Revlon and Google are partnering up to spread the Valentine?s Day spirit by enabling fans to send each other personalized animated images via social media and email designed to showcase the makeup brand?s Revlon Ultra HD Lipstick colors, proving that GIFs continue to resonate well with millennial fans.

As of Feb. 12, fans will be able to visit www.revlon.com/loveison to create the customizable gifs and send a message to a loved one or friend via mobile. Revlon is also promoting a designated hashtag, #LOVEISON, across all of its social media handles in an effort to fuel consumers to upload some of their e-cards for an opportunity to have them showcased the brand?s Global Love Beacon in New York City?s Time Square.

?On Valentine?s Day, many consumers post pictures with their loved ones on their social media pages,? said Shuli Lowy, marketing director at Ping Mobile, New York. ?Revlon?s push to bring those images to life via GIFs will allow consumers to make their post images in a manner that is special and more engaging.

?That added fun will make consumers more likely to post the Revlon-infused GIFs.?

Integrating products
Revlon is ensuring that the spotlight is put on its products during the campaign, especially its Ultra HD Lipstick Color product. The first step of the GIF creation process asks users to select one of five available shades of the lipstick: HD Sweet Pea, HD Tulip, HD Orchid, HD Gladiolus or HD Rose.

Each color also has a corresponding catchphrase written at the top of the message, such as ?Love always,? ?Be mine? and ?You?re sweet.?

Consumers may then upload a personal photograph from the gallery on their mobile devices or computers. Once users have uploaded a photo of themselves or with their Valentine, an image of a kiss will be superimposed on their cheeks.

The animated images can then be shared with family, friends and loved ones via Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus in addition to personal email. Individuals that upload the GIFs onto social media using the #LOVEISON hashtag may be featured on the Revlon Global Love Beacon.

Select images featuring couples are also aggregated on Revlon?s Web site for the campaign.

?Social media is important for every brand because organic endorsements are more powerful than paid ones,? Ms. Lowy said. ?When a consumer willingly posts something positive about a brand to a social media page, the brand not only gets a powerful boost from that consumer?but also added visibility from his/her entire database of connections.

?The average social media user is connected to hundreds of people, which provides the ability for a campaign to go viral.?

Marketing with GIFs
The GIF campaign is powered by the Google Display Network, which enables the messages to be sent without having the consumers be redirected to another site.

More marketers and brands have been turning to the animated GIFs to target millennial consumers, due to their sheer popularity and ability to be easily shared across a variety of mobile channels, including social (see story).

Lexus rolled out a series of GIFs for its December holiday campaign, featuring clips that showcased the brand?s vehicles in the snow or with a bow (see story).

The shareable quality of GIFs is likely to contribute to the success of Revlon?s campaign. Leveraging an upcoming holiday, especially one centered around love and romance, is also an optimal tactic for stirring up interest in beauty brands.

Fabric softener brand is joining in the Valentine?s Day fun by offering a similar campaign, featuring its teddy bear mascot, which enables users to create a personalized video in honor of the holiday to share via email and social media (see story).

?Virtually all makeup brands launch campaigns around Valentine?s Day for two reasons,? Ms. Lowy said. ?Firstly, consumers are willing to spend more during any holiday season.

?Whether it?s buying makeup to look good for your Valentine date, or buying a gift for a special someone?consumers have an extra push to buy more things (such as makeup) in the lead up to Valentine?s day,? she said.

?Secondly, consumers already have Valentine?s Day on their mind. It is easier for a campaign to latch onto a topic that consumers are already thinking about than to get them excited about a new one.?

Final Take
Alex Samuely is an editorial assistant on Mobile Marketer, New York