June 20, 2022
Key art is arguably the most important part of an advertising campaign.
A strong, sharp image that instantly shows why people need your product or service can be far more effective than other forms of content. (Bonus points, too, if it looks cool!)
A spectacular piece of key art can also go beyond the initial campaign or product.
We created key art for the collector’s edition of Ubisoft’s Watch Dogs: Legion. Our graphics featured moody profile shots of some of the game’s masks, including pig mask and skull crown mask.
So intense and striking was the image that it was chosen for the front cover of industry bible EDGE, issue 334.
Creative industries are fast-evolving, though. Practices are always changing – key art is no exception.
Creating an iconic image is still the ideal when it comes to key art. However, the rise of social media also means that key art needs to work a little harder to get noticed.
Millions of images flood Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and other platforms every minute. The fight for attention is real, so how can a clever piece of key art stop people scrolling and take notice of you?
Simple – by turning a static piece of key art into an animated GIF.
A GIF instead of a static image not only grabs attention. They can help complement the narrative of your social media posts, convey more information, and show your creative side.
So, what’s the best way to incorporate GIFs into your existing marketing strategies?
GIFs can leap out of the screen – literally
We think the best use of GIFs or other moving types of key art are to tell a story.
GIFs can be useful at showing off products. While that’s great, we think GIFs are far more fun at introducing characters, their abilities, the tools they use, and literally leaping from the social feed.
Our disruptive social media posts to support the launch of Far Cry 5 are a great example of this.
We created dynamic content that literally leapt out at people; from a pick-up truck escaping from the boundaries of a Facebook post to the player’s dog, Boomer, rising up from the bottom of the page to lick the viewer’s screen.
More and more of our partners are recognising the power of GIFs in their advertising. Not only in helping to grab attention, but for the shareable nature of the content, too.
Great GIFs are shared around on social media and, like our Watch Dogs example, can help an IP go beyond the initial advertising campaign, reaching new audiences across different territories.
That doesn’t just go for social media campaigns, either. GIFs and other moving pieces of key art also work wonders at trade shows and events to capture people’s imagination and attract footfall.
Like all great pieces of key art, though, a GIF also needs to have a lot of thought and work put into it for maximum impact.