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04/10/2012 by
4058 views

Why Gifboom’s GangnamStyle Contest Is Smart

Everyone loves animated GIFs. In the early days of the Internet, when we were all stuck with 56K connections, GIFs were one of the only ways to watch things with movement without having to wait hours on end for videos to buffer.


So what will happen if you combine GifBoom, a free app that creates animated GIFS out of still photos -mostly dominated by 15 year old teenagers- and PSY’s Gangnam Style in a $5000 contest? Exactly: A Potential Viral Case.

We’ve mentioned here before at ViralBlog, how important it is for a brand to stay authentic at all times. And how crucial it is to cherish your fanbase.

Gifboom understands the apporach and although any kind of brand would probably wants to team up with PSY and his Gangnam Style hype, Gifboom seems like a perfect combination to run a contest. This competition is therefore officially sponsored by PSY.

With 2,265,499 likes as of press time, Guinness World Record reports that “Gangnam” has trumped the former most liked video. The Gangnam style is also a perfect concept for a cool GIF.

Here’s PSY’s example GIF made with Gifboom for the contest:

 

And here are some of the many entries by Gifboom users:

@aironnell- My Oppa #GangnamStyle!

@parkerkithill – me and all my theatre friends dancing the #Gangnamstyle

An here’s Australian popsinger Cody Simpson (@cody_simpson) entry:

Gifboom seems like the kind of applications that the Generation Z (Group of people born ia few years before and the beginning of the 21st century) really likes. So to explain why the Gangnam Style Contest is smart: The main priority of Generation Z is the internet, mainly accessed by their mobile devices.

They have not struggled through hard times without Facebook, nor do they understand the ‘horrible conditions’ in which one must live to be without instant media downloading. This generation is the most disruptive generation in modern history. Instead of waiting for ideas to filter through the generations that came before, Generation Z-ers are tastemakers, some are even already professional app developers.

Social media has demolished all barriers to communicating about brands and products. If you can read and write, you’re able to share. Generation Z is all about sharing, even shamelessly.

And that is exactly why Gifboom, an app where many users are (shamelessly) exposing themselves, with PSY’s intended by claiming himself, with a twisted sense of humor, to be “Gangnam Style”, is a perfect concept to reach and activate this difficult audience.

So what do you think? Is this a good example how brands could reach GenZ? Love to read your thoughts from a marketing point of view, but also a personal point of view: Would you join the Gangnam Competition?

Do you want to join the competition? You can download the Gifboom app here. Unfortunately the contest is only open for US residents from 13 years and older. Entries must be tagged with #GangnamStyle.

Have you seen our 2 previous stories on PSY? We predicted Gangnam Style would be a viral hit in a very early stage. Check PSY Gangnam Style: Viral Culthit Of 2012? and the Updated Story.


About the author

Laurens Bianchi is an online marketing professional from the Netherlands and has been blogging on ViralBlog since 2008. Currently Laurens is a Managing Partner and Commercial Director at ICON&Co. Within the company Laurens is responsible for online and social media consultancy.

 

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