An early innovator in online consumer video, Vine has shut its doors. With video content a major trend in 2016, what does this signal for the format?

A bit about Vine . . .

As you may know, Vine was a website and app that hosted user videos. These videos would be no longer than six seconds and would play on a constant loop until stopped/paused. Like many online media (and especially video) platforms, Vine produced its fair share of viral videos and ‘stars’ with large amounts of followers.

So what went wrong?

It is not really that something went wrong which produced this closure, more so that there was a paradigm shift as to how video content was consumed. Six-second videos could only convey so much information for starters and due to this, many vines were more akin to glorified gifs or memes with a humorous edge. In this respect, Vine was actually a very niche service offering that in retrospect had a very short shelf life (having launched in 2012). Factor in the dominance of YouTube, FaceBook, Snapchat, and Instagram today, and Vine’s fate is clear.

What does this mean for video content today?

What can we learn from this when utilizing video content on our business websites and other online presences? Arguably the main point is that your videos should have a point to them – whether it be quality information, an advertisement for a product or service or a look at your work and premises, etc. This makes your content less disposable in that there is less of a ‘blink and you’ll miss it aspect’ and more of a reason for viewers to watch the entire video as it has a purpose. The closure of Vine does not necessarily signal a dent in the popularity of video content, rather it attests to the type of video content that connects with users and is consumed today.

Moving into 2017, 

video content shows no sign of waning in popularity. As it is a medium that can command viewer attention, be hosted on many platforms, and be shared across many platforms too; it is a versatile and customizable media format. Contact the expert team at Ireland Website Design for more information on how to get the best results from your video content or if you need video content to implement into your online and marketing strategies. Our work drives sales to your business.