Online video is exploding and quickly becoming the must-have engagement tool across marketing platforms. 

User-generated content makes up 30% of the media content consumed by millennials in terms of time spent, at 5.4 hours per day, according to a new study from Crowdtap, Ipos Media CT and the Social Media Advertising Consortium, based on a survey of 839 U.S. adults ages 18-36. If you want to influence key decisions, leave a lasting impression, or increase your reach – film is the format of choice. 

Today, the expansion of video specific social platforms, such as Instagram and Snapchat, are changing how we consume beyond YouTube and Vimeo. Brands are seeking ways to differentiate and incorporate tricks and tips from successful Vloggers (video + blogger).

Here’s a look at the trends shaping this platform: 

• Simplexity - Taking a modest subject and invigorating it with multifaceted visuals, artistry, and technique, or simplifying a complex concept by presenting the information in a digestible manor.  Here’s video from Tasting Table that illustrates this trend with a simple egg technique. 
• Arthouse - Blending the line between art and inspiration, this theme is all about beautifully executed videography with a hypnotic pace and saturated elegance. Often used by luxury brands, this style is all about minimal marketing. In this video, Nowness takes on the role of curator in distributing original content about Haas Brothers’ creative process, while gaining viewer loyalty as an authentic indulgent medium.   
• Gamification - Applying game design thinking to non-game applications, such as in this campaign by Carlsburg to incentivize fans in bars to order and tag photos on Instragram to increase the time patrons in that bar can get half-off lager. The excitement is clearly contagious.