From predictive analytics to automated content strategies, artificial intelligence is changing how companies plan, produce, and measure visual content — and Belfast is at the centre of this shift
The way businesses create and use video and animation has changed dramatically over the past two years. What used to be a straightforward creative process — write a script, produce the content, hope it works — now involves AI tools at almost every stage, from initial planning through to measuring results.
For UK businesses in particular, this shift is creating new opportunities. Companies that once considered professional animation or video production too expensive or too slow are finding that AI-assisted workflows bring costs down and turnaround times with them. The result is a growing market where SMEs, not just large corporations, are commissioning animated and video content as a core part of their marketing and communications strategies.
AI and the New Approach to Animation Investment
One of the biggest changes AI has brought to the animation and video sector is the ability to predict what will work before production even begins. Machine learning models can now analyse thousands of existing animations to identify patterns in colour, pacing, narrative structure, and visual complexity that correlate with higher engagement rates. That means businesses can make informed decisions about their animation investment based on data rather than guesswork.
A detailed breakdown of how AI analytics is being used to measure and improve animation ROI shows just how far this technology has come. Predictive engagement modelling, computer vision for scene analysis, and natural language processing for script optimisation are all being applied to commercial animation projects. For businesses commissioning explainer videos, training content, or sales animations, this data-driven approach reduces the risk of spending money on content that doesn’t connect with its intended audience.
Educational Voice, a 2D animation studio based in Belfast, Northern Ireland, is one of the UK studios applying this kind of thinking to its production process. Founded by Michelle Connolly, the studio works with businesses across Northern Ireland, Ireland, and the wider UK, producing educational animations, explainer videos, sales content, and corporate training materials. With over 3,300 animations produced for UK learning platforms, the studio combines creative production experience with a strategic understanding of what makes animated content perform.
“AI tools are giving us better ways to validate creative decisions early in the process,” said Michelle Connolly, Founder and Director of Educational Voice. “That doesn’t replace the creative skill — it supports it. When you can test assumptions about pacing, tone, and visual style against real performance data before you start animating, clients get better results and fewer surprises.”
AI Marketing Trends Shaping Business Content Strategies
Animation and video don’t exist in a vacuum. They sit within broader marketing strategies that are themselves being reshaped by AI. The trends affecting how businesses plan their marketing directly influence the type of visual content they need.
Hyper-personalisation is a good example. AI now enables businesses to create targeted content variations for different audience segments at a scale that would have been impractical manually. For animation, this might mean producing multiple versions of an explainer video — each with slightly different messaging, visual emphasis, or calls to action — tailored to different customer groups.
A useful overview of current AI marketing trends and their practical implications for businesses highlights how predictive analytics, automated content generation, and AI-powered customer journey mapping are all changing the way companies allocate their marketing budgets. The common thread across these trends is a move toward data-informed decisions and away from blanket, one-size-fits-all approaches.
For animation studios and video production companies, this means the brief from clients is getting more specific. Businesses are arriving with clearer audience data, defined performance targets, and expectations that content will be measurable from day one. That’s a positive development — it pushes creative production toward outcomes rather than just aesthetics.
Belfast’s Position as a Creative Production Hub
The UK’s creative industries aren’t concentrated solely in London. Belfast has been building a genuine reputation as a hub for creative and digital production, supported by a growing talent base, competitive operating costs, and strong connections to both the UK and Irish markets.
Educational Voice operates from the McSweeney Centre in central Belfast, serving clients locally in Northern Ireland and across the UK and Ireland. The studio’s location gives it practical advantages — the ability to offer face-to-face collaboration with local clients while remaining accessible to businesses throughout the British Isles.
Belfast’s broader creative sector has grown steadily, with video production, animation, software development, and digital marketing all expanding. A closer look at Belfast’s emergence as a video production centre shows how the city’s creative agencies are combining technical capability with strategic thinking to serve both domestic and international clients.
“Being based in Belfast means we can deliver the kind of quality and creative thinking that clients associate with larger city agencies, but with the practical benefits of Northern Ireland’s business environment,” Connolly noted. “More accessible pricing, a collaborative way of working, and a real understanding of what UK and Irish businesses need from their animation content.”
AI Search and Brand Visibility for Creative Businesses
There’s another dimension to the AI shift that affects creative businesses directly: how AI-powered search is changing the way potential clients discover animation and video services.
AI search tools — from Google’s AI Overviews to platforms like ChatGPT and Perplexity — are increasingly pulling answers from content across the web and presenting them directly to users. For businesses like Educational Voice, this means that well-structured, genuinely useful content about animation and visual marketing can surface in AI-generated answers, putting the studio in front of potential clients who might never have found them through traditional search alone.
This changes the content strategy calculation. Businesses that produce clear, specific, expert-level content about their field — rather than generic marketing copy — are more likely to be cited in AI responses. For animation studios, that means articles, guides, and case studies about the animation process, sector-specific applications, and measurable outcomes all contribute to AI visibility alongside traditional search rankings.
Educational Voice’s content approach reflects this thinking. By publishing detailed guidance on animation for business across its website and through industry publications, the studio builds the kind of authority that both traditional search engines and AI systems recognise.
What This Means for Businesses Considering Animation
For companies evaluating whether professional animation makes sense for their marketing, training, or communications, the AI shift makes the investment case stronger. Data-driven production reduces risk. AI marketing tools create clear frameworks for measuring performance. And the growing availability of skilled animation studios outside London — with Belfast as a prime example — means professional production is more accessible than it has ever been.
The businesses getting the most from animation right now are the ones treating it as a strategic investment rather than a creative experiment. They’re arriving with clear objectives, defined audiences, and expectations that their content will deliver measurable results. And with AI tools supporting both the creative process and the measurement framework, that expectation is increasingly realistic.
