Micro or Maxi – How Long Should Video Advertising Be?

Due to increased usage of snack-sized content and the rise in popularity of platforms such as Snapchat and Instagram, short videosare being used more than ever. They are evolving fast,and because of this the number ofBrands using them to get their own messages across has risen dramatically.

With this is in mind do brands need to abandon conventional video formats in favour of the micro trend?

Short 5 or 10 second micro video ads are becoming an increasingly popular alternative to the traditional 15-30 second slots. For platforms such as Facebook and Instagram where customers want a ‘quick’ and ‘smooth’ journey on their newsfeed; short clips capturing the essence of the product work best. The small amounts of content areeasily digestible, which means more people are watching the content and sharing it amongst others.

For most people micro video ads are easy to engage with and are not only quick but appeal to the time poor audiences using Social Media, compared to the longer more traditional video format.

In addition to this, they appear even more effective for Millennials. According to Paul Neto from YuMe, micro videos are heavily influential tomillennials who have grown up with short-form video content and thus tend to respond better to 15 second clips than older generations.

But how effective are micro ads at getting a brand message across?
Short videos work in the sense they can drive home a message and convey brand imagery. They work best as a quick reminder of established brands, driving top-of-mind awareness.

Are longer Ads still significant for marketers?
While shorts videos are suited tobrands looking to target millennials with a concise message, longer ads can be just as important to a brand and can work as a wider marketing strategy. Not only are longer ads more effective than micro video ads on larger screens likes Desktops; but they also have significantly longer watching times on video-centric platforms such as YouTube. On YouTube the average video ad is 3.5 minutes long, giving brands much more scope to develop content.

Studies have also shown that viewers across all age groups perceive longer ads to be more enjoyable and better quality. They may prefer to watch longer videos as the ads oftendevelop longer story lines thus revealing interesting concepts or inspirational ideas, which microvideo ads at times struggle to do.

So how long should video advertising be?
Different video lengths perform and deliver different results. Though Micro video Ads are trending it is important to realise that longer videos can are still highly valuable to a brand and for this reason both ads play an important role in marketing. Mangostorm Media would suggest taking into account the age of your customers, brand objectives and the device you’ll be utilising to determine which video ad would be most appropriate.