A Valentine’s Vignette & Why Brands Should Use Animated GIFs

Big-name brands all use animated GIFs as part of their content marketing mix.

Here’s a quick sketch Valentine’s Day idea I did for Chick-fil-A.

I could almost hear honky-tonk music as I watched it, so I converted it to video format so
I could add a soundtrack.

I got the track from the YouTube Music Library. It’s by composer Kevin MacLeod, and it was the first thing I listened to. The title: If I Had A Chicken. No, I’m not kidding.

GIFs are old school (they were introduced back in 1987), but they’re extremely popular. They have a lot to offer brands:

• highly visual, which makes them memorable
• “cooler” than static images, but a lot cheaper than video
• since they’re part of internet culture, they help brands look “with it”
• mobile-friendly
• have an emotional appeal that makes people want to share them
• can be used for stories and announcements (new product, special sale)
• appeal to people who aren’t receptive to traditional advertising
• perfect for humor to help humanize a brand
• can be used for email marketing to boost engagement
• prompt brands to think outside the box and do something different

Here are a few examples of brands posting animated GIFs to Twitter:

Oreo makes its famous cookie part of New Year’s Eve:

Fiat shows its car has horsepower:

Digiorno Pizza serves up a new product:

Starbucks conjures up a little Christmas magic:

Samsung pumps up interest in its Gear Sport Smartwatch:

Budweiser serves up some frothy humor during the Super Bowl:

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About Mark: I’m an illustrator specializing in humor, branding, social media, and content marketing. I create images that get content seen and shared.

You can view my portfolio, and connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

Questions? Send me an email.

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