What does Twitter’s six second video service Vine offer brands? Can such a short format be effective as an advertising platform? The Drum speaks to agencies to find out.
So far, the launch of Twitter’s six second video product Vine has received a mixed welcome. The platform takes the short-and- sweet aspect of Twitter, and turns it into a video format, allowing the public to use both motion and sound.
The platform, described as ‘a new mobile service that lets you create and share beautiful, short looping videos’, has faced criticism as some users have taken advantage of the simple format to upload short porn films. Now rated 17+ and with certain search terms censored, Vine is being used more and more for the reason it was created: to create short, quirky video.
In its first weekend, over 110,000 clips were uploaded; a number that is steadily growing. Brands are quickly understanding how to use the platform as well, with website Brands on Vine having already been set up to showcase what is being done.
Michael Litman, creator of Brands on Vine and senior social strategist at AnalogFolk, discussed the opportunities for the platform: “The six second video format allows greater opportunity to creatively tell a brand narrative. However, the immediacy and personal nature of the channel suggests it will be used less for ads and more to capture and lifestream what a brand is doing or thinking right now, rather like the most successful brands using Instagram. Vine was the platform of choice for capturing short segments on the catwalk at New York Fashion Week, for example.”
He suggests that those brands surging ahead with their use of Vine include General Electric, Cadburys, MTV Style, Manchester City FC, GAP and Schuh. The diversity of these brands suggests that any brand can create a six second video.
The Drum asked three agencies – Jam, Rubber Republic and Weapon7 – to create their own Vine ads, shed light on the creative process and demonstrate Vine’s capacity as an advertising platform going forward.