At the start of 2020 (yes, we’re only 3 months in), Byte launched. There was a time where 6-second videos were super popular – made possible by Vine. KingBach, Rudy Mancuso, Lele Pons, Logan Paul, were some of the biggest creators on the platform. Now that it’s gone, and replaced by this new Byte, how are brands taking to this new platform?
Vine’s looping videos were a novelty back when they launched, but how would Byte survive in the age of Tik Tok, Instagram Stories and Snapchat? Firstly, it’s back to a different way of telling stories. 6-second stories versus multiple 15-seconds for IG Stories (longer for IGTV), 10-second stories for Snaps, and 15-60 seconds for Tik Tok. It’s still pretty basic in terms of app features for Byte videos too – no filters, just a caption. Hashtags work fine but not that intuitive to use for the discovery of new content. There is also a lack of verified accounts but probably something we’ll see down the pipeline. Byte is very community-driven and currently is updated pretty often with new features and bug fixes. Byte Beats is their latest attempt to replicate some of the features of Tik Tok, albeit somewhat different. There’s also a very active thread discussion on engagement within the app. Socialmediatoday lists Byte as being downloaded 1.3 million times within the first week of launching, surpassing Vine’s performance in the same time period after launch.
So far, as with most social media app launches, the core audiences tend to be in the US. This means only a handful of brands would jump on such new platforms to do marketing campaigns. One of those brands is Nike. They ran a very US-focused NFL type of campaign (presumably in the build-up to Super Bowl). In a toss-catch style of video, it showcases the creative concept in a format native to the 6-second video platform.
Check out some of the creative takes here and here.
This is one way brands can jump on the bandwagon to reach their audience – though I don’t think these are “new” audiences per se. These are the same Gen Z kids who are already following them on Instagram, YouTube and SnapChat. The average smartphone user has 7 social media apps installed, and use 3 or 4 regularly on a daily basis. How you entertain and add value to them creatively would be the difference between hit or miss. The last thing you want is to be cross-posting product videos across all your social channels. Content like Nike’s is easy to follow and create (with a football and some creativity). Other ways brand can do content is to do quick 6-second tutorials for their products, or just entertain with humour if that fits your brand’s tone of voice. The question remains whether Byte can quickly attract a critical mass of users to keep the snowball rolling, so the creators would be inclined to jump back onto the platform to build an audience from scratch again. There are just too many social media platforms out there, and many of these original popular Vine creators have already very large audiences on other platforms that they create content for on a daily basis. Starting from scratch again would involve a very heavy investment of time and resources. How Byte will eventually monetize the platform, including how to let creators earn from their content, would be critical for this app’s success. With apps coming and going like Beme and Peach, Byte doesn’t have a lot of time to sit on. Another way to quickly scale would be to attract super popular creators back on the platform exclusively by throwing money. Then again, it also isn’t always that simple and easy. Refer to Ninja jumping from Twitch of Mixer (what?).
So what’s in the future for Byte? Only time will time, in the meantime, digital marketers just need to explore every new platform there is out there, and always be on your toes on whether it’s worthwhile to invest your time and effort on starting new. Every new app is like a new language. It takes time to learn. Platforms come and go but creativity always prevails.
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