What Are Cinemagraphs?

 Something that moves is bound to catch our attention and cinemagraphs are designed for just that purpose. While a picture is usually more effective than text, cinemagraphs are even better in terms of their ability to keep viewers fixated on the content. Videos too fail to match up as a formidable adversary since they tend to create a lot of clutter, especially when compared to the simple yet mesmerizing nature of cinemagraphs.

Moreover, with their small size advantage, cinemagraphs can easily be deployed across a variety of digital platforms. Be it email, website, or social media, cinemagraphs can work wonders when it comes to creating engaging content for viewers.

Image Source: Wikipedia

What makes cinemagraphs special?

• Something new – The first ones started appearing in 2011. Users have a lot to explore and they are certainly not bored, not yet, as creators keep coming up with new ideas and concepts.
• A hybrid tool – Cinemagraphs have captured the goodness of both static images and videos, in a way that the final outcome is nothing less than magical.
• Easily shareable – Cinemagraphs can be shared easily, which makes them effective for social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram.
• Subtle, yet powerful – The message can be delivered without evoking any sense of forcefulness. Cinemagraphs have inherent attractiveness that appeals to the targeted audience. They have the power to grab attention without being distracting or annoying.
• A calming influence – There is no noise or clutter associated with cinemagraphs, especially when they are intelligently developed. They have a calming effect, which makes users naturally receptive to the embedded message.
• Great for storytelling – While text may get tiring and videos may tend to distract, cinemagraphs work perfect for elaborate visual storytelling. It can be the story about a brand, business, any product or service, or a marketing campaign. Cinemagraphs can effectively deliver the core message to the audience.

Where to use cinemagraphs?

The potential is unlimited with cinemagraphs. However, here are some broader areas where they are currently being utilized.

• Call to action – Cinemagraphs can greatly improve the visibility of call-to-action component. Further, if used with the right elements, it may even motivate users to click.
• Email marketing – With cinemagraphs, one can easily capture the essence of what a user might be looking for in relation to the brand. So, when they open the email, it’s likely that the embedded cinemagraph will immediately spark an interest and prompt them to read more.
• Product launch – Using the right combination of static and moving elements in the cinemagraph, one can draw viewers’ attention to a specific component such as the product image, a logo, the brand ambassador, or any other thing that users can relate with the product.
• Brand Awareness – The ability to ‘wow’ the audience and prompt them to share, makes cinemagraphs a great tool for brand awareness campaigns. They are also widely used for sales promotion campaigns.