Kik’s Branded GIFs Allow Companies To Engage With Users

Kik's branded GIFs feature is an extension of the emoji keyboard, letting brands engage more naturally with users.

Tamar Weinberg on February 2, 2016 at 5:01 pm

Emojis are all the rage, and Kik certainly knows it. Since the company launched an emoji keyboard three months ago, friends on the chat platform have exchanged millions of GIFs, validating the need to take it even further and bring brands into the fray.

Today, the company announced that Kik will use its emoji keyboard to highlight branded GIFs, working just like emoji-GIFs via the keyboard. Launch partners include Zoolander No. 2 and WWF, whose Giphy-style photos certainly will be conversation starters and will have the potential to be exchanged far and wide.

Kik acknowledges this as a “fun way for brands to engage users with strong content… that doesn’t feel spammy,” a spokesperson said. The company will have a careful selection process for brands, and those looking to partner can reach Kik via partners [at] kik [dot] com.

About The Author

Tamar Weinberg

Tamar Weinberg is a professional hustler and author of The New Community Rules: Marketing on The Social Web. She blogs about all things tech, productivity, and social media customer success at Techipedia. She can be found on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, among other sites.