GIFs, a special touch to your emails this Christmas

The use of GIFs in email marketing is one of the trends that was expected to be successful in 2015, and so it has been. Faced with the difficulty of incorporating quality videos in our emails and that all our users receive them correctly, GIFs appear to be a simple and effective tactic.

Although the languages used for email design are the same as in web design, the restrictions of email are more complex. The GIF can be our best ally if you know how to use it correctly:
-It must appear creatively
-It should come as a surprise
-It must attract the attention of users
-It must be a good substitute for the video
How are brands using GIFs this Christmas campaign?
Desigual is characterised by innovation and originality. It never ceases to surprise. And no less is expected of its emails. They bring a touch of life and fun at a time of year of celebration. Since video gives us many problems and complications, the GIF appears as an element to imitate it and replace it in a striking and original way..

It is a sequence of images that focus the user's attention on the message to be conveyed. To be effective, should last a maximum of 10 seconds so that the user does not get bored.as in the case of this example from Desigual. In addition, we must not forget that the GIF extension will make the file weigh more or less. The faster the loading time, the more effective the GIF will be.
They can also be used to show different products in a single image. Either to combine different products or to compare them. As, for example, Desigual does in its emails. In this way, the user's attention is focused on a single image and it is this image that varies.                                    

Another example is the new year's greeting from Derby Hotels Collection, which congratulates the new year with this GIF that gives movement to the image and attracts attention instantly. A good way to congratulate your users in a simple and original way.

And if you want to highlight an offer... What better way than with a GIF? Offerum shows us this in its emails. It uses very discrete animations that do the following highlighting the most important message and increase the chances that the user will be encouraged to take a look at your products or services by taking advantage of the Christmas promotion.

In these cases, the animation appears as an addition to enhance the main image. It serves to highlight a message, but does not change if it becomes static. Thus, if the recipient cannot view the moving image from their email, the image does not lose the meaning of the message..

 
As in the last two, this Bimba y Lola GIF is very subtle, just a button that blinks continuously to attract the user's attention. In this case it is a call to action, a moving image that aims to get the user to click the button and take advantage of a last-minute offer, subscribe or buy a certain product.
 
 
 
 
In short, GIFs are presented as an alternative to video and a better option than JPG images. The main advantage of this type of format is that it is almost universally viewable. As long as the files are hosted on the servers, the deliverability of the email will not be affected. So, take advantage of these colourful days to add your own touch to your emails.
Recommendations

• Be aware of the possibility that your GIF may not display well in all emails. The simpler the image, the less it will be affected by the fact that it is static. Make a GIF so that the essential message is not lost if it loses its motion.
• Try not to use more than 4-5 frames in your GIFs.
• Keep an eye on the weight of your GIF. If it exceeds 40KB, it will probably be too heavy and take too long to load.
• Give your emails a special touch by adding GIFs!