IHOP’s New GIF Powered Ads Are Targeting 7.3 Million Twitter Users By Name
By Carlton Wilcoxson • March 9, 2016
IHOP ran its annual National Pancake Day campaign up to the big day, March 8, when the chain gives away free stacks of flapjacks and asks patrons to donate to a good cause. This year, proceeds will go to Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals, and the brand’s goal is to raise $3.5 million. While other brands like Coke have used tailored audiences, IHOP appears to be one of the first to combine the users’ names with GIFs. It worked particularly well on March 3 when #GIFparty was trending on Twitter all day. IHOP has notably been honing its social-media skills in the past couple years. For instance, last week it employed Snapchat’s custom geo-filters to engage in-store customers while pushing its Double-Dipped French Toast.