Twitter is testing GIF Search???
Hello!
Sorry it’s been awhile since my last blog post. It’s been a hectic few months and I know I should have been more thorough in keeping up with posts (HELL I EVEN MADE A NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION). Again, my apologies.
I wanted to start off my first post of 2016 with some interesting news that recently came to fruition. According to a recent TechCrunch report, Twitter is reportedly “testing” a new GIF search feature (read the report here). With the recent press all about Twitter, from recent departures to its stock hitting an all time low, this new news may bode well for Twitter (MORE ON THAT LATER).
I first came across the “rumor” while doing my usual morning Twitter check-in. Someone I follow Tweeted out the rumor, a long with a screenshot (see below).
@tmcmill81 what?! link???
— Phillip Yang (@geekyyang) February 4, 2016
@tmcmill81 Thanks!
— Phillip Yang (@geekyyang) February 4, 2016
If this rumor is true, I feel it’s a major push by Twitter to amp up its advertising game. With the world revolving around GIFs and Emojis, brands and advertisers alike are all trying to get in on the action. Everyone from social networks to mobile messenger platforms, have some sort of GIF integration system in their platforms. There are a ton of GIF curation services, such as GIPHY, Riffsy, and more – that are becoming part of everyday conversations for users. Because of this, advertisers and brands are vying to find “parking spaces” into consumers’ dialogues.
One great example would be a recent report on how much brands will pay during the Superbowl to run an #emojihashtag campaign on Twitter (RUMOR HAS IT THAT IT’S $1M!) – See here for the report – while another recent update would be Kik Messenger, and how they unveiled a new product of Branded GIFs. Clearly, all signs point to that there is something here that advertisers and brands want.
As consumers continue to stay ever so connected and full sentences become less and less, I can only imagine what new innovative features will come about from GIFs and Emojis, and how they will tie into digital advertising.
geeky_yang 