Vine, Twitter’s new video app, was recently released to the public, giving users the ability to create short, looping videos and distribute them to their social networks.
The looping videos, which act a little more like GIFs, can only be up to six seconds long, so it may not be enough time for some brands to share any meaningful messages to consumers. However, years ago it might not have seemed possible that brands could get through to consumers with a series of 140-character blurbs, but now using Twitter seems almost essential for businesses.
Vine could present just another opportunity for brands to connect with consumers on social media and possibly make a quick impression or give a teaser for a new product. The app could also simply be used to give previews of full-length videos that can actually present more of a complete message to consumers about a brand or product.
For the long term, Vine could also mean new advertising opportunities for brands on Twitter. Twitter hasn’t announced any official plans for a Promoted Tweets type of offer for Vine media, but such an offering could have some benefits for certain brands, as well as giving Twitter more revenue streams.
Videos from Vine’s Make-a-Scene app appear in expanded tweets, as shown in the photo above, and play automatically. Within the Vine app, videos include sound. When the videos are embedded in tweets, the sound is automatically muted but users can press a button to un-mute them.
Vine videos can also include different clips stitched together into one video, rather than just allowing one continuous shot. This sets it apart from some of the other mobile video apps that have launched recently, all looking to grab the title of “Instagram for video.”
Vine was originally a three-person startup that Twitter acquired in October 2012. The service never launched publicly until Twitter took over and unveiled the app this week.
Currently, Vine’s Make-a-Scene app is just available for free on iOS devices, but Twitter says that it is working on bringing the app to more devices in the future.
Ti Roberts
I think this would be a great opportunity for businesses to get even more exposure. It’s awesome to see all the new advertising/marketing outlets that pop up everyday. Thanks for sharing.
Ti
Joel Libava
Thanks a lot, Annie.
maybe it’s just me: I may be starting to get burned out from all of the new tools etc. that are constantly being introduced.
This one–I don’t get. I think that it will make our already worsening attention spans even…well..worse!
The Franchise King®
Martin Lindeskog
Joel: I hear you… 😉 I am wondering if this is a fad, but I have to test it. Maybe doing a cat video or tea session! 🙂
Robert Koenig
This is an interesting new step. The real trick is trying to figure out how to successfully utilize this app so that it serves a purpose. It is a cool new way to catch attention.