With the passing of Stephen Wilhite, the creator of the animated GIF (Graphics Interchange Format), last month, it got me thinking about how much GIFs are a part of our culture. Not just for personal use, but how businesses have harnessed them for their own marketing purposes.

Here are a few reasons businesses are using GIFs in their marketing:

• They are more interesting than a static image and instantly grab your attention.
• They are a much smaller file size than a video and therefore load faster and quicker, which makes them very mobile-friendly.
• The user experience matters and businesses want their customers to enjoy engaging with their brand.
• Customers love them and simply put, they’re fun.

They can be used not only on social, but on emails, blogs and websites as well. GIFs can show how something works, they can be an animated call-to-action or there to just add humor. They don’t have to be complex to grab a customer’s attention; they can be as simple as the slightest movement — a fire roaring in the fireplace, fun socks with a slight foot kick or a little shake of a gift box.

Let’s take a look at a few brands utilizing the GIF in a creative way:

Here are a few just-for-fun GIFs that the Jet office loves:

If you want to add a little personality to your brand, GIFs are a fantastic way to grab attention, stand out and increase engagement. Have some fun with it!

(Side note, it’s pronounced with a soft G, as in “Jif”, not a hard G. *But I don’t care I will still pronounce it with the hard G as long as I live.)

*https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/24/technology/stephen-wilhite-dead.html

Erin Rogers, Creative Director at Jet Marketing

Erin brings her trademark creativity to every facet of her life – from work and parenting, to family playtime. She finds breakfast time with the kids (and a big cup of coffee) to be the best time to connect and get the creative juices flowing.