A quarterly trend publication

TREND
 unfolding all things social content,

data, and perspectives by

TAP
Creating Stand-Out
Social Content:
The Ultimate Guide To GIFs,
Instagram Stories, and Memes

THE
CONTENT
ISSUE

SUMMER 2018
 A NOTE FROM

THE EDITOR

Hello!

The Social Lights here. We’re back this summer to present you with
our second issue of Trend Tap: The Content Issue.

In this issue, we break down three on-the-rise formats — GIFs,

Instagram Stories, and memes. They have been packing quite the
punch through dark social, a tough-to-measure but incredibly
important indication of a brand’s effectiveness in the social sphere.

Whether you're looking to stay up-to-date on the latest content

trends or hoping to find a fresh set of ideas for your upcoming
content, set aside the next 20 minutes and let this be your ultimate
resource for creating stand-out social content. We’ll walk you through
the evolution of these formats, showcase best-in-class brands doing
it right, and explain how you can get started.

Ready to step up your content game? The keys are in your hands.

MARTHA MCCARTHY KRUEGER


CO-FOUNDER + CEO

The Social Lights is an innovative social media agency that partners with leading consumer
companies to grow their audience and achieve their desired business results.

2
TABLE OF 2 mins. New Content Features To Know

CONTENTS 8 mins. Stand-Out GIFs

5 mins. Stand-Out Instagram Stories

8 mins. Stand-Out Memes

2 mins. Untapped Opportunities

3
SO, WHAT’S 

NEW?
 INSTAGRAM
BRINGS TV TO
SOCIAL WITH IGTV

TL;DR
Instagram debuted a new app,
IGTV, which allows creators to
upload vertical videos up to 60
minutes in length.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW HOW BRANDS CAN USE IGTV

IGTV enables you to upload vertical
■ Product reviews or tutorials
videos longer than 60 seconds to
■ Recipe videos
Instagram.
■ Q&As
■ Brand stories longer than 60 seconds
■ Thought leader interviews

THE OPPORTUNITIES

If you have long-form content (or the ability to

produce it), it’s worth experimenting with IGTV.
After publishing your first video to IGTV, you can
link followers directly to the video via your
Instagram Story (even if you aren’t verified or
don't have over 10k followers).

NEED MORE IDEAS? 


See what’s popular on YouTube in your industry, then create
your own version on IGTV.

5
S TAND-OUT 

GIFS
 EVOLUTION 
 GIFs! They’re just like us! At 31 years old, it’s crazy to think that your
favorite file format is also a Millennial. But before they were your go-to
OF GIFS visual analogies used to express all the feels, they initially served as
simple decorative elements for websites. With the gradual adoption of
GIF support in 1:1 messaging apps and social platforms, GIFs have
grown from compressed file alternatives to completely shaping internet
culture — one loop at a time.

1986 STEVE WILHITE INVENTS THE GIF


His original intent was to create a graphics
format that would work on all computers,
regardless of their connection speed, by
quickly displaying sharp images.

GIFS RE-ENTER MAINSTREAM 
 2012

Embedded in articles and social media,
NBC’s usage of GIFs during the London
Olympics meant you didn’t need to watch
the whole telecast. “GIF” was also the word
of the year.

2013 GIPHY BECOMES INTERNET’S

GO-TO GIF LIBRARY 

Social, mobile phone keyboards, email, and
Slack — everything had a GIF button thanks to
GIPHY.

GIFS + GIF STICKERS ARE NEW 2018

DIGITAL MEDIUMS FOR BRANDS 

200 million active users later and brands are
leveraging GIPHY's free “brand channels” to
have users unknowingly share looping ads
and to connect with Gen Z.

7
 GIFS: A GUIDE TO
GETTING STARTED

CREATE YOUR OWN BEST PRACTICES

Do you have video content you can
shorten and add a caption to?
Images you want to stitch together
into a slideshow? Use GIPHY’s
creator tool to convert your existing
assets into GIFs.
When you have 10+ GIFs created,
apply for your own GIPHY Brand
Channel and upload your looping
pieces of art. 
 see the same frame twice. Remove it to create a seamless loop.
AUDIO WILL BE STRIPPED. So choose video clips that show a lot of
movement or simply add text.

KEEP THE SIZE DOWN FOR SOCIAL SHARING. Tumblr can be
tricky with its 2MB limit. 



DESIGN WITH MOBILE IN MIND. It’s better to design closer to a
square, as narrower images will look smaller in portrait orientation. 

GET YOUR LOOPS NICE + SMOOTH. Having the last frame of your
animation the same as your start results in a tiny little hold where you

HOW BRANDS CAN USE GIFS

to respond to educate to gamify to capture attention

Drive even more engagement Show fans a wide variety of Create an interactive Easily give your still images
by replacing your text products, demonstrate experience allowing fans to some life by adding
responses with reaction GIFs.
 multiple uses, or provide push-and-play. Truly uses movement through
Netflix uses them to respond tips. Starbucks uses them to them to start a game of animated text or graphic
to both fans and haters. showcase their array of frap spin the bottle. elements. Noosa uses them
flavors. to emphasize a focus point.

VIEW HERE VIEW HERE VIEW HERE VIEW HERE

8
 1.5M

GIF VIEWS

GIFS FOR FLAVOR FUN


Chobani

FOOD
 Because GIFs are smaller projects with generally

smaller budgets, it’s less of a risk for brands to use
LOOPS this format to try something different. Take
Chobani, who teamed up with creators Stephanie
Gonot and Nick Marchese to showcase their Flip
flavor varieties in one seamless loop. The playful
way each flavor is shown both in its original and
indulgent form before unexpectedly transforming
into a Flip has you doing a double take (to confirm,
it’s not magic). 




VIEW HERE
Lesson: The most engaging GIFs are the ones that
can loop seamlessly and indefinitely, with swift
movements and an element of surprise.

VIEW HERE

9
 478M

GIF VIEWS

GIFS + STICKERS FOR GAMIFICATION 


PABLO ROCHAT

I FEEL LIKE PABLO
gifs for gamification
GIFs' rise in popularity can be heavily attributed to the
designers that have been using them for creative
expression. The most notable GIF creators include
Martina Martian, Emma Darvick, and of course, Pablo
Rochat. Each of these creators has a deep understanding
of what is trending on social and a familiarity with how
younger audiences interact with GIFs. Using this, they
translate funny, relatable, and sometimes even bizarre
moments into GIFs. 

Pablo has leveraged the flexibility of GIF stickers to allow
people to play games through Instagram Stories. He also
creates stickers of commonly used call-to-actions (swipe
up) that allow people to apply a funny remix to their
posts. 


stickers for brand partnership Lesson: Brands should look to GIF creators for
inspiration before looking at other brands. Even better,
partner with a creator for custom assets on a budget and
higher reach potential (i.e Pablo x Chipotle).

10
 78.4M

GIF VIEWS

GIF STICKERS TO SUPPORT CONTESTS


BENEFIT COSMETICS

FRIENDS WITH BENEFIT

Benefit Cosmetics is on a mission to find the next big
brow trend this summer via Instagram contest. The rules
are simple — recreate two of Benefit’s four new brow
styles and post the final looks on Instagram. The more
you post, the more chances you have to win a trip to
Camp Benefit (brow masterclass hosted by influencers)
and $50,000. 



stickers for brand use
Because voting is open to the public, Benefit has created
GIPHY stickers for fans to show whose team they're on.

Benefit also created GIF stickers that the brand could use
on their own Instagram Stories to maintain the look and
feel of the campaign. 
 stickers for fan use


Lesson: Go beyond polls and give fans fun ways to
answer questions through GIF stickers. Also, think about
what common sentiments, phrases, and reaction
statements could be incorporated in your custom GIF
library to give your Instagram Stories a cohesive look. 


11
S TAND-OUT 

INS TAGRAM

S TORIES
 Instagram Stories paved the way for people to share whatever
EVOLUTION 
 they want on the channel without breaking their feed. Coming
OF INSTAGRAM into the game as a new social format eerily similar to Snapchat

STORIES Stories, Instagram Stories took real-time sharing to the next level
by providing more layers of customization. Started from the
bottom, now we're here.

1 AUGUST 2016 INSTAGRAM STORIES CREATED


Instagram releases a new feature to
battle Snapchat Stories, providing a way
to create a temporary post outside of the
feed.

STORIES OPEN TO OLD CONTENT
 NOVEMBER 2017 2

After constant encouragement from

users, Instagram opened Stories up to
content created more than 24 hours prior.

3 DECEMBER 2017 STORY HIGHLIGHTS DROP


Users can now publicly archive their
favorite Stories and see their work live
longer than 24 hours.

STORIES INTEGRATIONS
 JANUARY 2018 4

Instagram introduces integrations to

make your Stories more interactive. You
can now link Spotify songs or add GIFs.

13
 Instagram Stories unlock a unique world of
INSTAGRAM STORIES social opportunities for brands and should
be treated as such. Check out some best
FOR BRANDS practices for all-star content!

BEST PRACTICES

KEEP ‘EM CLICKING


Create a narrative that keeps the user clicking
to see what's next. You can hold their attention
with intrigue or an element of suspense.
Rocking it: Glossier

MAKE IT INTERACTIVE

Turn your Instagram Story into a game, an
interactive story, a quiz, or a poll to get the
user engaging with your content beyond
simply viewing.
Rocking it: HBO

TRY A CONTENT SERIES


Create recurring content to give your audience
something to look forward to! Try giving a new
phone wallpaper on Fridays or sharing a
weekly roundup of UGC – keeping a cadence
encourages your followers to check in.
Rocking it: Brit + Co

USE YOUR HIGHLIGHTS


Give your followers a place to check back on
some of their favorite content. Create
organized highlights on your page to archive
some of your best work.
Rocking it: CB2

14
 BEST-IN-CLASS INSTAGRAM STORIES

CHIPOTLE

CHIPOTLE GIVES Chipotle has mastered the art of turning what's

going on in the mind of their consumers into
THE PEOPLE WHAT engaging Instagram Stories. They turn popular

THEY WANT Tweets and memes into stories that are easy to
share, collaborate with influencers in areas their
consumers care about, and share their fans' love of
their delicious food.

The Mexican grill turns content moments into

engaging opportunities by adding simple
integrations, like a sliding scale in a dreamy
guacamole recipe and some 🔥 GIPHY stickers for
fans to share. They keep their Stories simple with
designs often created in the app.

Lesson: Turn the knowledge of your audience into

a unique content experience.

15
 BEST-IN-CLASS INSTAGRAM STORIES

WeWork

WEWORK BRINGS WeWork makes their goal clear with one look at
their Instagram profile: You can be a part of a
COMMUNITY community. They carry this sentiment into their

LOVE ONLINE Instagram Stories by featuring different WeWork

locations from around the world and store them in
the Highlights on their profile.

They use a mixture of user generated content and

professional photography to give their audience a
feel for their communities and have staff cover fun
events at each location to share with the group.

Lesson: Let your core values shine through with

Instagram Stories.

16
S TAND-OUT 

MEMES

EVOLUTION OF
MEMES 
 spreads from person to person within a culture.
AND THE
OPPORTUNITY
FOR BRANDS
Memes are not new to the Internet.
Depending on your definition of a
meme, they’ve existed online since
the late ‘90s or early 2000s. Yet in the
last few years, we’ve seen a rise in
brands leveraging memes to earn
massive organic reach and brand
affinity.

But making a brand meme isn’t as
easy as updating a meme template.
Bad executions of brand memes
invite ridicule and humiliation.
MEMES 101

The dictionary definition doesn’t capture the full value
of a meme: an idea, behavior, style, or usage that
Memes are much more than funny images and copy.
They’re a way to communicate an idea quickly in a
highly shareable way.
WHY ARE MEMES SO EFFECTIVE?

People don’t have time for clever content on social
media. If people can’t quickly grasp what your post is
about, they’ll swipe to the next post.
The effectiveness of memes comes from their ability to
communicate an idea and point-of-view quickly, often
leveraging humor. Relatable humor is one of the most
highly shared types of content on social.
ARE MEMES ONLY FOR TEENS?

This is a common misconception. Memes are simply a
vehicle to communicate an idea. Everyone from teens
to retired grandparents shares memes on social media.
The audience for a meme depends entirely on the
concept and what is communicated.
18
 BEST-IN-CLASS MEMES

KROGER

KROGER CONNECTS When people think of great meme makers, a

grocery chain isn’t the first to come to mind, but
THROUGH RELATABLE Kroger is one of the best meme-making brands on

HUMOR Instagram. Roughly every 10 posts, Kroger shares a

laugh-out-loud worthy meme, usually centering on
a relatable experience at the grocery store.

Lesson: You don’t need to post memes exclusively

to benefit from them. By sprinkling in memes every
5 to 10 posts, you can deepen your connection
with fans who will think, “This brand really gets
me.” Lastly, Kroger is a great example of memes
connecting with audiences beyond teens.

19
 BEST-IN-CLASS MEMES

NETFLIX

NETFLIX LEVERAGES Netflix is more than a master of original TV content

—they also create and share highly engaging
ORIGINAL CONTENT memes that leverage content currently streaming

FOR ORIGINAL on the platform.

MEMES Lesson: See if there’s an opportunity to use owned

content in brand memes. While using familiar third
party content is still very effective, using owned
content provides an additional branding
opportunity.

20
 BEST-IN-CLASS MEMES

GUSHERS

Few brands create content as engaging as Gushers

GUSHERS BUILDS A does on Instagram. Since launching the account,
HIGHLY ENGAGED they’ve stuck almost exclusively to sharing relatable

FOLLOWING WITH memes that often feature a comical love of the fruit
snack.
RELATABLE MEMES
Lesson: If you find a niche that works for your
brand, lean into it and focus. Gushers gets more
engagement than brands with bigger followings
because their followers know what to expect with
each new post (and Gushers delivers).

21
 UNTAPPED

OPPOR TUNITIES
BRIDGING THE GAP

Showing up on your respective social channels

simply isn't enough. Inspiring a new, current, and/
or old consumer to trust you with everything is
what all brands need to aspire to do. But, there
are a few fundamental questions that make it
easier to stay focused:

Have you experimented with new Instagram

Stories features?


How can your brand use GIFs to increase
engagement and word-of-mouth?

Do you know your audience well enough to

create relatable content through memes?

We're all faced with an ever-changing

world and an ever-fickle consumer.
The good news: we've delivered
millions of organic and paid
impressions for some brilliant clients.
With our range of experience, we've
been able to help our clients outsmart
their competition and win on social
media. Here are a few untapped
content opportunities that we’ve
compiled just for you.

LET’S GET TO IT.

23
UNTAPPED BRAND
OPPORTUNITIES

JOIN YOUR OWN FAN CLUB WITH

INSTAGRAM STORIES
Use these short-lived moments to show your social
audience that you’re one of them. You know what
they know, like what they like, and can provide
specialized, valuable content.

LEVERAGE THE FLEXIBILITY OF THE

MEDIUM

Formats evolve over time as people find playful
ways to remix them. When it comes to GIFs, all you
need is an understanding of basic animation
principles, a sense of rhythm, and an
unconventional idea.

CREATE BRAND GIFS THAT COMMUNICATE

A MESSAGE

Make something that enables your audience to
express how they feel through your brand. Doing
so will dramatically increase organic use of the GIFs
everywhere they’re shared.

SHARE RELATABLE BRAND TRUTHS IN

CREATIVE WAYS WITH MEMES

Every brand has core truths that the vast majority of
their audience would immediately recognize as such.
Use those core truths at the root of memes that your
brand shares.

PARTNER WITH THE PEOPLE WHO DO IT

BEST 

Team up with a creator who specializes in these
formats. Not only will they create off-beat content
suited to your brand, but you can also leverage
their large following.

24
 YOU’RE 


WELCOME.

SAY H E LLO

SU B SCR IB E

CONTRIBUTORS 

Emily Pritchard
 Tedi O’Brien

Martha McCarthy Krueger 
 Jasmine Graper

Ben Nesvig
 Stephanie Steiner

Gina Vo Mollie Cook
25
 TAP THAT.

BEST READ WITH

OUR FAVORITE
BEER OF THE
MOMENT.