This paper is a non-finance focused version of the Vine paper previously shared on Scribd. Since the January release of the Vine video platform, marketers across Twitter have tracked the proliferation of these trivial, six-second...

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VINE
June 2013
MARKETING APPLICATIONS

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6 ½ seconds

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s the internet enters its 20s along with
the first generation of true digital natives,
suddenly consumer attention is a scarce,
precious resource. According to a recent
study, the average attention span of an
internet user is only about 6 ½ seconds.
This means that branded content needs to
become simultaneously more compact and
more compelling. Quite the tall order.

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Connection

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How can anyone – brands and
individuals alike – expect to
make a compelling connection
with an audience if they only
have 6 ½ seconds to do it?

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Enter Vine

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Vine is the latest innovation from Twitter –
an app that allows smartphone users to
instantly record and share up to six seconds
of film. The app was released in January
2013 and has received widespread atten-
tion due to its novelty and simplicity. Vine is
video sharing in the spirit of Twitter: limited
functionality and space invite users to be
creative with each video. In the same way
that Twitter placed brands and individuals
on the same playing field, Vines (as the short
films are called) are created and shared iden-
tically whether the user has 30 followers or
30,000,000. Success on the Vine platform
depends on compelling content and a good
bit of creativity.

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SECOND SECONDS
SECONDS
SECONDS
SECONDS
SECONDS

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Is Vine the next big thing?

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ine deserves the immediate attention of
any brand looking to connect with a di-
gital audience. Why? Consider Twitter as
an informal version of the traditional press
release; Vine is already having the same
impact on video content. The app removes
the pressure and stigma of content creation
by placing some interesting constraints on
the user:
Instead of repelling users, the limitations
of the platform are actually an invitation
and challenge for filmmakers and creatives
to experiment. If the proliferation of GIFs
across the Internet is any indication, the
demand for this type of content shows no
sign of dropping off any time soon. And with
Twitter running the show, we can expect
constant innovation to keep the platform
relevant.
Videos must be shot live within the app; no
pre-recorded or edited footage.
They can only be six seconds long.
You can’t save the videos to post later; they
have to go live right when you finish them,
or they’re lost forever.
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How does it work?

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Simply. To create a Vine, a user opens
the app on a smartphone and taps and
holds the screen to begin recording.
…and holds again to continue recording.
The Vine is published to the author’s
feed so other users of the app can
discover it, and additionally, the author
has the option to share via Twitter.
The user then releases the screen
to stop recording…
That process is repeated until up to
six seconds of film has been captured,
at which point the video is complete.
Each six-second Vine loops in a way
that appears, at first glance, to replicate
an animated GIF. The major difference
from GIFs for viewers is the option to
toggle audio on/off, allowing true video
content to embed seamlessly in a
webpage without any invasive audio.

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So how can brands use Vine?
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n a platform that is already known for pro-
ducing “trivial curiosities,” the options for
brands to innovate and deliver value are
endless. Value in Vine content will depend
on the brand, but could mean anything from
entertainment to utility. Or as we’ve seen,
a short brand personality piece is a typical
first step into Vine.

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Five
Principles
for a
Healthy
Vine

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Don’t fight simplicity.
Vines are short and simple. They can be produced easily, cheaply and in quick
succession. Find some creative ways to compartmentalize your brand’s message
into valuable little 6-second nuggets. If you can’t describe your message in 6
seconds, then it might not belong in a single Vine.
Consider your creative in the context of the platform.
You won’t have any problem grabbing someone’s attention for that first 6 seconds,
but if you want people to share your Vine, it needs to provide some social currency
to the viewer and their followers. The most successful brand communication on
Vine so far has showcased products or provided brief how-to or advice clips. Your
content should be funny, useful, or compelling; all attributes that will be appreciated
by your potential audience.
Have fun while you’re young.
When you begin creating Vines, your audience is going to be mostly early adopters
and creative experimenters. If they sense your brand shares that same experimental
approach to the platform, early adopters will be much more willing to share and
interact with your content.
Promote your Vine to relevant targets.
Just like a tweet, your Vine isn’t going to get everyone on Twitter excited. Find the
users who you know will care what you have to say and target them. Try looking at
what type of content has already worked for your brand on social media, and think
about how to translate that value to Vine.
Relax.
It’s Just a Vine. The same way that Twitter relaxed expectations about short-form
written communications from brands, the ephemeral nature of a Vine video lends
itself to experimentation. There is no penalty for testing different types of content to
find out what your audience enjoys most.
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Lowe’s Fix in Six
STUDY

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At the outset of the campaign, the press
recognized Lowe’s Fix in Six as the first
branded effort to “crack the code” of Vine,
using it as a strategic communications
device rather than a novelty. Dozens of
articles and press mentions hailed Lowe’s
as the first brand to bring meaning to a
platform so often associated with trivial
content.
Users showed their enjoyment by sharing
the content like crazy across Twitter,
Facebook, and Vine; roughly a week from
launch, the campaign had generated 28,000
mentions across social media.
Lowe’s is the second largest home
improvement retailer in the world. For years,
they’ve used social media channels to help
people discover new ways to improve
their homes and their lives. When Vine
launched its new smartphone app, we
saw an opportunity to expand the brand’s
contribution in the social space.
We noticed that most users (brands and
otherwise) were using Vine to produce short
curiosities. And while entertainment is the
cornerstone of success for any piece of
content, we set out to supplement pure
entertainment value with useful advice:
quick, sharable tips to solve inconveniences
around the home.
We knew that such tips, when shared in
the past as tweets or photos on Facebook,
were massively popular (and shared) among
Lowes’ fans and followers. Tapping into
this existing behavior, we set out to bring
these tips to life as (extremely) short films
on Vine, the new mobile app that lets users
create and share six-second video clips.
We called it Lowes Fix in Six.
The Idea The Outcome

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WRITTEN BY
JACK LEONARD
EDITED BY
ZACH PENTEL
DESIGNED BY
KATHLEEN HANNA