read at: A few months ago, Twitter launched a new social video-sharing site called Vine, a mobile application that allows users to take quick six-second clips. Six seconds might not seem like a lot, but it may be enough to get those in the meetings industry thinking about how it might impact what they do. While companies may spend marketing dollars to create awareness, videos can generate buzz via sharing. More importantly, they can be published in real time. It also forces the organizer to be more creative and selective in the content pushed out in the same vein as Twitter.
According to recent stats by Onavo Insights, Vine has grown its monthly active users by more than 50 percent in just its first two months, while other video-sharing apps like Viddy and SocialCam have experienced a gradual decline month over month. And within that short period of time, Vine managed to capture 2.66 percent (up from 1.77 percent) of the iPhone market share, with a continuous upward trajectory. TechCrunch reported on Vine’s growth in the mobile video market based on early 2013 usage from a random sampling of Twitter users. While companies like Instagram have greater awareness at the moment, it seems as though Vine is becoming the de facto video-sharing tool. The fact that Vine has the backing of Twitter gives it automatic credibility, popularity, and millions upon millions of users to tap into.
And the platform’s creative potential is already being tapped into. The Tribeca Film Festival, for instance, started a new competition in April, #6SECFILMS, that tasks filmmakers to submit their best six-second Vine film. Categories for the competition include #GENRE, #AUTEUR, #ANIMATE and #SERIES. According to the Tribeca Film Festival’s website, the winners in each category will receive $600 — a hundred bucks for each second of video.
Much like Twitter, creativity will play a big factor. The possibilities for incorporating mobile video into a meeting/event is positive since it’s a method of social sharing that helps to expose the meeting/event to a wider audience. However, the uniqueness of the tool lies in the idea of combining clips from various users. This opens up the creative stream of content to the entire audience.
Mobile video content is nothing new to marketing. However, it is quite new to the meetings and events industry. Technologies like Vine are creating an environment that is in line with the organizer’s needs and wants. Engagement is the operative word. Not all marketing is necessary marketing, but 6 seconds does offer a new avenue to create more customer touch points, as well as more anticipation and participation.