Sometimes humans simply aren’t the best choice to star in an ad campaign: only an animated character will do. Cute cartoons can strum viewers’ heartstrings (U.K. retailer John Lewis has used them in its Christmas ads four times in the past five years), as well as tackle difficult subjects (Melbourne’s « Dumb ways to die » animated safety campaign won five Cannes Grand Prix in 2013).

New research now aims to identify the brands that best use animation in their advertising, taking into account their design, execution, narrative idea, memorability and brand consistency. The Awesome Animation study by film (and admittedly, animation) company Gorilla Gorilla! assessed more than 220 brands from the FTSE100, Superbrands and Business Superbrands lists.