DELHI: Early last year, a new buzzword caught the attention of marketers globally -- vertical videos. Despite being a regular feature on apps like Snapchat and TikTok, the vertical video domain was not explored much by the marketers before the advent of IGTV by Facebook in mid-2018. Paired with improved business tools online, vertical videos started gaining prominence in the mobile marketing sphere. Big brands like Flipkart, Myntra, Zomato, delved into the space to reap early benefits of the trend.

One year later, the question that looms is whether vertical videos are here to stay in the game or it will turn out to be a fad.

Do Your Thng founder Ankit Agarwal believes that if big players like Facebook are talking about vertical videos, it will be advisable to sit up and take notice. He insists, “A brand can get up to 37 per cent of its total Instagram impressions merely from Stories. Also, the cost per view of vertical videos is 68 per cent less than square video according to Buffer, a company that makes social media tools.”

He adds, “Focusing on just the ubiquitous mobile, the medium where vertical videos are consumed, 72 per cent of 18 to 34 years old view video content at least once a day. It’s safe to say that videos are leading the way, and I feel the future of vertical format is cast in stone. If you need added proof, then look no further than the fact that even YouTube has adapted to the format.”

Vertical videos stand out also because mobile phone users tend to hold their phones vertically while online. They are used to scrolling and tapping on a vertical screen and if a video plays in the same format, it is convenient for them to view it. Brands, therefore, can better their engagement by building content in a way that caters to consumers’ consumption patterns.

Alchemy Group CEO Karan Gupta shares, “As compared to horizontal videos, consumers have better ad recall when they view vertical content. According to studies, consumers remember vertical content and find it to be highly innovative, especially during the time when it originally became a trend. It was also found that 90 percent of the videos that were vertical received a better completion rate. It is interesting to note that vertical videos see a completion rate of about 90 per cent compared to the 14 per cent horizontal videos assure.”

Speaking about the technicalities of shooting vertical videos, Agarwal elaborates that the videos are to be shot in a 9:16 format and not in the standard 16:9 resolution. “On the creative side, digital natives tend to favour vertical videos in text-only and talking-head style. The determinant is the platform. For example, Twitter does well with easily digestible videos with only text. Another aspect to bear in mind is the first three seconds of the video. They are critical in generating interest. Don’t waste them on a CTA. Also, instead of a professional and polished video, root for organic and DIY impression.”

Gupta further shares that the videos should be created in a social media-friendly format and should be published without any black borders to get maximum viewer attention. “When filming vertical videos, not only should the subjects fit the frame, but they should also be positioned in the center to avoid getting cropped during upload. In fact, when texts are placed, keep them away from the edges of the frame to steer clear of any cropping.”

He also insists that the duration of the video should range between two and five minutes as snackable content is more likely to attract user attention and retain it for better recall.

Vertical videos are surely set to have a bright future in the marketing world. The new Samsung TV allowing the user to flip it in the vertical mode, apps like YouTube accepting the model, and the ever-increasing video consumption are just some of the many indications that talk about the importance of investing in this mode of marketing.