The power of visual media becomes more and more prevalent every day. Brands are leveraging social media outlets such as Vine and Instagram to strengthen and expand their presence. Vine has about 13 million users while Instagram has 130 million users. By the year 2017, it is estimated that two thirds of all web traffic will be video. And beyond Instagram and Vine, GIFs are also becoming popular among brands.
Looping Your Way to Brand Recognition
Since its inception in early 2013, Vine has become a stalwart in brand outreach. There are a number of ways that brands have incorporated Vine videos into their social media strategy.
Much like YouTube, Vine has created Internet stardom for those creative enough to entertain in a short six-second loop. These Viners already have a large following and brands have used the creative knack of these influencers to reach out to their audience or influence new ones. Whether it is through stop motion magic or short funny skits, these “Vine stars” knows how to build an audience.
Ian Padgham has mastered the art of the six-second loop through his stellar stop motion and animation skills. Portland-based shoe company, Keen enlisted the skills of Ian to show off their new shoe, UNEEK. The clip shows Ian floating through San Francisco in the new kicks perhaps implying that the shoes are so comfy you feel as if you are floating through air.
Brittany Furlan is a Viner who has used her comedic prowess to gain more than 6.5 million followers and back in November, Trident used her to promote their Trident Layers gum. The Vine showing her getting “crept up” on by strawberry and citrus flavors saw 64K likes and 27K revines.
Instagramming Your Way to the Top
Vine’s loop feature is great for some but sometimes you need more than six seconds to capture your audience. Aside from the ability to post images, Instagram also allows brands to create longer videos to convey a message.
You could’ve predicted that a brand like GoPro would use the Instagram video capabilities to the max. And they have. GoPro’s initial demographic was the action sports scene but they are showing that you can use their camera to capture more than just sports moments. Just in time for the World Cup, they are running a video series capturing “the heart of Brasileiro culture and futebol” and showing us firsthand “what it truly means to live, love and play as a Brazilian.”
Don’t Forget to Use GIFs
Brands have used Twitter for almost 10 years! Feels like it was yesterday. Some brands like LifeLock have mastered the art of the tweet by blending tips, tricks and customer service advice. But, Twitter recently launched GIF capabilities that some brands are already leveraging.
If you haven’t already, you should check out the Twitter page for the 2014 Stanley Cup champs, Los Angeles Kings. It doesn’t matter if you are a hockey fan or not, their tweets are some of the best in not just sports but across all brands.
This kick save though… GIF: http://t.co/wVK5escitb http://t.co/lYjQdViqRq
— LA Kings (@LAKings) March 30, 2014
The Kings have been using GIFs to keep their fans up-to-date with in-game highlights as soon as they happen.
And for those of you still unsure of how to say the abbreviation for Graphics Interface Format, it’s officially pronounced “jif” like the peanut butter as proclaimed by the creator himself at the 2013 Webby Awards.
