GIF. A lossless format for image files that supports both animated and static images. GIF. Say it one more time.
Let’s take a step back. How did you pronounce that three-letter word? Are you a hard “G” or a soft “G”? Ladies and gentlemen, this is the great GIF debate and it’s been a solid argument around dinner parties, family gatherings and business meetings alike for years. But, the day has come for this great debate to come to an end and we all have a creamy spread to thank.
In celebration of National Peanut Butter Lover's Day on March 1, J.M. Smucker Company’s JIF peanut butter teamed up with Giphy, a go-to library for all your GIF needs, to finally squash the pronunciation squabble. The famous nut butter brand launched a special edition jar labeled “GIF” and the world is going nuts (no pun intended) for it. The limited-edition GIF jar was available for sale on Amazon, and in just five minutes 2,000 jars were sold out.
The clever campaign was developed to poke fun at the common pronunciation dispute, much like the well-known tomato/tomahto argument. By adding a level of partnership with Giphy, the brand was able to elevate the power of creative messaging.
Giphy launched a serious of GIFs to complement the tongue-in-cheek video, produced by Funny or Die, which depicts a fictitious professor of linguistics who delivers a lecture arguing “GIF” and “JIF” are pronounced the same. The company also took to Twitter to “Help put a lid on the infamous internet debate once and for all” featuring the hashtag #JIFvsGIF.
Maybe next time soft G’s. For now, the hard G’s are here to prove that there is only one JIF and you can find it in your kitchen cabinets.
