Vine has been available for about five weeks, and Twitter feeds are already filling with its short clips. Twitter acquired the app last October, before its launch, and released it in late January for the iPhone. There is no Android version yet. Users hold a thumb on the screen to record and lift it to stop, for a maximum of six seconds. The clip then plays in a continuous loop until the viewer scrolls away.
Many marketing professionals dismiss the format, questioning what can be sold in six seconds.
We understand the skepticism, but in our view it overlooks what the format actually offers.
What does Vine change about short video?
For most small businesses, online video still means YouTube, and YouTube means a production: a two-minute tour of the property, with music and a logo at the end. For a small tourism business, this is a significant project, usually paid for once and then left unchanged for years while the boats, the staff and the prices evolve.
Vine takes a different approach. Video is filmed on a phone, in the moment, without editing software. The six-second limit is a deliberate constraint rather than a flaw. It requires the user to choose a single subject: a face, a splash, a humorous moment, or a turtle crossing the frame from one side to the other.
This is the central lesson. Short video is about one moment. The accounts already performing well on Vine after one month do not attempt to fit an entire brochure into a clip. They show one thing clearly and let the loop do the rest.
Whether Vine itself will last remains uncertain. Apps appear and disappear, and Instagram could add video and take much of its audience. The habit Vine encourages, however, of quick video shot on a phone and posted immediately, is a trend we expect to endure.
What could a dive business show in six seconds?
We work closely with dive operators here in Bali, helping them organize their websites and social media, alongside instructor-level training. Dive centres offer many six-second moments, which is why Vine merits attention despite its unconventional format.
A few examples that would work well:
- The giant stride off the boat, filmed from the deck, ending in white water.
- A guest surfacing, removing the regulator and smiling broadly.
- Gear being rinsed after the last dive, as the light turns orange.
- Marine life crossing the frame underwater: a turtle, a ray, a school of fish.
None of these requires a voice-over or a caption to be understood. This is a useful test: if a clip only works with an explanation, it is too complex for six seconds.
Underwater footage presents the main difficulty. Many divers now carry GoPros, but Vine records through the phone's own camera, and an iPhone cannot be taken to eighteen metres. In practice, what a dive centre can post comes from the surface: the boat, the beach, the classroom, the gear room. These moments are valuable, because they show prospective guests what it feels like to be there, and that is what sells a destination.
Why does a loop require a clear start and end?
This is the one technical aspect of Vine that many businesses are likely to overlook.
A loop plays repeatedly. If the start and the end do not connect, the cut is noticeable on every repetition. If they do connect, viewers watch three, four or ten times without noticing. The most effective Vines we have seen so far are built on this principle: something enters the frame and something leaves it, a door opens and closes, a diver drops out of the shot and the water settles back to its initial state.
No filmmaking training is required. It is enough to consider three questions before recording. Where does the clip start? Where does it end? Does the end resemble the start?
Vine also allows recording in segments: press, release, press again. Six seconds can therefore consist of three short shots. We nevertheless recommend keeping each clip to a single idea. Three shots of three different subjects form a slideshow, and a slideshow does not loop well.
Which frame format should you film in?
Vine uses a square frame, like Instagram. This format is currently accepted without much discussion.
We do observe, however, that people almost always hold their phones upright. Snapchat, which began allowing video messages in December, fills the entire screen from top to bottom, and its teenage users do not appear concerned that it differs from conventional video. This vertical orientation may prove more significant than proponents of the square format anticipate.
For now, video filmed for Vine must be square, since that is the format the app provides. For any other video filmed on a phone and intended for viewing on a phone, we recommend reconsidering the habit of turning the device sideways.
What should a small business do with Vine?
We do not recommend building a Vine strategy, since the app is only five weeks old.
We do recommend developing the habit. Choose one moment per clip. Film it on your phone. Plan where it starts and where it ends. Post it when it happens, rather than three weeks later after extensive polishing. Humour is not required: comedians are already active on Vine and excel at it. A business has a real place and real people to show, and that has greater value than humour.
If your business has no one assigned to this task, consider giving it to the team member who already takes the most photos. For a small business, this covers most of social media management, and most of photo and video as well: a phone and a regular habit.
For background on the app, the Wikipedia page on Vine covers the essentials. Downloading the app and spending twenty minutes exploring it is also an effective way to understand the format: six seconds, followed by a continuous loop.