5 Brands Catching Our Attention on Vine

For those who have been living under a social media rock for the past week, Vine is Twitter’s new video sharing app. The simple app lets users shoot and share six-second looped videos, tapping into the culture of the animated GIF. After experimenting with our own #FirstVine we decided to take a look at brands who are telling interesting stories, creating unexpected art and sharing captivating behind-the-scenes footage on Vine.

1. General Electric
General Electric has received praise in the past for using a compelling social media strategy to tell a story and engage their audience. Their recent posts on Vine are no different: with a focus on discovering, creating and celebrating technology, GE is sharing quirky videos that are sure to inspire viewers. Examples of this include a drawing that details “From zero to innovation in under 6 seconds,” and a stop-motion video that prompts users to guess where the robot has gone.

2. Asos
Asos, the UK’s largest online-only fashion and beauty store, has been using the app to host competitions and giveaways. They are also showing off unboxings (which have already proven a successful visual medium) and behind the scenes footage from photoshoots. Use the hastag #ASOSunbox to check out how fans of the online store are interacting with the brand on Vine.

3. Mashable
Tech site Mashable is using Vine to show off intricate, eccentric stop-motion videos and DIY art projects, like using a hairdryer to melt crayons on canvas to make a beautiful, colorful mess. They are also using the app to introduce the world to some of their staff and show off their office space. Known for covering social media sites, Mashable seems to have chosen to promote the type of content that would be successful on Pintrest. This makes sense since Vine and Pintrest both have a highly visual focus.

4. Cafe Moka
Cafe Moka, a small coffee shop in Virginia Beach, uses Vine to post informative videos that show off the process of making artisanal coffee. Their six-second demonstration of how to use a siphon coffee maker makes us want to run down to our sister coffee shop Bow Truss and grab a cup of joe. Looks like we might need to explore setting up a Vine account for Bow Truss…. Stay tuned.

5. Brooklyn Nets
The basketball team is using Vine to show behind the scenes of practice sessions, profile players insane moves or MPV moments and to promote their merchandise. Like a never-ending instant replay, basketball fans can use these looping videos to see their favorites in action, pick of footwork tips and get pumped for future games.

Our takeaway? Consistent with media on other social networks, brands succeeding on Vine are posting content that is visually interesting while still tied to the company’s mission. We’ve seen the insatiable appetite for quirky visual imagery on Instagram and now it’s time to experiment with Vine.

An extra perk of the new platform: Adding the six-second video into a blog post is super easy. Simply locate the accompanying tweet and embed the code.

Filed in: iOS, Startup Community