“If you’ve ever called a .GIF a Jif®, we forgive you.” That’s the word from GIF search engine GIPHY and Jif peanut butter, which have teamed up to settle the great debate over how to pronounce GIF.
As Jif brand owner The J.M. Smucker Company explains, Jif, which is said with a “soft G,” is America’s number one peanut butter. GIFs, said with a “hard G,” are the frequently shared looping videos that add humor, culture, and entertainment into people’s daily conversations (of which GIPHY serves 10 billion each day).
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To prove how Jif and GIF differ, Jif has created a limited run of specially labeled jars that say Gif right on the front. They became available on Amazon for just under $10 in late February and are now already listed as “Currently unavailable,” on the online retailer’s site. Says Smucker, “With a tongue-in-cheek label, these collectibles can help Jif fans spread the news that Jif—with a ‘soft G’—should be all about the peanut butter.”
As noted on the closure for the specially labeled packaging, GIPHY has created a suite of 'Jif vs. GIF' .gif files for the campaign.Said Rebecca Scheidler, Vice President, Marketing of Jif, at the time of the limited-edition launch, “We’re teaming up with GIPHY to put a lid on this decade-long debate and prove there is only one Jif… it’s creamy, delicious peanut butter, not a looping picture you can send to make friends and family laugh. So spread the word like Jif on bread—Jif is peanut butter, GIFs are animations!"
Said GIPHY founder and CEO Alex Chung, “At GIPHY, we know there’s only one Jif, and it’s peanut butter. If you’re looking for all the GIFs, there’s only one GIPHY. If you’re a soft G, please visit Jif.com. If you’re a hard G, thank you, we know you’re right. Whether you like your Gs hard or soft, let’s all share some fun and let peanut butter unite us in saying GIF and eating Jif.”
Says Smuckers, while Jif 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 U.S. 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 that can be found here.
