By Charles Lee Mathews. The rise of short-form content and commerce-integrated media offers new opportunities for brands. Industry experts share insights on how companies can capitalise on a trend that’s here to stay.
“The growing popularity of short-form videos is reshaping media strategies across the digital landscape. Consumers are drawn to concise, engaging content. This shift is changing digital marketing and content creation,” says Portia Sylvester, business unit director at Juno Media.
Massive youth reach
“Platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels are leading, offering brands innovative ways to engage with younger audiences. The virality of short-form content opens opportunities for organic brand exposure, making these platforms valuable for reaching new consumers,” she says.
“TikTok and YouTube reels are making their way onto every plan, more so TikTok. These platforms are an opportunity for brands to embed themselves into the minds and hearts of consumers,” adds Richard Rachidi, VML head of media.
“Budget allocation to these platforms is increasing as better ROI is achieved. Making more short-form content available meets consumer preferences and demand, which drives higher returns,” Rachidi explains.
Paula Hulley, managing director of Digitas Liquorice agrees: “TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts have become the front-runners in the digital marketing space, with 70% of marketers already selling on social channels.”
A huge behaviour change
“Critical to this trend is a change in consumer behaviour. Firstly, consumers want to be entertained, especially when engaging with video content. Secondly, consumers want to be able to shop at that moment and buy what they want if they want to,” Hulley adds.
“This consumer behavioural trend is vital to understand when setting out consumer-first strategies that aim to connect with audiences in a relevant way and enable total commerce for a buying opportunity at any moment. Anything else has the potential to leave the consumer’s needs unmet and the buying moment closed,” Hulley warns.
In the short-form media space, Hulley explains, brands become complex ecosystems, serving both as products and destinations. “For brands, this means that the old way of working — separating awareness from purchase or performance — is no longer viable. We as marketers must develop strategies that embrace it all at once.”
“You just can’t develop effective plans in a silo. Today, success depends on capturing consumer attention and driving action in as many moments as possible. This means that the separation between media strategy and creative innovation is a thing of the past. Commerce is everywhere,” says Hulley.
Embrace the change
“Don’t wait for change, be a part of it,” Hulley advises. She urges marketers to evaluate how their brands engage with consumers and measure how well they connect with everyday life. By doing so, brands can discover how much revenue they may be leaving on the table.
“Brands must focus on concise, impactful storytelling, often within 15-60 seconds. This requires a different approach to content creation and messaging. There’s less emphasis on highly polished content and more focus on authentic, distinctive storytelling delivered frequently,” says Neil Pursey, CEO of Measurebyte.
Platforms like TikTok thrive on fresh, consistent content, pushing brands to create more frequently. Other social platforms are following suit, making short-form content essential across all channels — not just TikTok.
The media experts all agree: short-form media delivers ROI. “Investing in short-form content platforms like TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels will help brands enjoy higher engagement rates,” says Rachidi. This media delivers messaging quickly, enhancing brand recall, reach, and visibility. “Social media platform algorithms favour short-form content and ensure more people see them,” he says.
Short-form getting more money
Pursey says there’s a noticeable shift in budget allocation towards short-form content: “Many brands are increasing their short-form video budgets by 10-25% year-over-year, albeit from a low base. While digital advertising has surpassed traditional media spend, it’s worth noting that 70%+ of digital investment is still allocated to paid search. So of the remaining percentage, the budgets are still low in comparison to the rest of the content formats,” he says.
“Brands still have room for further diversification of their paid media mix. This is owed to the fact that they are still leaning on digital sales activation to drive performance. They need to deliver strong brand messages, which then makes digital sales activation easier,” Pursey says.
Hulley believes AI will play a big role in connecting brands to commerce through short-form. “AI enables us to be more intuitive and predictive to create more connected relationships with customers. This in turn empowers brands to become the answer to what the customer needs.”
Brands that implement consumer insights smartly through targeting and messaging will create better relationships with customers and open the door to greater revenues, says Hulley.
The viral holy grail
Pursey emphasises the massive reach and engagement offered by short-form platforms. “These platforms have millions of active users. Short-form content tends to see higher engagement than traditional formats,” he says, and adds: “The repetitive nature of short-form content can boost brand recognition. It also offers access to younger demographics. This is particularly valuable for reaching Gen Z and younger Millennials.” Then there’s the potential for virality. “Short-form content is more likely to go viral, offering massive organic reach,” says Pursey.
Portia Sylvester on short-form media trends and opportunities
- In-app mobile advertising: Mobile apps are capturing highly engaged users, offering personalised, immersive ad experiences.
- User-generated content: By integrating ads into content-rich environments like YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels, brands can tap into niche audiences that engage with user-generated content.
- Connected TV & OTT: These offer immersive experiences with precise targeting based on user engagement.
- Audio advertising: With podcasting and audio streaming growing in popularity, audio ads are gaining momentum.
- Social shopping: Social commerce provides brands with opportunities to integrate shopping into the platforms where consumers are already active.
- Micro-influencers: These influencers have smaller, more engaged follower bases, offering authentic and relatable content.
- Live streaming: Offers brands real-time interaction with audiences, boosting engagement.
Paula Hulley’s tips for short-form media strategy:
- Align your short-format video buy with business goals: Choose the right channel to meet your business needs.
- Retail media is key: Think of online video close to the point of purchase and in-store retail video ads.
- Plan for multiscreen: Include interaction between linear and non-linear video content.
- Be clear about the brand: Ensure the message fits the person you are engaging with.
- Include studio and creator content: Creator content marketing can speed up buying decisions and drive post-purchase advocacy.
Neil Pursey on integrating marketing, commerce, and media strategies:
Social commerce is blurring the lines between content, advertising, and shopping:
- In some instances, it’s shortened the buyer journey from discovery to purchase on a single platform.
- Influencers can directly drive sales through affiliate links or in-app shops. We’ve seen excellent reporting and success on this for a few brands.
- Brands must ensure their social commerce integrations are smooth and user-friendly. There is a UX requirement here.
Advice for brands:
- Start slowly, be patient and gain momentum: foster communities, encourage reviews, and showcase user-generated content.
- Focus on solving customer problems, not just pushing products.
- Prioritise genuine connections over glossy, time-consuming productions.
- Implement a robust system for testing new formats, analysing results, and quickly scaling what works.
- While we’ve seen moments of successful short-term activation, they shouldn’t replace long-term brand building, which short-form content is better geared towards.
- Maintain a balanced media mix, aiming for a 60:40 split between brand building and sales activation across channels.
- Avoid over-optimising for short-term metrics at the expense of brand health and long-term growth.
- Develop a two-speed creative strategy: brand-building content to establish desire, mental availability, and activation content to harvest it.
- Balance short-term optimisation with longer-term strategic thinking.
Pursey’s five key takeaways for brands:
- Balance short-term activation with long-term brand building
- Maintain broad reach alongside targeted activation
- Measure long-term effects, not just short-term sales
- Combine emotional brand-building with rational activation
- Think strategically, not just tactically
Charles Lee Mathews is a contributing writer to MarkLives MEDIA and MarkLives.com, as well as co-founder of The Writers, a writing consultancy.
Feature image sourced from: https://www.tiktok.com/@
