As the Mobile Messaging War Heats Up, Kik Tries to Win Over Marketers With GIFs

Twentieth Century Fox wants to talk to teens the way that they do with their friends, so it's using GIFs to chat with them on mobile messaging app Kik. The film studio and agency Trailer Park are launching a campaign today for the sci-fi flick Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, the sequel to 2014's Maze Runner based on T.S. Nowlin's book trilogy. In the movie, a group of boys are stuck in a maze, and the only way out is to go through a series of challenges given out by a secret organization called WCKD. To play off of the movie's twisting plot, Fox is using Kik's Promoted Chats to let fans talk to a bot version of the WCKD character. The bot offers text-based information and a total of 12 GIFs that walk users through a series of challenges to help them get out of the maze. Like the movie's story, the app's messaging can go several ways. "It kind of feels like one of those choose-your-own adventure books that you may have played as a kid, but played out in a much more modern way," said Paul Gray, Kik's director of platform services. Fox's campaign is the first time that a brand has used GIFs on Kik, Gray said. It's also the first work to be born from the technology Kik gained when it acquired GIF messaging app Relay last year. "One of the things we're always trying to work on is developing storytelling and combining that with emerging technology," said Glenn Sanders, group creative director at Trailer Park. "The story that we wanted to tell actually matched up... Continue reading at 'AdWeek'

[ AdWeek | 2015-08-06 00:00:00 UTC ]

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Hearst Names Shawn Oswald GM of WISN in Milwaukee

Longtime Hearst Television executive Shawn Oswald has been named president and general manager of Hearst Television's Milwaukee, Wisconsin ABC affiliate WISN. He will take over for Jan Wade, who is retiring at the end of the year. This is a return to WISN for Oswald, who... Continue reading at AdWeek

[ AdWeek | 2024-12-04 14:08:26 UTC ]
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Jan Wade to Retire from WISN in Milwaukee

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[ AdWeek | 2024-11-20 12:01:33 UTC ]
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John Humphries to Retire as GM of WYFF

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Dame Shirley Conran obituary

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Telegraph and Spectator takeover: News Corp and Mail owner consider bids

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Sabrina McCarthy Named President of Bloomsbury USA

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Adweek Builds New Executive Team, Naming Former People GM Zoë Ruderman Chief Content Officer and Former Condé Nast Executive Drew Schutte Chief Revenue Officer

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ABC accuses News Corp and Daily Mail of amplifying misogynist Twitter abuse of Lisa Millar

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Nine’s world exclusive that wasn’t and News Corp rolls out the Sharri publicity caravan | The Weekly Beast

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'CrossfireX' and 'Knockout City' join the list of live service games shutting down soon

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U.S. Justice Department, 8 states sue Google over digital ad dominance

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Michael Clarke and Karl Stefanovic clash proves tabloid gold as Daily Mail chastises Nine and ABC | The Weekly Beast

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Twitter is reportedly struggling to break even as advertisers continue to flee

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[ Engadget | 2023-01-18 18:54:25 UTC ]
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Ex-Lib Dem MP Simon Hughes makes phone-hacking claim against Daily Mail owner

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Scottish university cruelly cancels poor, defenseless, under-read Jane Austen. England panics.

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‘Let us eat cake’: how UK newspapers reacted to latest No 10 party claims

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Books in the Media: The Last Emperor of Mexico by Shawcross tops reviews

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Books in the Media: newspapers look forward to 2022 releases

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PW Notable: Amandeep Kochar

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