The History of the GIF
The debate rages on … Pronounced “JIF” with a “J”, just like the peanut butter, GIF is short for Graphics Interchange Format. The first GIFs appeared back in 1987, and these powerful little “movies” of sorts have had a lasting and continued impact on how we consume information.
More Than Meets the Eye
GIFs are only growing in popularity and have become a part of today’s culture. Twitter reports that over 100 million GIFs were shared on their platform in 2015.
Part of their popularity stems from their visual effect and their mobile-friendliness.
We know the majority of people are visual learners, and GIFs help advertisers communicate visually with their targeted audiences. Remember that 90% of information transmitted to our brains is visual, and studies show people only remember about 20% of what they’ve read. Our brains actually process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.
That’s where GIFs can help tell the story in a more creative, eye-catching, and memorable way.
Where to Use GIFs
GIFs are effective at delivering the message on a number of digital platforms:
- Mobile advertising
- Email marketing
- Social media
- Display advertising
We often use GIFs in our email updates to help illustrate the content we share. You can sign up for our emails here – for the great content and the great GIFs.