Cinemagraphs Drive Engagement

Did you know that cinemagraphs drive much more engagement than a regular, still photo?

There is a reason we find cinemagraphs so mesmerizing, and it actually has to do with our biology. We live in a word where the consumer is bombarded by thousands of advertisements a day. Banners, posters, videos and photos are constantly popping up in an attempt to grab our attention. We’ve become so accustomed to this that our brains have finely tuned out this incessant, never ending flow of propaganda. This is where cinemagraph images are different, and subtlety is the key to its success.

The Science Behind Cinemagraphs

Not simply photography, not simply video, but a hybrid of the two. Instead of annoying the viewer with loud music and flashing video or boring the viewer with flat images, cinemagraphs find a balance. This fixed attention that cinemagraphs create is actually ingrained in us from our “hunter/hunted” ancestry. Our eyes are trained to pick up on slight movements in an otherwise still scenario. This is exactly what a cinemagraph is; a still photograph in which a minor and repeated movement occurs. Not only are they beautiful and mesmerizing, they are an effective medium for driving engagement.

Our Proof
Convinced yet? We already know how effective the medium is, but Flixel decided to do a test to prove it. In our test we compared the CTR (Click-Through Rate) of two images- one still, the other living. Now, we went into this test confident that our technology would prevail, and the Flixel would be more successful than the still ad. Even we were a bit surprised by HOW much more successful and engaging the cinemagraph was in comparison!

We found that Flixel Living Photos generate 5.6x more CTRs than still images! That means for every 1 click-through on the still ad, our Flixel got 5.6x more.

Whether you’re a photographer, videographer, marketer, or all of the above, cinemagraphs are a great way to grasp and hold a viewer’s attention. Take a look at our thematic galleries to explore the possibilities of living images.

For more detailed information on the science behind cinemagraphs, read this great article from Red Ant!