With video ads becoming increasingly popular, static image ads are often dismissed as ineffective.
However, there are other types of ad creatives that incorporate simple motion into static images, such as GIFs, manga illustrations using slideshows, and looping animations. What kinds of GIFs and slideshows—which seem to bridge the gap between static images and video—are available?
In this article, we’ll introduce examples of GIF and slideshow ads that generate high engagement by making a sequence of still images appear as if they were a video.
If you’re struggling with ad engagement or creative design, please give this a read.
Ad creatives include both video and still images. It’s important to choose the right format based on your objectives; neither is inherently superior to the other.
GIF stands for Graphics Interchange Format and is a type of image file format.
GIFs support animation; by combining multiple images into a single file, they can create animations similar to flipbooks.
In the internet environment of the 1980s and 1990s, it was difficult to display large-capacity images or videos, so GIFs—which could animate images using minimal file size—were highly valued.
Today, thanks to improvements in internet infrastructure, it has become easy to post high-quality videos, and while GIFs have lost some of their prominence, they remain a widely used format.
Advantages of GIFs
GIF animations are useful when you want to add movement to an image to make it more engaging.
Since they are composed of image data, their main advantage is that they are smaller in file size than video files and are less affected by network conditions.
GIF animations can be played on many platforms as long as they support HTML.
Because they are not videos, they play automatically without requiring users to press a play button.
Because they feature movement, they tend to generate higher engagement on social media and other platforms compared to static images.
Disadvantages of GIFs
Since GIFs are strictly an image format, you cannot add audio to them.
While one of the benefits of GIFs is their small file size, longer GIFs can end up being larger than videos; therefore, we recommend keeping loops to around 30 seconds or less.
Furthermore, GIFs are limited to 256 colors, making them unsuitable for creating complex gradients.
Considering that JPEGs can handle 16.7 million colors, it becomes clear just how limited the color palette of GIFs is.
Another major drawback is that the number of advertising platforms that accept animated GIFs has been decreasing in recent years.
You can increase user engagement by rotating the display of new products and limited-time offers.
In the fashion industry, it’s common to alternate between front and back views.
Advertising platforms that support GIFs
In recent years, the number of advertising platforms that accept animated GIFs has been declining.
Google Ads and YDN have discontinued support for animated GIFs.
However, animated GIFs can still be used in social media ads, such as Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram) and Twitter Ads. Social media and GIFs are a great fit, and many companies seem to be making use of them.
“APNG” is gaining attention as a new image format to replace animated GIFs. It stands for Animated Portable Network Graphics, meaning animated PNG images.
While GIFs are limited to 256 colors, APNGs can use 16.77 million colors, just like PNGs, allowing for the reproduction of complex colors and gradients. Another advantage is that, because it uses lossless compression, image quality is less likely to degrade.
However, one drawback is that it is currently supported by only a limited number of browsers. In browsers that do not support it, the first frame will be displayed as a still image.
In the future, we may see more advertising platforms that accept creative assets in the APNG format.
About looping animations
A looping animation is one that returns to its starting point once it reaches a certain point and repeats the cycle.
Since fewer shots are required, it can be produced at a significantly lower cost than live-action videos or standard animations.
They are often used as background music for work on YouTube, and loop animations can also be utilized to promote or announce your company’s services.
In recent years, with the rise of remote work, there has been growing interest in genres such as “Lo-Fi Beats” and “Chillout Music” as background music for work.
While the range of applications may be limited, they can still be leveraged as a branding strategy.
NURO Hikari is a high-speed fiber-optic service provided by Sony Network Communications.
The looping animation and background music, which gradually accelerate, are designed to evoke the image of a high-speed internet connection.
This allows users to enjoy it as background music while working, while also contributing to the service’s branding.
Using still images as video
Since 2010, when internet connectivity improved, video ads have become commonplace, and in recent years, they have been featured across many platforms.
However, creating video ads requires significantly more time and money than creating banner ads.
Additionally, on vertical video platforms, vertical creatives tend to drive higher engagement, so it is necessary to prepare videos in multiple aspect ratios.
Therefore, as a way to drive more engagement than banner ads while keeping costs down, one approach is to create video ads that combine several images, similar to a GIF.
Slideshow ads
This method involves creating a slideshow using a series of images to deliver ads.
The advantage of slideshows is that they make it easy to create compelling, story-driven content.
With Meta Ads, you can also create slideshow ads directly from Facebook Ads Manager.
Slideshow ads are said to use about one-fifth the data of video ads, so many advertisers choose to serve video ads as slideshows to reach users with slow internet connections or older devices.
The process is simple: from the creative selection screen in Facebook Ads Manager, click the button circled in red and select “Edit Group.”
When you click “Convert to Video” in the upper-left corner, several templates will appear.
The template selection screen will appear, so let’s select “Slideshow” in the top-left corner.
There are several other templates available, so be sure to try them out.
The templates available differ between Feed and Stories.
Once you've navigated to the slideshow creation screen, add the images you want to include.
Transitions determine how the images change from one to the next.
Then, set the duration for each scene and click the “Create Video” button to finish creating your slideshow.
If you're already running ads on Meta, you can create a slideshow ad simply by combining the banner ads you've been running.
We highly recommend giving it a try to capture users' attention in a fresh way.
Comic-style ads
Manga ads are currently trending in YouTube’s TrueView ads. Manga-style visuals are impactful and effective at capturing users’ attention.
Since live-action videos have long been the mainstream format for video ads, many viewers likely still find manga ads refreshing. Manga has a unique ability to help readers relate to the content, and this makes it particularly effective at resonating with users in an advertising context.
Summary
We’ve discussed advertising techniques—such as GIFs, slideshow ads, comic ads, and looping animations—that generate high engagement by presenting a sequence of static images in a way that mimics video.
While the number of platforms that support GIF animations is decreasing, they are still widely used in social media ads and organic posts.
Slideshow ads, comic ads, and loop animations are advertising methods that allow you to generate engagement while keeping costs lower than video ads.
Slideshow ads, in particular, are a highly recommended method because you can easily create them directly in Facebook Ads Manager.
If you haven’t tried them yet or are struggling to come up with new creative ideas, we highly recommend giving them a try.
Marketing Perspective in Japan: Beyond Just Creation
NOKID provides creative planning and production for PR using characters, events, and video content. Effective videos balance business and creative perspectives, e.g., short clips optimized for TikTok, designed to capture attention in the first 2–3 seconds.
For first-time animation or PR-focused content, feel free to consult with us.
Tokuma Kanna
Founder and CEO of NOKID Inc., a premier creative studio specializing in short-form animation and graphic design. With a focus on narrative-driven visual storytelling, he has spearheaded high-profile projects across the global entertainment landscape. His portfolio includes the acclaimed VALORANT: YORU TYPICAL DAYS cinematic, the Hatsune Miku x Seven Premium 15th Anniversary campaign, and Koda Kumi’s music video "100 no Kotoba-tachi e." As a leading producer in the PV and MV sectors, Tokuma continues to redefine the intersection of animation and contemporary digital media.
