Nov 23 2009
Neiman Puts Holiday Campaigns in Motion
It seems like every holiday season we see companies explore new and creative ways to make their email campaigns stand out from the competition.
This year is proving to be no different. Recently Neiman Marcus Group has made its presence known in inboxes around the world by using large animated GIFs to capture user attention and generate response.
While this marks a new development for Neiman, who have traditionally featured static imagery in their emails, animated GIFs themselves have been around pretty much since the creation of World Wide Web.
The main benefit of animated GIFs is that email marketers gain the effect of motion without needing any additional technology to display the animation. All browsers and email software can render GIFs properly without any plug-ins or proprietary technology, making it still the most appealing option to marketers looking to set their emails in motion.
Keep in mind, however, that animated GIFs can get rather large in file size if you are not efficient in your use of animation. Large color palettes, complicated motions and large image dimensions all can all contribute to an animated GIF’s bloated file size, so be sure to proceed with caution. Also, not all browsers or email applications will render the animations in the same manner – some may take longer to load or display the animation more slowly than others.
By keeping animations simple, easy to understand and to-the-point, email marketers can bring their message content to life while minimizing compatibility and display risks.
I would add that the first image is critical, since Outlook 2007 only displays that (it has no support for animation).