Jif and GIPHY team up in teaching the world the difference between the two words
“If you have ever called a .GIF a Jif, we forgive you.” That’s the word from GIPHY and Jif peanut butter, who are teaming up to settle the great debate over how to pronounce GIF – just in time for National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day on 1 March.
Jif, said with a “soft G,” is one of America’s top peanut butter brands. GIFs, said with a “hard G,” are the frequently shared looping videos that add humour, culture, and entertainment into people’s daily conversations (of which GIPHY serves 10 billion each day).
To prove how Jif and GIF differ, the peanut butter brand has created a limited run of specially labelled jars – yes, they say “Gif” right on the front – now available on Amazon at just under £8 while they last. With a tongue-in-cheek label, these collectibles can help the brand’s fans spread the news (get it?) that Jif – with a “soft G” – should be all about the peanut butter.
“We are teaming up with GIPHY to put a lid on this decade-long debate and prove there is only one Jif: it is creamy, delicious peanut butter, not a looping picture you can send to make friends and family laugh,” said Rebecca Scheidler, Vice President, Marketing of Jif.
“So spread the word like Jif on bread—Jif is peanut butter, GIFs are animations!”
“At GIPHY, we know there is only one Jif and it is peanut butter. If you are looking for all the GIFs, there’s only one GIPHY,” said Alex Chung, founder and CEO of GIPHY.
“If you are a soft G, please visit Jif.com. If you are a hard G, thank you, we know you are right. Whether you like your Gs hard or soft, let us all share some fun and let peanut butter unite us in saying GIF and eating Jif.”
While the brand and GIPHY stand in agreement, the fun is in the debate, which has been going on since the GIF came on the scene in 1987; even a former US president weighed in.
Now, to help passionate fans on both sides of the fence share their opinions in the great #JifvsGif debate, GIPHY has created a suite of “Jif vs. GIF” .gif files at a dedicated website.
