Is Short-Form Video the Future?
The shift to short-form video is already underway. Audiences are now accustomed to the infinite scroll of short clips, and many of your competitors are meeting them where they are. The best way to future-proof your social media strategy is to incorporate video content now and plan for a future where video takes precedence over static images. Dash Hudson comes with everything you need to take your video strategy to the next level, including creative intelligence for TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, actionable insights, and measurement for influencer relationships.
The world is shrinking swiftly for kids’ content producers. Screens are getting smaller, episode lengths are getting shorter, and content providers are reacting with snackable morsels that can be conveniently devoured on pocket-sized devices.
The explanation is simple: Smartphone ownership is ageing down at an amazing rate, resulting in higher-than-ever demand for short-form kids programming, according to Dubit’s latest data.
Before the outbreak, kids were using smartphones. Quarantine conditions hastened the extreme transition in youngsters’ content consumption, according to Dubit SVP of worldwide trends David Kleeman. He says, “We knew we would get here sooner or later, but it maybe arrived a little quicker than we anticipated.”
With lockdowns, online learning, and shelter-in-place orders, more parents worldwide allowed their kids to have phones at a younger age during the epidemic.
“A lot of parents wanted their kids to enjoy the freedom that a smartphone brings,” Kleeman says. “They wanted to keep in touch with [their pals] even if they couldn’t be with them or walk outside.”
According to Dubit’s latest trend report, 57% of US nine- to 12-year-olds have smartphones. That number rises to 77% in Germany.
Smartphone ownership among younger people is also rising. “The tablet was a rite of passage for six- to eight-year-olds,” Kleeman explains. However, kids are starting to think iPads are for babies. It’s a change from push to pull—younger kids now want to regulate their engagement.”
Kleeman predicts a “complete change of thinking on the part of content makers” due to the smartphone revolution.
Quibi, launched by former Disney chairman Jeffrey Katzenberg in 2020, failed to capitalise on the growing demand for short-form, smartphone-exclusive television for older audiences. The firm commissioned hundreds of millions of dollars in content before closing down after seven months.
Kleeman admits Quibi’s launch timing was terrible. In April 2020, it was dead on arrival. He explains, “Those little moments that they were programming for, like waiting on a bus or short pauses at work, all at once just disappeared.” “That was certainly out of their control, but there was also a significant miscalculation.”
Kleeman said Quibi’s programming was incompatible with its consumption.
He argues, “The material has to fit the platform.” “[The series they were commissioning] were too typical TV. People want to watch high-budget films on a big screen and be immersed. “I think people looked at it and said, ‘I don’t want to watch this in five-minute increments on my phone.’”
Gigglebug CEO Anttu Harlin says marrying medium and message is just as crucial for kids as it is for adults. The Helsinki, Finland-based prodco’s new original series Tadpoles was designed to be seen vertically.
Harlin underlines that the animated series, set in a pond, is meant for smartphones. He says, “In Lord of the Rings, the characters are on a quest, travelling from left to right across the screen.” “That’s for widescreen.” We decided to flip Tadpoles because it will be watched mostly on cellphones.
The duration of a series must be adjusted to meet a smartphone’s size and shape. That’s “snackability.” “We know shorter content performs better on a phone,” Kleeman explains. “Look at TikTok’s rise.”
Smartphone use and variables like FOMO (the dreaded “fear of missing out”) have put an unprecedented premium on bite-sized content between 10 seconds and two minutes.
He says, “If a child sees something that doesn’t truly engage them, at least they aren’t missing something else.” “If they get interrupted, it’s not a big deal.”
Short-form material is counterproductive to entertainment brand-building.
This is Harlin’s top priority. He says, “I don’t think [short-form material] provides you as deep a commitment to the characters on an emotional level,” adding that revenue from ancillary streams like licencing and merchandise is only viable when that vital connection is formed. It’s dangerous to establish your monetization model on mobile revenues alone, so we start with micro-content on digital platforms.
While the shifting technological environment is changing what youngsters watch and for how long, prodcos will want to make sure their bottom lines don’t shrink along with screen sizes.
Harlin thinks that storytelling rules must be followed.
“Whatever the medium, we still need people to come away feeling, ‘Wow, these characters are fantastic’ and ‘I want to hear more of this story!’”