Skype recently tried to one-up the GIF with its expressive video clips called Mojis – basically GIFs with sound – and now the platform is bringing a bit of star power to help popularize the tool. Actually, a whole lot of star power: the latest set of Mojis are made by legendary Beatles member, Paul McCartney.
Partly anyway; while they are drawn and animated in typical Skype emoji fashion, the new set of Moji feature a set of sound and music clips composed and recorded by McCartney himself. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the choice of artist and the current season, the Mojis are all created under an umbrella theme of ‘love.’
There’s a cute selection of Moji with a sound that is distinctly Beatles-esque. And while there aren’t too many clips to work with (ten of them), the hope is that this initial partnership will encourage collaboration with more musicians in the future, and maybe even a return for McCartney.
With messaging platforms integrating GIFs more heavily than ever before, it’s encouraging to see Skype try its own angle at animated expression. The company says its seen rapid adoption of the feature by users – it’s particularly popular in India with Bollywood clips – and is looking to continue adding clips from credited content creators.
It’s hard to say whether it wouldn’t just be better for the platform to integrate more tightly with an established platform like Giphy – note everyone likes sounds with their GIFs, after all – but it’s a unique angle that no one else is trying.
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