---
title: "Adweek: That GIF You Just Shared? It Might Actually Be an Ad"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/e15f5496-93c7-48e3-aab1-821a3b524e40
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/adweek-that-gif-you-just-shared-it-might-actually-be-an-ad-2706043
category: "General"
published: 2018-03-26T18:13:26.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T04:10:25.136Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/64f6b0a6df2be2cacec99550032c645a5141.jpg
---

# Adweek: That GIF You Just Shared? It Might Actually Be an Ad

**TL;DR:** Brands like Amazon and Bubly are using GIFs as a unique form of advertising, offering marketers a new opportunity to engage with consumers. GIFs provide a shareable and economical way for consumers to express themselves, making them a valuable tool for franchise brands to integrate into their marketing strategy.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2018-03-26. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/adweek-that-gif-you-just-shared-it-might-actually-be-an-ad-2706043).*

## Story

There’s a new type of ad that brands are engaging in place of traditional photos or videos: GIFs. According to Adweek, GIFs offer marketers a unique opportunity to get their message playing on a loop through an increasingly popular medium. That’s why brands like Amazon, Bubly, Converse and Gatorade have already used GIFs to tell their stories.

Quynh Mai, founder of digital shop Moving Image and Content, told Adweek, “Clever marketers are creating GIFs to help consumers express themselves through these humorous, snackable videos which make them a shareable utility versus an ad. GIFs are an economical way for consumers to express their moods, and smart brands are creating GIFs as a utility for that purpose, making these shareable personal expressions and not just a six-second video.”

Because they’re still relatively new, GIF ads offer brands a lot of different opportunities, including creating content that fits into YouTube’s bumper format or apps that are seeking shorter spots. For franchise brands, this means that now is the time to consider how to integrate GIFs into your marketing strategy, both on social media and beyond.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- General (sector)
- marketing strategy (topic)
- Amazon (company)
- social media (topic)
- advertising (topic)
- gifs (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/adweek-that-gif-you-just-shared-it-might-actually-be-an-ad-2706043). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/e15f5496-93c7-48e3-aab1-821a3b524e40).