Dive Brief:
- Gfycat, the world's largest user-generated GIF platform, announced a partnership with digital advertising and media company Krush Media to sell sponsored GIFs to advertisers, brands and agencies, according to a press release.
- Gfycat has more than 80 million monthly active users and Krush Media's global sales capabilities, along with a specialty in both traditional and programmatic advertising, itends to bring GIFs to brands looking to reach the millennial demographic that uses the format the most.
- The widespread popularity of GIFs online reflect a shift in storytelling toward briefer, more visually-oriented content, Brian Faust, president and co-founder, Krush Media, said in the release. He added that Gfycat has the ability to generate 400 million page views per month, offering brands a "unique opportunity" to capitalize on the GIF format's viral nature.
Dive Insight:
GIFs have been around since the early days of the internet — the format was created to help users share moving images with a smaller file footprint than video, which would bog down pre-broadband connectivity — but have only recently started to find their legs as a marketing tactic brands can deploy at scale. In August, Gfycat peer Giphy was said to be planning a test of sponsored GIFs as a way to monetize its service, and the latest news suggests competition in the space is heating up.
Marketers eyeing more sponsored GIFs is indicative of the growing value of visually-oriented, extra-short content that can quickly hook viewers whose attention spans are shrinking. This is especially key in meeting younger demographic groups like millennials and Gen Z where they are more often spending their time: On mobile phones, and on social media and messaging apps, in particular.
More big-name brands are centering marketing and advertising campaigns around GIFs as a response to this trend. Earlier this month, Converse tapped "Stranger Things" star Millie Bobby Brown to act out the various emotions teens feel heading back to school in 32 different GIFs, for example.