This is the story of how we successfully injected the ABSOLUT brand into our fans' online conversations, and gave them a new way to say "Let's grab a drink".
Since 2015, we've been hard at work making GIFs for the ABSOLUT VODKA Giphy channel, but this year, we've stepped things up a notch. This is how we did it using wit, stop motion and a LOT of Vodka.
GIFs are everywhere. In 2016, Giphy – The world's largest GIF platform, served 1 000 000 000 GIFs to their users EVERY SINGLE DAY.
These GIFs are shared as a form of self-expression from one person to another. They're shared as comments on Facebook, reactions on Reddit and have even made their way into our personal chats.
The way GIFs are used combined with the availability offered by GIPHY makes for a great opportunity for brands. A presence on GIPHY would allow brands to inject themselves into the online conversations of their target audience.
After some research on the platform, we found out that there were no GIFs that specifically said: "Let's grab a drink!", a message that fits ABSOLUT like vodka in a cocktail.
Strategic intent:
The GIPHY platform allows ABSOLUTs target audiences to communicate using GIFs in a number of popular services such as Tinder, Gmail, Slack, Apple Messages, Facebook and many more.
By establishing the ABSOLUT VODKA channel on GIPHY, our content would be able to reach users of all these services.
Goal:
Establish the ABSOLUT VODKA channel on GIPHY, and take over "Let's grab a drink!".
Challenges:
What happens in the camera…
With stop-motion we were able to find a style that resonated deeply with our audience while letting us stand out of the crowd. For most of our content, what happened in the camera, is what you see in the GIF. Additionally by prioritising a high-quality finish, we were further able to differentiate ourselves on Giphy.
On point:
Witty, funny, relevant and unexpected are the key values that drive our creative forward. By keeping up with services that implement Giphy and trending tags on the platform, we've been able to create relevant content for our audiences and the ABSOLUT brand as a whole.
To the point:
The 1.5MB file size restriction coupled with our obsession towards high quality finish led to us only being able to use 5-10 frames per asset. While challenging at times this drove us to be wittier and more concise in the way we told our stories.
By creating the ABSOLUT VODKA Giphy channel, we successfully grabbed a new opportunity to reach and delight audiences while giving GIF-users that perfect GIF to send for the next time they ask someone out for drinks. Skål!
700 000 000 + views
200 + gifs produced
Higher conversion rates in Social
+60% engagement rates in eCRM
+16% purchase intent after viewing our GIFs
Mentions from Techcrunch, The Verge and many more!
