As with anyone involved in video production, PR or Marcomms, we get excited when new video platforms are launched. Whilst scouring the internet in our down time and playing with Vine and the even newer Instagram Video launched last month, we, like many marketers and PRs alike started to think about how we could use these new platforms to create content for our clients.
As always in these situations, an argument ensued! With some of the office championing Vine as a key innovation whilst some of us sat firmly on the side of it being a good idea, but likely to not stand the test of time.
With realtime marketing being a crucial from of communications for many brands who have social at their core, Vine vs. Instagram will be a debate to be had for the immediate future.
The merits of Vine as a user generated video platform are less in dispute than it is for brands. Despite endorsements from Hollywood glitterati such as Robert De Niro who said that “you can tell a whole story in six seconds”, brands have struggled to really make waves on the Twitter based platform and I am doubtful that the new updates will help much.
This is not to say that short form content in its entirety is not waning in popularity, that would be a ludicrous comment. Instead, I would contest that in the battle of the short form video platforms and particularly for brands, Instagram seems better poised to take centre stage using Instagram’s and Facebook’s user audiences of a combined 1.1billion+. Not to mention the time flexibility of the platform over Vine, with the ability to use Instagram’s signature filters that make the most amateur cameraman or photographer feel like a creative genius.
In a recent article by Matt McGee of Marketing Land, he uses this graph to illustrate the point that “Vine sharing on Twitter has continued to drop over the week since Instagram video rolled out.”
Of course it is early days and users will need time to decide which they prefer. But we will be watching closely to see how the landscape settles.
…irrespective of professional field, I would love to know what you think.
Post by Tinashe Sithole @ TNR Communications
