Did You Enjoy Budweiser with Henry... Short-Form Economics Penetrating Everyday Life

Budweiser, Henry's Campaign Gains Popularity... Brand Message Imprinted

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Seon-ae] The era of short-form content, which can be enjoyed anytime and anywhere using a smartphone for as short as 5 seconds to as long as 10 minutes, is now in full swing.

According to the ‘2020 Digital Trend Report’ released by Mezzomedia on the 9th, the preference for short and concise content based on easy viewing is spreading mainly among Millennials and Generation Z, and about 50% of all advertising and promotional videos produced last year were short-form videos under one minute. The preferred video length for the 10-20 age group is around 15 minutes. Accordingly, the distribution industry, which responds most quickly to consumer trends, is focusing on short marketing to capture attention in the era of content overload.

◆ Campaigns also short and impactful = A change is also detected in campaigns conducted by brands. Short-form videos are actively used to deliver messages powerfully within a short time. To quickly meet the needs of viewers who get bored even with 15-second ads, Budweiser shows the advertisement for this summer’s campaign in just 6 seconds.

Budweiser is running the ‘#Jeulgeopgenomgyeo’ (#EnjoyItCheerfully) campaign, which contains messages of joy and positivity found in the ‘new normal’ daily life. Through the message ‘We enjoy every moment cheerfully,’ it encourages people to find joy in the changed everyday moments as if overcoming the summer heat by drinking refreshing beer, and to enjoy this summer cheerfully.

In particular, after showcasing Henry’s ingenious ways of enjoying time at home in the post-COVID-19 era through 6-second short-form video ads, the campaign gathered great response by compiling the videos and introducing fresh ideas to discover diverse joys in daily life. The campaign, which started in June, recorded about 34 million cumulative views, and videos imitating Henry’s joyful ways are continuously uploaded on social media.

A Budweiser representative said, “We firmly imprinted the brand’s message through short-form content and cheerful videos preferred by the MZ generation familiar with mobile content,” adding, “As an extension of the campaign, we will release a home DJing package and goods with Budweiser beer so that consumers can directly feel the joyful energy Budweiser wants to convey.”

◆ Voluntary short-form content production through hashtag challenges = Brands that are drawing consumer participation by utilizing TikTok, the most representative platform for short-form content, are steadily increasing. Various brands targeting young people are conducting hashtag challenges with TikTok influencers to encourage consumers’ voluntary production of short-form content.

Coca-Cola’s Sprite brand is a prime example. Sprite held the Sprite Dance Challenge ‘#GeochimeopsiChallenge’ (#UnstoppableChallenge) with popular TikTokers who have over one million followers. With model Jeong Hyuk and famous TikTokers participating one after another, the challenge surpassed 27 million cumulative views.

◆ Complete stories within 10 minutes… web dramas also go short-form = Major content media companies are also jumping on the short-form content trend. They are preparing a base for targeting by producing web dramas and entertainment content that can be easily watched anywhere, mainly for the MZ generation. Media companies’ survival strategies for the MZ generation, who ‘only watch short content,’ are diversifying.

Netflix started airing two works, the sitcom ‘Brunoranikka!’ and the sci-fi anthology series ‘Love, Death + Robots,’ with each episode’s running time under 15 minutes to meet viewers’ desire for short and intense entertainment experiences.

Domestic broadcasters have also joined the short-form trend by editing TV entertainment shows into web entertainment. After attracting viewers’ attention with short videos immediately following TV entertainment, they diversify content consumption channels by releasing longer or unedited versions on online platforms.

MBC’s digital spin-off web entertainment of ‘I Live Alone,’ titled ‘Women’s Secret Party - Yeoeunpa,’ brings new laughter with Han Hye-jin, Park Na-rae, and Hwasa gathering together. Han Hye-jin, Park Na-rae, and Hwasa, under the aliases Samantha, Georgina, and Maria respectively, held a cheerful ‘hospital visit party’ to support Han Hye-jin, who had appendicitis, creating laughter with nonstop gopchang mukbang and honest Budweiser product placement. The digital spin-off ‘Yeoeunpa’ released on YouTube has received as much response as the original content aired on TV. Produced as a short video under 20 minutes, this content, which captures the candid and unrestrained daily lives of the three women unseen in the original program, recorded 4.19 million views on the official I Live Alone YouTube channel within a week, generating a hot response.