Motion Branding
Introduction
Progressive and unique, that's what distinguishes our motion branding for moving images. The use of the rings in TV commercials or social media videos is reduced to the essentials in its animation and appearance and always corresponds to the content.
With the ending, the opener or even the branding for short spots, we are creating a way for our brand to combine Audi moving image communication with our brand individually and in a CI-compliant manner.
Within an animation, the rings merge with the content of the film. By offsetting the film within the ring contour, our brand claim becomes visible.
The generating rings are a strong differentiator of our brand. They are the connecting element that all channel-specific solutions have in common and create a clear branding and recognizability of our communication.
Audi has developed software for all applications in moving image communication that enables error-free CI-compliant implementation of motion branding.
| Length in seconds | Opener | Short version | Ending | Dealer ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 15 sec. | – | mandatory | – | – |
| 15 - 30 sec. (option 1) | mandatory | – | optional | – |
| 15 - 30 sec. (option 2) | – | mandatory | – | – |
| > 30 sec. | mandatory | – | optional | – |
| Application | Opener | Short version | Ending | Dealer ending |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| TV- / Cinema spot | – | – | mandatory | – |
| TV- / Cinema spot dealer | – | – | – | mandatory |
| TV reminder spot | – | – | – | – |
Ending
General
The ending consists of the ring animation, the brand claim and the Audi sound logo - our heartbeat.
The ending has a total length of five seconds and is used unchanged for every moving image contribution with a length > 60 seconds as well as every TV contribution.
Ring animation
Tn the ending, the rings develop out of the image material of the spot, atmosphere and color mood are retained. Finally, the rings turn black or white, depending on the background. Thus, the ending and the spot form a unit.
Care must be taken to ensure that there is enough "free" (no vehicles and faces) moving image material at the end so that the rings can be generated from the content. Sufficient contrast must also be taken into account.
Opener
General
The opener offers for videos on social media the possibility to brand them with the rings. The rings can be placed immediately at the beginning of a contributionan an ad or with a time delay. Rings and content appear to be wholly integrated.
In the opener, the rings emerge from the image material and - unlike in the TVC ending - after a few seconds, they merge directly back into it again. A subtle start that is memorable. Heartbeat and brand claim are not present in the opener.
When producing the content, care must be taken to ensure that there is sufficient free image material at the beginning, so that the rings do not appear superimposed over a vehicle, logo or people. The animation is used unchanged and generated with the help of the software.
The total length of the opener is two seconds and is used unchanged.
Short Version Branding
General
The short version branding is especially suitable for very short posts (< 15 seconds) and is used exclusively for social media or online banner films. The use of the short version is mandatory for contributions < 15 seconds. For posts between 15 and 30 seconds, either the short version branding or the opener is used. When using the opener, the ending can optionally be used.
Here, too, the rings are generated from the image material and then turn white or black. They can be positioned freely in the clip in terms of time. However, a visual presence as early as possible is recommended. Heartbeat and brand claim do not feature in the short version branding.
Social media specific formats are automatically recognized by the software and started with the short version animation. Alternative versions of the branding (opener or ending) can be selected manually.
Placement of the rings in the content
Three positions can be chosen for the placement of the rings: center, top or bottom. Within the formats, the rings are always centered. In the case of the upper and lower position, there is the option to make a vertical fine adjustment within a predefined framework.
This flexibility allows to play content with the product or people in short spots without having to provide free image material for the placement of the rings.
When positioning the rings it is important to take into account channel-specific interaction elements, icons and/or input fields as well as legal notices, such as consumption data.
Size of the rings in the content
The ring size is scalable within a defined framework. The maximum ring size is determined by the aspect ratio of the image and must be at least half a logo width away from the image format in all selected positions (top, bottom or center).
If the rings are positioned at the top or bottom, the rings are at least one ring away from the upper or lower edge of the image.
Timing
In the short version, the ring animation can be placed anywhere within the timeline of the content.
It must be ensured that the end of the ring animation coincides exactly with a cut in the content in order to avoid incorrect "jumping" in the image.
The ring animation has a minimum length of two seconds. Depending on the standing time of the rings at the end of the animation, the length can be individually adjusted to a maximum of three seconds.
Software for the motion branding
With the software, any content can be branded quickly and easily. The following variants are available: ending, opener, dealership and short version.
The software offers/includes:
- Clear, intuitive interface
- Content loading via drag & drop
- Automatic ratio detection and animation preselection
- Preselection - individual adjustment of ring size, colour and position
- Easy adjustment of timing
- For the ending, the software automatically controls the cross-fading of the spot music into the heartbeat
- Individual selection of country-specific translations of the brand claim
- Individual dealer advertising (contact address)
The software uses the FFmpeg code licensed under LGPLv2.1. This can be downloaded here.
