A digital agency from Brighton, UK, has produced a marketing campaign for a chain of Indian Ocean hotels, using cinemagraph tech from a start-up based in Toronto, Canada, which counts an American supermodel businesswoman among its investors.
The agency is Qube Media; the hotel chain is Constance Hotels & Resorts; the start-up is Flixel; the investor is Tyra Banks.
Cinemagraphs exist "between still photography and videography: a still photo in which a minor but repeated movement occurs". The definition is from Flixel's release announcing a $2.2 million funding round last October.
Cinemagraphs are relatively underexposed in digital travel marketing, with Qube claiming to be one of the first to use them for a travel client.
The cinemagraphs form the basis of a wider digital campaign for Constance Hotels and will be rolled out across Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. France, Germany, Italy, Spain, UK, US and South Africa are the target markets for the campaign.
Specifically Qube is using cinemagraphs on Constance's boosted posts on Instagram and Facebook, promoted tweets and also Facebook video ads. Custom audiences will be targetted, particularly looking to engage existing Constance customers.
The idea is that the cinemagraphs will generate interest and engagement because they have a different look and feel from the usual travel marketing visuals.
Here's some examples: