Make GIFs engage a new audience

“Our goal was to create something that was not only visually appealing but also emotionally resonant and fun to share,” says Karl Doran, creative director at Flow Creative. For the agency, the character had to be one personable enough to not only illustrate the weather conditions but also be able to express a wide range of emotions and humorous responses to the (mostly awful) weather here in the UK. It’s safe to say we might not get to see little Christopher greeting the sun in shades very often.

The sticker pack is now available on the Met Office’s Giphy channel, with all nine weather scenarios ready to add some play to everyday references to the subject. It aims to add a little more entertainment to our very regular weather checks, forming part of the Met Office’s initiative to “explore ways of reaching new audiences” with informative but playful content. As Christopher’s fame grows, Flow Creative are hoping to develop the character in a host of fun ways including “educational content for those younger audiences”.

Becky Dole, senior director of partnerships at Giphy says: “Users come to GIPHY to express themselves and often our users are reacting to weather patterns and events. For this campaign, we worked with the Met Office to reflect user search data in a fun, playful and eye-catching way. I can't wait to see users reacting to the weather with Christopher Cumulonimbus."