Recently honored as the number one app in the U.S. App Store, Twitter’s fun video-based content network Vine is already becoming a playground for brands of all shapes and sizes. While many are finding innovative approaches, some struggle with what they could possibly do with the allotted six-seconds of video. To spark your own inner Spielberg, we’ve created a quick overview of the 8 most innovative brands on Vine.
To view the accompanying tweet that frames each Vine (and in some cases offers a punchline), simply mouse over the embedded videos below. Finally, one has to wonder how far off a web-based version of the platform is. As it stands, it’s challenging to search the web for these fun videos. Now let’s take a look at the 8 most innovative brands using Vine today.
1. USA Today @usatoday
In a clever print-digital integration, USA Today uses a morning Vine to quickly thumb through their daily print edition offering a 6-second overview of the news of the day. Beyond being a simple teaser, these glimpses may inspire you to go find a paper to get the rest of the story.
2. General Electric @generalelectric
In addition to being a pioneering Instagram user, GE also produces some top-notch Vines. These videos not only continue their brand story of innovation, they do so with an inventive streak, like this example that showcases info on the GEnx engine.
3. Wheat Thins @wheatthins
Think crackers are a pedestrian product? Think again. Wheat Thins utilizes Vine for impressive animations including this bit of newsjacking from this year’s Super Bowl asking fans to vote on which city should get free Wheat Thins.
4. Hubspot @hubspot
Another great Vine strategy is taking your community inside your brand’s culture. Inbound marketing software company Hubspot has taken this approach to new heights with fun employee vignettes such as this one below from Valentine’s Day. A quick aside: Holidays are a great time for brand to add some seasonal flare.
5. Trident Gum @tridentgum
Like Wheat Thins, Trident uses Vine to feature their product in unique ways. How can you use Vine to make the everyday aspects of your products and services remarkable?
6. Paul McCartney @paulmccartney
Even personal brands like Sir Paul have found a unique voice on Vine. With his quick “Can you guess the song?” videos, McCartney follows one of the cardinal rules of social media engagement by sparking conversation with a question.
7. Ben & Jerry’s @benandjerrys
Another example comes to us from a brand that’s also producing powerful Instagram content as well, Ben & Jerry’s. Among other engaging ideas, the Vermont-based ice cream brand uses Vine to connect their online community with offline events. How can you use Vine as part of your own event strategy?
8. The Wolverine @thewolverine on Vine; @wolverinemovie on Twitter
One of the more innovative tactics in employing Vine strategically came from the upcoming movie, The Wolverine. Two days before releasing their first trailer for the film, the studio released a six-second Vine sneak peek of the trailer, essentially creating a teaser for the teaser itself!
New forms of digital content provide both opportunities and challenges. While new mediums like the 6-second video excite the market place and can be shared rapidly, they can also be limiting and further block marketers who are already struggling to produce more engaging content then ever before.
That’s why studying the work of innovative early adopters like those above can help brands look beyond the time constraints and creative challenge, focusing instead on the underlying strategy. With a business objective identified such as building the brand (GE), creating culture (Hubspot), or promoting events (Wolverine), the thesis of your 6-second story will emerge and your Vines will unfurl in front of you. You just have to see the strategy first.
Which brand’s Vines do you love? Has your brand made the leap to Vine? How have you been using this engaging new platform?
