your company. It’s marketing without the audience knowing.
Here are some great examples:
Have you ever heard of “Dumb Ways To Die?”
It was a video created by Metro Train Station that has over 100 million views, but it doesn’t stop there. The campaign we would create would mimic theirs in that we would create.
Can either of these examples be applied to your business? “Fart On A Plane” could be perfect for a Net Jets, Magellan Jets, Flex Jets, or a private plane company looking to show the misery of commercial plane travel.
What are the pain points of your business that the audience can relate to?
Video Idea Number 2
“Training Like You Have Never Seen Before”
Have you ever seen “The Bottom of the Ninth?” I’m guessing you have not. It is probably one of the cooler ideas I have seen, but it did not get any traction due to lack of marketing and lack of usefulness.
This style of video is 3D, with 2D elements encompassing a comic book feel.
Take a look:
This style would be perfect for a training video series. Could you imagine being trained by videos and a comic book style pamphlet?
Your audience would not forget it!
They could watch the training video series on their phone, at any time, or they could read the comic style pamphlet. It would be the most effective training ever done on planet earth.
A year or two ago we created a training video for The Cosmopolitan and it was a huge success. I think it is time we push the envelope a bit and really create a training video style that will be recognized by companies all around the world.
We can do this; we just need the right customer to make it happen.
Video Idea Number 3
“Still Coming Up With A Title”
If you have been with Ydraw for a while you will know that we love the Chipotle video.
I have written about it a couple of times before. Check it out below:
They nailed the message and were rewarded with millions of views. We want to create something like this for your company. Once again they took the pain point of the audience and exploited it.
Did you see the poor cow?
Now can you see the challenge that we are facing? We have some amazing writers, Disney animators, and editors, who want to be stretched to the limit.
Currently we are doing a full campaign for National Safety Council. They had the budget and we were able to let our artists create. It has stretched them a bit, but they still have hidden talents that we have yet to see.
Here are some screen shots and scenes.
Let’s chat and discuss ways to make this happen. It’s for the greater good. If these video ideas do not stop soon we might have to start creating them on our own.
It’s our job to build it, and the audience will come… lol
Hope you enjoyed…
The Rise Of Video Marketing Ideas and How To Make It Stop
TRUE STORY: The other day I was at my mom’s house and she was watching TV. During the commercial break, there was an ad for the Les Olson Company that was made using whiteboard animation. My mom (who doesn’t know a whole lot about what I do) was watching with wonder when she exclaimed “I’ve seen those kind of videos, but none of them have ever been like that!” Of course, she was referring to how well done and professionally made the whiteboard video ad was, and after I told her that it was a Ydraw video, she remained amazed. Apparently she didn’t realize she had ties to such a fantastic company with such outstanding products – it was a lot to handle, as you can imagine. So there you have it, even a civilian can see the difference.
There’s a reason that Ydraw is at the top of whiteboard animation companies. With the great writing, fantastic art, and incredible editors that compile it all together, we truly make a video worth watching and yes, being amazed by. Don’t just take one mom’s insignificantly significant testimonial though, check out the Les Olson video for yourself. We bet your mom would love it too.
Don’t you think Ydraw ought to be doing your whiteboard ad? Contact us today to find out more information on whiteboard animation videos, video scribing videos, explainer videos, cutout videos, 2D and 3D videos, and the list goes on and on.
We have no shortage of options for you and your company or product, and we would love to help you market it better. We care about you, our customer, and want to make sure you have the best advertising available to use towards your advantage.
What are hand drawn videos? Obviously they are exactly what they sound like, and they are exactly what we do. They are pretty self explanatory but I thought it would be nice to give you a video example of a hand drawn video. So, why would you want a hand drawn video in the first place? Well, lets just say the average audience drop off rate is about 75%. Meaning by the end of your video you will be left with 25% of your audience. Imagine if you were giving a presentation and 75% of the audience just walked out on you sometime when you were speaking. Sounds horrible, right? Well, that is what is happening with videos. A Whiteboard Video on the other hand will maintain about 75% of the audience. Here is an example Ydraw created that talks about how a hand drawn video can help increase your sales.
So what do you think? Hand Drawn Videos are becoming more and more popular in the video business. They are able to capture the audience’s attention and maintain their attention throughout the presentation. That is not an easy thing to do in with today’s hectic lifestyles.
Tests have shown conclusively that the brain absorbs information through the ear with the most difficultly; through the eye with considerably greater ease; and best of all by the combination of eye and ear (audio-visual, if you want the jargon). That explains why videos and TV are so much more powerful of a medium than radio. Color can also add more power to your video, because color has greater visual impact.
By using hand drawn videos can convert more because you pull in a lot of senses needed to make an impact.
Contact Us for more information about how a hand drawn video can increase your leads.
