You could make use of animation keyframes. No additional javascript needed.
$('input[type=button]').click( function() {
$('#newContent').addClass('backgroundAnimated');
});
@-o-keyframes fadeIt {
0% { background-color: #FFFFFF; }
50% { background-color: #AD301B; }
100% { background-color: #FFFFFF; }
}
@keyframes fadeIt {
0% { background-color: #FFFFFF; }
50% { background-color: #AD301B; }
100% { background-color: #FFFFFF; }
}
.backgroundAnimated{
background-image:none !important;
-o-animation: fadeIt 5s ease-in-out;
animation: fadeIt 5s ease-in-out;
}
<script src="https://ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/2.1.1/jquery.min.js"></script>
<div>Old stuff</div>
<div>Old stuff</div>
<div>Old stuff</div>
<div id="newContent">New stuff, just added</div>
<input type="button" value="test" />