6 Ways Brands Will Use Vine Videos as Content

January 29, 2013

by Kevin Briody

4

Categories

Content Creation

Depending on who you ask, Vine – the new micro-video iOS app and service from Twitter – is either a dream come true for animated GIF-fueled memes, a better way to simply show the world what you had for breakfast, or the ultimate online porn search engine.

As Mashable notes, a bunch of brands have already started firing off their own 6-second videos, from Gap and PBS to Dove and Urban Outfitters. They are mostly quirky videos, done for the sake of both novelty and experimentation – though we do like the symmetry of Red Vines creating a…Vine.

However, assuming Vine manages to avoid being irreversibly stigmatized, what are some of the ways brands might use Vine as part of their digital and social content strategies?

1. Short-form ads and micro-brand videos

As the team over at Fast Company’s Co.CREATE blog note: “It’s also easy to see how…brands will make great use of the app’s short-storytelling capacity. As Hemingway’s 6-word tale and other short formats attest, it’s possible to do dramatic things within extreme creative constraints.” Look for brands to try and turn Vine into a short-form of video storytelling, both with original content and to tease their investments in longer video spots, 30-second TV ads, and other content parked on YouTube or Vimeo.

Innovation starts at the drawing board. #animation #loop #magic #2013 vine.co/v/b5PUVEEE9tn

— General Electric (@generalelectric) January 25, 2013

Just 9 hrs left people. ‘RT’ this tweet until San Francisco is victorious. #SF #MUSTHAVEWHEATTHINS vine.co/v/bJuMOpP6mKe

— Wheat Thins (@WheatThins) January 27, 2013

2. Behind-the-scenes videos

The value of Vine could be enormous for both recruiting and brand development, through quick behind-the-scenes looks at employees, events, offices, and other happenings. Given how easy they are to create, Vines (can we just call them that now, like “tweets”?), these are a simple and highly accessible tool for HR teams, among others, to provide a view behind the curtain.

Trying out the new #Vine @twitter app! Courtesy of @callysally, here is a glimpse at our Washington, D.C. offices! vine.co/v/b5deDmJFlKQ

— Al-Monitor (@AlMonitor) January 24, 2013

3. Live, social event coverage

Recently we created a series of near-realtime event coverage videos for our Verizon client, and Vine could have added a natural addition to that effort by enabling quick commentary, realtime news, on-the-spot interviews, and so on – all with a very low production costs. Vine is no replacement for well shot and edited longer-format video, but we expect it to explode around major conferences in the very near future.

Demo day vine.co/v/b5Qjg6K6LmE

— Sam Brown (@sambrown) January 25, 2013

4. Short and sweet product demos

People have been complaining that most product demo videos are simply too long – maybe 6 seconds is the answer?

2-color screenprinting demo, plus split-fountain = Crazy Flamingo. vine.co/v/bJb22ghjzt5

— Balt. Print Studios (@baltimoreprints) January 27, 2013

Check out the new character. @retrodreamer @gavinbowman @tearascal vine.co/v/b5PdgbMxwU3

— NoodleCake (@NoodleCakeGames) January 25, 2013

5. Humanize the brand aka social media fodder

Social media has a voracious appetite for content, and brand social media teams are always looking specifically for content that can spark conversations. If you can do that with quirky, cheap, and fun (or in the case of Trident’s chewing Vine, at least awkwardly entertaining) videos, so much the better. Expect a bunch of these, and expect them to get better as brands and their agencies take Vine more seriously.

Chew like you chew. #firstpost #Trident #gum vine.co/v/b5Pt3pBlxTb

— Trident® Gum (@tridentgum) January 25, 2013

Bit by bit, we #love some #RITZ. #food #yum vine.co/v/b5QFe3WeHbP

— Ritz crackers (@Ritzcrackers) January 25, 2013

6. Social media contests

Though it’s only been a few short days since Vine launched into the wild, expect a flood of brand-driven social media contests to launch in the coming days and weeks based on user-generated 6-second videos. Getting fans to submit a photo for a contest is significantly easier than getting them to create and share a video, even if videos are much more engaging and useful. Vine just might be the perfect way to split the difference. Stay tuned.

How else can you see brands using Vine, or do you think Vine has a viable future in the marketing or social content mix?

*Full credit to Mashable, TechCrunch, and AdWeek for finding some of these great examples.