An introduction to cinemagraphs and how they can help your business to flourish in 2018

Although online video content is wildly successful, only 20 percent of advertisers on Facebook, of which there are more than 4 million, currently use video within their campaigns.

There are an array of reasons for this, with time, cost, and limited resources often cited as the main barriers to video creation. But what if there was a solution to those things? A solution that, if utilised correctly, could revolutionise your video marketing strategy.

Enter... the cinemagraph. *Applause*

Alright, Dramatic. So, What Exactly Are Cinemagraphs?

Subtle and engaging, cinemagraphs are photographs within which a small movement occurs and is repeated on a continuous loop. Giving the illusion of an animation, cinemagraphs are often published as an animated GIF and can be shared across social platforms with ease.

The Internet is awash with Harry Potter comparisons so forgive us for shoehorning in an HP reference here - although it's actually relevant, we solemnly swear! If you've seen the way images move in newspapers and on chocolate frog cards in the wizarding world, cinemagraphs are essentially a bit like that.

There's no magic required to create our muggle version but if you want to pretend whilst you're flourishing your computer wizardry skills to create a cinemagraph of your own, we won't tell.

Cinemagraphs Consistently Perform Really, Really Well

With an undeniably magical quality, cinemagraphs consistently out-perform their static image counterparts, driving further engagement and boosting performance.

It's often said that the average consumer is exposed to 4,000 adverts every day and while that figure might be a little on the high side, there's no denying that there are ads everywhere, all vying for our attention. We have collectively become so accustomed to this constant barrage of messaging that we're really good at filtering out the information we just aren't interested in.

Cinemagraphs, however, are said to tap into our 'hunt or be hunted' heritage because we're fine-tuned to identify small movements within otherwise still environments. And the results don't lie;

• PepsiCo experienced a 51x boost to their engagement metrics
• Campaign tests by Microsoft resulted in a 45 percent cost decrease
• Ad recall amongst the audience of Mercedes-Benz campaigns lifted by 10pt

We Just Can't Resist Bitesized Content

There's so much going on in the online world literally all of the time, and even with the best will in the world there just aren't enough hours in the day to engage with every piece of content that piques our interest.

It's genuinely really difficult to cut through the social media noise and so finding ways to capture people's attention without being obnoxiously distracting or low-key irritating is often a bit like winning the lottery. Except this isn't a game of chance and the odds are stacked in your favour if you know how to utilise the right tools.

Cinemagraphs are easy to digest and, frankly, we defy you scroll past one and not feel compelled to scroll back to take a closer look. They're also delightfully shareable, memorable, and ridiculously cost effective to produce. So, bit of a dream team, really.

If you'd like to learn more about how your business can utilise the unique power of cinemagraphs to enhance your storytelling and boost engagement, give us a call. And we promise to take it easy on the witchcraft and wizardry references.