.png)
So much of what we do today is digital. Whether we’re spending hours behind laptops, keeping in touch with friends in messaging, or binging a favorite series, much of our day, every day, is spent on screen. And with that comes a decrease in face-to-face interaction, body language, and tone. Stickers and GIFs, as well as other types of content, help people express themselves better in digital environments - a necessity for the world we live in today.
At Holler, we’re constantly on a mission to help people express themselves better in digital chat, which is why we create the most well-curated and high quality suite of original Stickers and GIFs for use in messaging, dating, payments, and more places where people are actively engaging with one another digitally.
With a focus on global content that is used and loved by the masses, our Holler Studios team makes Stickers and GIFs designed specifically for chat. We understand the nuances of digital platforms and create shareable content that will resonate with many different audiences. We create GIFs and Stickers to fit many different moods and sentiments, because we know that one size does not fit all when it comes to self-expression.
Even something as simple as the word “yes” can be expressed in so many different ways. For example, this:
is much different than this:
Or even this:
We ensure that as we build out our content, we’re not only thinking about the words or emotions used most often in messaging, but all the different ways those words and emotions can be expressed. As a result, our library of Stickers and GIFs is large and always evolving, with new additions hitting our platform all the time. That’s what we call keepin’ it fresh.
You might be thinking, “these GIFs and Stickers are cool, but how much do they really matter?” And recent data reveals they matter a lot! Our Media in our Messages Report uncovered new insights about how people use and engage with all types of media in chat environments. And visual, expressive content, like Stickers and GIFs, play a major role in conversations today.
57% of all people have “visuals only” conversations in chat apps; this is up from 50% pre-pandemic.
50% of Millennials and 49% of Gen Z say they share content in messaging “all the time.”
And people report using content, like Stickers and GIFs, in chat because:
Discover more insights by downloading the full report!
Clearly, Stickers and GIFs play a vital role in people’s conversations, and the importance of this content has only increased since the pandemic. With people relying on digital means of communication more than ever, there has been an increased demand for more Sticker and GIF content, which is why we continue to update our library all the time.
It’s crucial that expressive content aligns with the cultural zeitgeist, current trends, and relevant topics of conversation. Providing people with content that is relevant and useful is our goal, which is why we’re constantly updating our library of Stickers and GIFs.
How do we do this? By staying on top of trends. For example, at the beginning of the pandemic, our platform data showed that people were discussing the topic at high velocity, whether that be conversing about symptoms, sending positive vibes, or chatting about the great toilet paper shortage of 2020. Knowing that pandemic-related chat would only be increasing, we got to work creating content to help people keep in touch while apart.
Because the Stickers were relevant, timely, and useful, the share rates were through the roof - proving that the right content at the right time is key for digital conversations.
*Holler Platform Data from 3/16/2020-6/16/2020
Holler Share Rate Benchmark is 0.80%
Annual tentpoles also help to inspire new content. We know that major events - like annual holidays and sporting events always cause conversation spikes during certain periods of time. It’s no surprise that our holiday-related content soars in the month of December, as an example:
*Holler Platform Data from 12/1/2020-12/31/2020
Holler Share Rate Benchmark is 0.80%
Aside from what’s going on in-the-moment, there are just certain topics that never go out of style in chat. For example, “love” is always a high-velocity topic of conversation across our platform - no matter the time of year or state of society. So, we develop lots of love-related content useful to those conversations.
Generosity is another area of focus, as people tend to express gratitude and positivity in chat and payments all the time.
We continue to develop fresh Sticker and GIF content for these popular topics of conversation to ensure there’s always something new and exciting to send!
At Holler, we take pride in the fact that we have a super talented in-house studio that creates all of the content you see on our platform. We believe that content should be high quality, which is why we trust our studio to make all the magic. Our illustrators and animators understand what dimensions, colors, and scale works best for small phone screens and create Stickers and GIFs with your conversations in mind. The result? High-quality content that helps you elevate your chats.
So just how do our awesome Stickers and GIFs get made? Part art, part science.
Our animators understand what it takes to make content look great on small handheld screens, and they do it without sacrificing quality. Clean, defined silhouettes work best and we also keep in mind how many colors we’re using in a single design, ensuring we won’t muddy the image by having too much going on at once.
The content has a 3 second max, which is a really short amount of time! By sticking to our guidelines on specs, FPS (frames per second), file size, and art direction, we create shareable Stickers and GIFs that aren’t only expressive, but visually appealing.
At Holler, we also create content with our global audience in mind. Because of this, we strategize on how to make Stickers and GIFs that will resonate with certain regions and demographics. We also translate many of our pieces of content into different languages, so people around the world can express themselves better digitally.
You can learn more about our Holler Studio’s process, take a peek at our global characters, and meet the animation team here.
In the meantime, check out some of our latest GIF content:
To use Holler in your conversations, download our iMessage extension, available on the App Store and find us in your favorite Android keyboards and payment apps.
