If you’re an advertiser, marketer, or small business owner, we have some good news and some bad news. The bad news? The era of the 30-second spot is nearly over. In fact, roughly 94% of pre-roll ads on YouTube are skipped shortly after the first five seconds. And even when skipping isn’t an option, the average consumer attention span is estimated to be just eight seconds long.
The good news is, if you’re a small business owner or marketer, you’re probably already pretty good at keeping things brief and to-the-point. You’ve always known you only have a split-second to actually capture eyeballs, whether it’s on a website banner, a TV spot, a social media video for LinkedIn or TikTok, or a YouTube ad. That’s why we created tools like Vimeo Create and the Vimeo video editor, to make it easier than ever to design and share bite-size videos in a flash.
But your messaging doesn’t have to suffer to keep your runtime short. To help you get inspired, we’ve gathered six short and sweet examples of brand storytelling made by the Vimeo community that prove brevity is the soul of wit (and, you know, great videos).
1. Tell a story
This one is truly a self-contained story. With a script that’s just 14 words long (really!), this ingenious six-second spot captures the ethos of Airbnb's adventurous brand without wasting even a second of precious ad space.
Couple the streamlined messaging with eye-popping colors, a family-based narrative, and a super strong CTA? You’ve got a teensy ad that packs a big punch.
2. Move quickly
Tantalizing sound? Check. Strategic quick cuts? Check. Mouth-watering photography? Double check. This sizzlingly fast video is brilliantly designed to capture your attention, even without dialogue or voiceover.
3. Do double duty
Talk about mesmerizing. We love the way the repetitive motion of this ad draws you in and clearly demonstrates the product’s use case. The best part is, this video could easily be expanded into a slightly longer spot for other platforms. What a multi-tasking marvel.
4. Play with a familiar format
How-to’s are a great way to explain your product, but fitting it into six seconds can be tough. This ad brilliantly boils it down to the absolute essentials to play with a well-known format, and plays up just how easy it is for consumers to go from product adoption to enjoyment. Bonus points for that crunch-tastic sound design.
5. Make it gorgeous
Sometimes you just want your people to watch your ad all the way through. Give them something stunning to look at, and they’ll be sure to do just that. By incorporating the featured product into a video that’s entertaining on its own, this ad manages to snatch viewers’ attention before hitting them with a clear brand announcement. If you need us, we’ll be watching this one on a loop.
