Motion clips are great to add to your advertising arsenal…if done correctly. You can’t just pop any little clip in any spot and expect it to perform. However, if you strategically utilize stop-motion clips and GIF movement into your ads, you’ll probably find that they perform well and add that needed spark to your marketing efforts. With video content taking a steep climb upward over the last year, it’s important to have a variety of digital and visual content in your advertising toolbox. Short clips are an eye-catching and effective way to do that. But what kinds of clips perform best? As a Los Angeles stop motion and GIF artist, I want to offer a few practical and fun ideas for GIFs and stop-motion clips:

Often, short clips get even more attention than longer videos that people don’t have time for at the moment—but they are intrigued by the movement in your ad that caught their eye. 

5 Ideas for GIFs | Food + Product Video Clips

Showcase the product in use.

Have you ever walked into a store with a young child? You probably had to remind them to keep their hands to themselves and “not touch” like a broken record. As humans, we innately want to utilize as many senses as possible to experience the world around us. The more senses we can use, the better our brains can process what’s going on. (Even as adults, we’re tempted to reach out and touch that sweater because it just looks so soft. Touch allows us to get a better sense of the item’s quality.)

However, we’re limited to sight (and occasionally sound) when we shop online. While you can’t offer your product through the screen for customers to smell, taste, or touch, you can enhance their visual perception of your product. Use stop motion clips and GIFs to demonstrate the product’s movement, such as bubbles for carbonated drinks or silky creamer melting into coffee. It’s almost as if they’re there. A bit of movement can significantly enhance your viewer’s experience and perception of your product.

 

Show a process.

Or, maybe you want to demonstrate ways to use your product or showcase a variety of options. Use a short clip to reveal recipe steps or a step-by-step product instruction guide. You can post written instructions and examples, but again, you’re trying to enhance how they experience your services and product.

Providing visual instructions also shows that you care about their overall experience with your product beyond the initial purchase. You want them to love it! Clips help your audience, build trust, and engage your customers on a deeper level. It’s built-in customer support!

PS—Instruction clips are great for people with blogs or those promoting on Pinterest, Instagram, or TikTok. They help increase your social media engagement and performance.

Provide 360° views.

Give your viewers a more comprehensive feel for your product by changing the camera angle to showcase the product from multiple views. It visually lets them turn it around in their hands to analyze it and see all the details.

For instance, sometimes I get frustrated when shopping for shoes because I want to see all sides of the shoe, but the website gets hung up when I try to click through the different still shots. Give your customers a better experience by using a short clip to show all sides at one time so they don’t have to click through multiple still shots.

Create aesthetic appeal.

Infuse an artistic element and some mystique to draw attention. I love incorporating these mesmerizing ideas for GIFs:

Dancing Shadows—Change your light source to create shadow movement in the background or sides while the product stays still. It adds a little “somethin’ somethin’” to your image.

Magic Act—Create a “magic” effect by having objects appear and disappear without showing the human element (similar to a time lapse). For instance, you might have an empty ice cream cone, and suddenly scoops start magically piling on top.

 

Stop the Scroll with Motion Clips by Lindsay Kreighbaum Photography

I’ve got a few more tricks up my sleeve if you’d like to partner up on your next project. Need more ideas for GIFs? I’d love to help you show off that beautiful brand of yours and present your products in a fresh, creative, and scroll-stopping way. Drop a line here to let me know what you have in mind!

Lindsay is a Los Angeles food and product photographer. She specializes in Still Product & Food Photography, Lifestyle & Portrait Photography, Stop Motion, and Food Styling. Connect with her here for product marketing!