The rising popularity of short videos is making brands reconsider their festive campaigns. To drive high impact and capture the audience's ephemeral attention, brands are increasingly focussing on short videos. Using storytelling to garner audiences’ interest via culturally spirited and emotionally resonant moments. Here are some of the reasons why brands are progressively inclining towards short videos.
Short Videos Drive Impactful Campaigns
Short videos have become a powerful tool for consuming content today. High audience attention is driving marketers to rely on them, to share their message, garner engagement and in turn conversions. According to the 'Short Form Big Impact: Festive Blueprint', a report by social media platforms ShareChat & Moj, short videos have become essential in the daily lives of Indian consumers as 81 per cent consumers actively watch bite-sized forms of content. A formidable combination of memorable storytelling, emotional appeal, instant shareability and call-to-action integration have made them a must have in every brand's repertoire.
Heads Up For Tails, a pet product brand launched a ‘Gift of Joy’ box of baked mithais especially for pets to be had during Diwali. Integrating a call-to-action button of Shop Now with their product’s short video helped garner sales and shareability among the pet owner communities across social media. A poignant example of niche short video marketing.
Behavioural Shift
There is a very evident shift in consumers’ content preferences, leaning towards mobile-first, snackable content for entertainment, infotainment and shopping. In a time when brands are fighting for consumers' ever-dwindling attention, it is key to gravitate towards mobile content to stay ahead of the curve. Based on Cisco’s Annual Internet Report (2023), video is expected to contribute to 82 per cent of the total internet traffic in 2024 with short-form videos playing a great role in this rise.
The saying ‘Brevity is the soul of the wit’, is evermore relevant in today's time where consumers are multitasking on their phones and want to consume snackable content, do quick interactions through social media with instant gratification. If a brand wants to be heard, they must work to filter out noise and produce something unique that can be memorable and created in under 30 seconds.
Native Language-first Strategy
There are numerous social benefits of brands using native language to bond more closely with their consumers and gain their trust. Short videos that are crafted with the purpose to reflect unique culture, slang, close-knit with traditions help consumers feel valued and heard.
Take for instance Amul that must be one of the best examples of a native language strategy to provide deep-cutting messaging. Their taglines like, 'Have Garba Garam Snacks', 'Doodh Jo Hai Har Vighna Se Door' have managed to capture the sentiments of India’s diverse festive and linguistic landscape.
Micro and regional influencers enable brands to reach emerging Indian audiences.
Micro and regional influencers have emerged as a dominant force to connect with emerging Indian audiences. These influencers have a loyal audience with whom they share a personal connection. Brands can leverage this authenticity and camaraderie to drive their message home more efficiently. They even provide a more accurate and targeted reach that plays a huge role in marketing today.
A recent example is Swiggy partnering with regional influencer Siraj Ashu Bachchan. Their catchy integration of Bollywood-style songs on dhol with the brand's messaging made their content viral.
Festive All Year Round On SFV Platforms
The Indian festive window is not limited to a particular season of the year. The rich tapestry of India’s hyperlocal festivals allows brands to keep the festive spirit alive, creating opportunities for sustained engagement. Social media platforms are abreast with regional festival celebrations leading to a spike in content creation.
Indic platforms are the quintessential examples of how user-generated content of the platform during niche hyperlocal festivals like Gangaur, Gudi Padwa, Rath Yatra, Chhat Puja is unmatched to any global counterpart. Brands can intertwine their messaging with various culturally relevant themes, using short videos during the festive season to forge deeper connections with their audiences.
Short videos are going to be the strongest weapon in every brand’s marketing arsenal. The best way to leverage them is to combine strategies with authentic content that leads to long-term engagement and conversion.
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