Academic e-Journal 2024

052 053 The short-form revolution: how short-form content is altering marketing and captivating consumer minds. Lewis Devlin In the ever-evolving world of digital marketing, the rapid growth in popularity of short form content has revolutionised the conventional approach to captivate consumer attention. As a result of the drastic change in consumer preference, modern marketing campaigns have never had such a high level of influence over consumers. In this article, we will explore the reasons for the profound economic impacts of the growing use of short-form content in marketing. Short-form media incorporates a multitude of different forms such as stories, videos, or even GIFs. The major characteristics of this type of media is its incomparable brevity and convenience. One major reason why consumers may adopt a preference for shortform media is the lack of requirement for time investment. Whereas, with a longer form of content such as long articles, videos, reports and e-books, a consumer is required to dedicate time and effort to search for and view such content. Recent studies have shown a clear increase in demand of shorter-form content, where 85% of viewers prefer videos with a length of 15 seconds or less. Short-form media applications such as TikTok, Instagram and Snapchat make it extremely easy for consumers to pull out their phone and access content within seconds. Understanding the nature of short form media is crucial to the analysis of its impact on consumer behaviour, with some focus on the human attention span. Consumers have become accustomed to being swarmed with stimulating content with little to no effort, whenever and wherever they are. This alteration of consumption habits through a huge reduction in psychological friction has gone hand-in-hand with the diminishing attention spans in humans. In a study led by Microsoft in 2015, it was revealed that in the last 15 years, the time taken for humans to lose concentration has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds. This may not seem to be a major reduction, but it was reported in the same article that goldfish have an attention span of 9 seconds. Therefore, due to an increasingly digitalised lifestyle, we now have an average attention span of less than that of a goldfish! The Short Form Revolu/on- “How Short-Form Content is Altering Marke/ng and Cap/va/ng Consumer Minds.” Lewis Devlin In the ever-evolving world of digital rke4ng, the rapid growth in popularity of short form content has revolu4onised the conven4onal approach to cap4vate consumer a;en4on. As a result of the dras4c change in consumer pref rence, m dern marke4ng campaigns have never had such a high level of influence over consumers. In t is ar4cle, we will explore the reason for the profound economi i pacts of the growing use of short-form content in rke4ng. Short-form media incorporates a mul4tude of different forms such as stories, videos, or even GIFs. The major characteris4cs of this type of media is its incomparable brevity and convenience. One major reason why consumers may adopt a preference for short-form media is the lack of requirement for 4me investment. Whereas, with a long r form of content such as long ar4cles, videos, reports and e-books, a consumer s required to d dica e 4me and eff rt to search for and view such content. Re ent studies have shown a clear i crease in demand of shorter-form conten , wh re 85% of viewers prefer videos with a length of 15 s co ds or les . Sh rt-form media applica4ons such as TikTok, Ins agram and Snapc at make it extre ely easy for consumers to pull out their phone and access ntent within seconds. Understanding the nature of short form media is crucial to the analysis of its impact on consumer behaviour, with some focus on the human a;en4on span. Consumers have become accustomed to being swar with s4mula4ng content with li;le to no effort, whenever and wher ver they are. This altera4on of consump4on abits through a huge redu 4on in psychological fric4on has gone hand-in-hand with the diminishing a;en4on spans in humans. In a study led by MicrosoR in 2015, it was revealed that in the last 15 years, the 4me taken for humans to lose concentra4on has decreased from 12 to 8 seconds. This may not seem to be a major reduc4on, but it was reported in the same ar4cle that goldfish have an a;en4on span of 9 seconds. Therefore, due to an increasingly digitalised lifestyle, we now have an average a;en4on span of less than that of a goldfish! This change can be represented through the economic theories of consumer choice, which assumes that individuals make their decisions based on maximising their u4lisa4on. Since consumers have finite and limited a;en4on spans, and a mix of provoking content compe4ng for their a;en4on, consumers are naturally inclined to short-form media to efficiently sa4sfy their entertainment needs. Given that, it is evident why there has been such an outstanding growth in the use of short-form content in

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