How myFICO, UTG Reaves, and Bookshop.org used animation to simplify complex messages, refresh creative, and stand out on Connected TV.
Animation is having a moment in Connected TV advertising.
What was once reserved for brands with large budgets and long production timelines is now accessible to companies of almost any size. Thanks to advances in Generative AI, animation can be produced faster, updated more easily, and delivered at a fraction of the cost of traditional animation workflows.
At Carpe Canum, we’re adding more AI-powered creative tools to our arsenal, giving clients more options when deciding the look and feel of their commercials. The biggest change isn’t replacing artists—it’s empowering them. We’re still working with the same talented animation professionals we’ve always partnered with for years. They simply have better tools that allow them to create more efficiently and explore more creative possibilities than ever before.
Animation is also a proven attention-getter. Studies have found that people process visuals dramatically faster than text, while distinctive visual storytelling can significantly improve brand recall and message retention. In today’s crowded Connected TV environment, where viewers are exposed to countless live-action commercials, animation offers brands a powerful opportunity to stand out.
The best part? There isn’t just one way to use animation.
Why Animation Works So Well on CTV
Animation is particularly effective on Connected TV because it immediately breaks visual expectations. Viewers spend hours watching live-action content, so an animated commercial often stands out the moment it appears on screen.
Animation also allows brands to:
- Explain complicated products quickly and clearly.
- Create memorable visual identities that improve brand recall.
- Build characters and worlds that audiences connect with emotionally.
- Update creative faster and more affordably than traditional production.
- Produce multiple versions for different audiences, regions, or offers.
- Visualize concepts that would be impossible or prohibitively expensive to film.
Most importantly, animation gives brands unlimited creative freedom. Whether the goal is educating consumers, simplifying complex information, or creating a unique brand personality, animation can often accomplish things that live-action simply cannot.
Three Brands. Three Challenges. Three Very Different Animation Solutions
Our three commercials below demonstrate how animation can solve very different marketing challenges. One simplifies a complex credit score message. One transforms investment stability into a compelling visual story. And one uses humor and personality to help a mission-driven brand stand apart from much larger competitors.
For each project, we used animation differently, but all three demonstrate why animation is becoming one of the most effective creative tools available to CTV advertisers today.
These three recent projects demonstrate how different animation styles can be used to solve very different marketing challenges.
myFICO: Making a Complex Financial Message Easy to Understand
The first example is a commercial for myFICO. Historically, myFICO has relied on simulated testimonials and traditional live-action advertising to encourage consumers to visit its website and download the myFICO app. This time, they wanted to try something completely different.
Using characters inspired by the illustrations already featured throughout the myFICO website, we created a warm, modern animated world that follows consumers through important life moments. The animation style allowed us to visualize something that is normally invisible—the difference between the credit score consumers think lenders use and the score lenders actually rely on. Did you know you have multiple FICO credit scores? I didn’t, and I have been working with them for a while.
Throughout the spot, viewers move through key life events where credit matters, while the animation keeps the message approachable and engaging. The clean design, expressive characters, and smooth transitions help simplify what could otherwise be a complicated financial discussion.
Financial products can often be difficult to explain in thirty seconds. Animation gave us the ability to simplify the message through visual storytelling while maintaining an approachable, optimistic tone. The result is a commercial that feels fresh, memorable, and distinctly different from the category’s typical testimonial-based advertising.
The spot is currently being A/B tested against myFICO’s existing creative to determine how animation performs compared to their traditional live-action approach.
Watch the spot:
UTG Reaves: Turning Stability Into a Visual Story
For UTG Reaves, the challenge was very different.
The Utility Income Fund is designed for investors seeking dependable income and long-term stability. Rather than relying on charts, graphs, and financial jargon, we developed a visual metaphor centered around a sailboat traveling across calm waters.
Throughout the commercial, the sailboat becomes a symbol of steady progress and confidence. As viewers move through the journey, while showing important fund metrics—including distribution rates, years of performance, and assets under management—are integrated naturally into the animation. The peaceful visual style reinforces the message that UTG Reaves is focused on helping investors navigate toward financial stability rather than chasing short-term market excitement.
The sailing imagery works especially well because it transforms abstract investment concepts into something viewers can immediately understand. Calm seas, a steady course, and forward movement all reinforce the fund’s focus on dependable income and long-term performance.
We combined animation with motion graphics to provide flexibility. Fund performance data changes regularly, and the spot was built to allow quick, inexpensive monthly updates without requiring a complete rebuild of the commercial. That means the creative can stay current while maintaining a consistent visual identity.
Watch the spot:
Bookshop.org: A Quirky Brand With a Big Mission
The final example is for Bookshop.org, an organization with a mission that many book readers immediately connect with: helping independent bookstores survive and thrive in an increasingly digital world.
For this project, the client wanted something playful, unconventional, and distinctly different from the polished advertising style commonly used by large online retailers. We recommended animation and they shared an example animation style they loved. The Carpe team used that as inspiration to create a hand-drawn, storybook-inspired world that feels perfectly aligned with the Bookshop.org brand.
The commercial introduces viewers to a fictional competitor called “We Sell It All” and its founder. Both are humorous stand-ins for giant online sell everything marketplaces that are killing local businesses. Through quirky illustrations, exaggerated visuals, and tongue-in-cheek humor, the spot contrasts the greed and impersonal nature of massive retailers with the community-focused experience that independent bookstores provide.
The rough-edged artwork, limited color palette, and whimsical animation style help the commercial feel authentic rather than corporate. That’s important because Bookshop.org isn’t simply selling books—it’s promoting a movement that supports local businesses, community gathering places, and the human connections that come from discovering books through passionate booksellers.
The animation also mirrors the feeling of wandering through a favorite independent bookstore: unexpected, personal, charming, and full of discovery. The result is a commercial that doesn’t just communicate a message—it communicates a personality.
Carpe Canum is currently producing a second Bookshop.org commercial built around customer testimonials, which will complement this more playful, brand-focused spot.
Watch the spot:
The Future of Animation Is Here at Carpe Canum
One of the most exciting things we’re seeing is that animation is no longer reserved for brands with massive budgets. Advances in Generative AI have dramatically reduced production timelines and costs while expanding creative possibilities. I am very excited about the possibilities that are opening up.
Businesses can now explore animation styles that previously would have been out of reach, whether they need a simple motion graphics piece, a character-driven explainer, or a fully animated brand campaign.
These three projects demonstrate that there isn’t one “animation style.” The right approach depends on the brand, audience, and message. Sometimes that means creating a warm explainer like myFICO. Sometimes it means building a visual metaphor like UTG Reaves. And sometimes it means creating a quirky, memorable world like Bookshop.org.
That’s what makes animation such a powerful tool for modern CTV advertising. It can be almost anything you want it to be. Click here to check out more animated work we have done.
Want to learn how animation could work for your next commercial—and be pleasantly surprised by the cost?
Reach out to us at info@carpecanum.com or visit CarpeCanum.com. We’d love to show you what’s possible.