I heard it through the grapevine, that Vine has been all the rage in the social media circles last couple of weeks.
Here is brief summary what it is all about:
What is Vine?
It is basically Instagram for short videos. Twitter mastered the microblogging with 140 characters and now it is aiming to do the same with microvlogging and six seconds. Vine currently works only in iPhone and best in conjunction with Twitter. Vine was launched on the end of January.
What it supposed to be?
“Posts on Vine are about abbreviation — the shortened form of something larger. They’re little windows into the people, settings, ideas and objects that make up your life. They’re quirky, and we think that’s part of what makes them so special.”
Dom Hoffman, co-founder & GM, Vine
How it works?
Go to Apple app store and download the Vine app. Then you (preferably) log on with your Twitter handle to the app. After that start shooting. The process is super simple: press what you want to film with your thumb. Then edit what you filmed to 6 second video. Share it on Twitter.
To use Vine is really intuitive and simple, but to make something worthwhile takes probably more than just six seconds.
How does it look like?
HAIRCUT! #howto #vinefav vine.co/v/bJ92YrMhidK
— Ian Padgham (@origiful) January 30, 2013
More examples can be found here.
What Twitter has to do with it?
In a way Twitter missed the Instagram bandwagon, so Vine is natural leap from photo sharing. It tries to benefit from the overall rise of visual storytelling in our current digital culture. It´s a little bit Instagram, little bit YouTube, little bit funny GIFs and working solely on your mobile. Twitter wants to strengthen it dominance in the short-form messaging and Vine is at least some sort of answer.
What brands already use it?
General Electric, Taco Bell, McDonald´s, Marriott Hotel, Urban Outfitters to name a few. Also porn industry has found it, like all the technological breakthroughs.
Give me some examples!
Not showing you the porn ones, but here are three Brand vines:
Hey Girl, If I could rearrange the periodic table, I’d put U and I together. #valenvine #ValentinesDay vine.co/v/brMuFFzZ6id — General Electric (@generalelectric) February 14, 2013
It’s out of the bag. Coming March 7th. #CoolRanchDLT vine.co/v/bvlaYggdIiU — TACO BELL (@TacoBell) February 13, 2013
Happy Valentine’s Day @questlove. Love that you follow us. #MustHaveValentine vine.co/v/brMWZmrPtmY
— Wheat Thins (@WheatThins) February 14, 2013
What brands should use it?
If your brand is already strong on Twitter, Vine is quite natural extension to your Twitter presence. If your company is not that active in Twitter, Vine probably is not the first social media channel you should invest in.
Where it can be used?
There are couple of good listings about potential use cases of Vine for brands, but currently I think the most prominent ones are the following six:
1. Flashing your brand´s digital cojones: Like with all new applications, there is currently the short timeframe when your brand can appear to be on top of the curve. Half-baked Vine executions will probably fill Twitter in the following weeks.
2. Improving your customer service: Short how-to guides about the products.
3. Spicing up the internal marketing: Employee presentations made more interesting and faster.
4. Even faster way to convince investors: Quick elevator pitch for your company.
5. Enhancing your rapid social media responses: Wheat Thins message to Questlove above is a good example of that.
6. Making your product catalogue come alive: New ways to showcase products (like Urban Outfitters has done below)
These boots were made for… #friday vine.co/v/bnVQjmPLFQE
— Urban Outfitters (@UrbanOutfitters) February 8, 2013
Hot or not?
Some might argue that Vine is a novelty app, but so is Instagram. That novelty had $715 million price tag. It remains to be seen will the 6 seconds be as revolutionary as 140 characters were. Vine has potential though. It is certainly something new. With its strong social, local and mobile dimensions it might just be the new killer app.
Now I am just waiting for Harlem Shake Vine edition.
Stand-Up Strategy 