It’s easy to get lost in the noise of social media nowadays. With a seemingly endless slew of platforms, daily content calendars filled with scheduled tweets and photos no longer cut it when it comes to brands making an impact. “For you” pages and “suggested posts” dominate most media, and in order to effectively adapt to the world of digital publishing, it’s important for brands to take advantage of short videos.
The average consumer’s attention span is short. Long-winded promotional copy and “swipe to learn more!” Instagram carousels lack the quick, “get to the point” advertising that so many want to see. Instead, bite-sized, short-form videos are where brands will see the most engagement.
Data backs it up. HubSpot’s recent survey on 2022 marketing trends found that short-form video has the highest return on investment. So, how are companies utilizing this new strategy? We took a look at a few brands who have been paving the way.
Tik Tok
Let’s start with the obvious choice here. TikTok has completely revolutionized how brands interact with the public. These short-form videos have seen high ROI, great retention rates, and have helped evolve brands into more modern, consumer facing entities.
A great “pioneer” of using TikTok for brand videos is Duolingo. After launching their TikTok account in February of 2022, and using their owl mascot, Duo, as representation, the account has amassed over 5.9M followers (and counting). Known for their unhinged, “memable” videos, the account has seen a massive rise in public likeability and trust.
@duolingo every time you open Google Translate, I lose a feather. #duolingo #swiftok #enchanted #languagelearning #trend #brandtok #comedy ♬ Enchanted Taylor Swift - Kaylen
Their approach of connecting with the modern viewer (primarily Millennials and Gen Z consumers) and entertaining them, rather than selling to them, has been a massive success. They have humanized their brand, and have inspired other brands to take a similar path.
We can also look at Scrub Daddy when talking about mascots being the face of a brand’s videos. The brand, which is still Shark Tank’s most successful deal of all time, uses its own sponges, as well as exaggerated, larger scale sponge mascots to create funny, trending videos. With 2.9M followers, it’s in the same viral sphere as Duolingo.
@scrubdaddy Such a mysterious individual. #scrubdaddy #smile #cleantok #cleaningtiktok #americasfavoritesponge ♬ original sound - Uli Lepe
Another brand using short-form videos is Chipotle. Chipotle, like Duolingo, prioritizes entertaining their viewers. A massive campaign for them included a partnership with the viral “corn kid” from TikTok, which helped establish them as a strong brand presence on the app who is in touch with current trends.
Instagram Reels
After seeing TikTok’s massive success, Instagram launched a similar concept in August of 2020. Instagram Reels are short videos within the Instagram platform that offer brands the same quick advertising format that TikTok offers. Many brands link their TikTok back to their Reels, but there are a plethora who create personalized videos for the platform in order to increase engagement.
Food and beverage brands have capitalized on the Reel format in order to connect with their audiences. Take Panera Bread as an example. From “Day in the Life” style videos to giveaways and funny brand specific memes, the restaurant has elevated their social presence to new heights.
An even larger brand using Reels would be McDonald’s. McDonald’s combines childhood Happy Meal nostalgia with modern, relatable trends to heighten their Reels. Though a brand as influential as McDonald’s doesn’t necessarily need a large social media presence to drive sales, their evolution towards resonating with younger audiences has given them an even better reputation than before.
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By connecting with the audiences that enjoyed them then as a 6 year old on the way home from soccer practice, and now, as a hungover 26 year old who needs a large Diet Coke in order to function for the day, they’ve separated themselves even further away from the pack.
Facebook Reels
As one of the longest-running platforms, Facebook has also stepped into the short-form video game. Their Reel options are similar to that of Instagram, albeit less popular.
Facebook Reels are primarily occupied by influencers pushing their accounts for more views. Most times, these Reels are originally made on Instagram and then linked back to Facebook. This has to do with the older demographic that occupies Facebook, who aren’t usually looking for video advertisements.
Meme and comedy accounts are common on Facebook Reels, but the most content comes from food or fitness influencers. These accounts usually share recipes, fitness tips, or general health knowledge.
Youtube Shorts
Ironically, a platform that centers around videos has bought into even more videos.
Initially launched in India because of a 2020 TikTok ban, YouTube Shorts officially rolled out globally in June of 2021. As of June 2022, the feature has reached 1.5 billion logged-in users.
A variety of brands and influencers use YouTube Shorts. Many television shows use the feature to promote episode moments, as well as influencers who create quicker content than their usual long-form videos.
The feature is still new and catching on, but the amount of potential reach it has based on the current numbers proves that it can be just as successful as other platforms.
As more platforms cater to this unique feature, the more important it will be for brands to utilize it. Short-form videos are the present and the future, and the sooner brands capitalize on it, the better.
To read about how you can monitor short-from videos like Instagram Reels with NewsWhip Spike, check out our blog here.
