Today’s consumers are bombarded with text and imagery all vying for a split second of their time. Cinemagraphs are proving to be the scroll-stopper that marketers are looking for, resulting in greater user engagement and higher click rates. So, where can you use them?
1. Social Media
As users passively scroll through seemingly never ending posts, you need to make them stop and take notice, if only for a few seconds. Cinemagraphs have been proven to increase engagement and click through rates on social media, as well as lowering the cost per engagement.
A recent study by Flixel explored the impact of cinemagraphs on social media marketing, and the results were staggering:
- 51x increase in engagement for PepsiCo
- 45% decrease in cost achieved during Microsoft’s campaign tests
- 9pt lift in brand awareness for Holden
- 34% increase in ad recall amongst Mercedes-Benz’s audience
2. Websites
First impressions count with websites, and you only have a few seconds to catch the attention of users before they’re off somewhere else. Cinemagraphs are an effective way to instantly engage with your website visitors, having been shown to increase dwell times by 100%. Incorporating a Cinemagraph on your home page will have minimal effects on load times as file sizes are small, due to the infinite looping of the video or gif.
3. Banner Ads
A study by Infolinks showed that 86% of internet users suffer from “Banner Blindness”, the process of subconsciously ignoring banner ads. The subtle movement of Cinemagraphs in online display ads can trigger the user’s attention and differentiate the ad from the rest. A recent test by Flixel showed a 5.6 times increase in the number of clickthroughs for a Panasonic cinemagraph advert compared to the same advert using a still image.
4. Email
Many big brands such as Netflix and Pizza Hut are using cinemagraphs in email marketing campaigns. For Seasons 2 & 3 of Emmy award winning series “House of Cards”, Netflix used a series of cinemagraphs in their marketing emails. The cinemagraphs proved to be so popular that many of the recipients forwarded the email to somebody else – instant viral marketing!
5. Offline Advertising
The use of cinemagraphs isn’t limited to the online world. They work well on digital signage and screens, creating captivating and memorable imagery for digital billboards, shopping malls, exhibitions and outdoor advertising screens.
Why have brands fallen for cinemagraphs?
- Their bite-sized format allows easy consumption.
- They are engaging without being annoying.
- They are easier and cheaper to produce than video.
- They are great for sharing encouraging a higher level of engagement.
- They enable brands tell a visual story.