Videos used for marketing purposes are getting shorter in length and less varied each year.
Bynder, global leader in Digital Asset Management (DAM), has released new research which highlights how video content created by marketers has changed since 2016.
Through analysing thousands of files stored on their platform, Bynder found that the average video created in 2016 lasted 168 seconds, whereas in 2023, this decreased by 75% to just 76 seconds.
Since 2016, video length has been slowly declining. The exception was in 2020, when the videos were slightly longer, likely due to a more captive audience during the pandemic.
Based on the trends, Bynder predicts that video content length will reduce to an average of 65 seconds in 2024.
Following the same trend also means that videos will likely last just 39 seconds in 2026, ten years after videos lasted 168 seconds.
It was also found that over the past eight years, videos are becoming less varied in length as a whole. In other words, whereas marketers were once creating videos of differing lengths, now video content is mainly short form.
Commenting on the research, Steve Vinall at Bynder said:
“With so much content to deliver across so many channels, it’s harder than ever before for marketers to cut through and share a message with their audience. Due to advances in technology over the last decade, video has become an important tool in the creative toolkit, and we’re interested to see the results of this study.
We analysed video content created by marketers over the course of eight years to uncover how length is changing over time. Not only did we find that the length of the average video asset has decreased by 75% since 2016, but there is also less variation in video type. Clearly, short form content is proving more impactful each year.
“Amongst other factors, the data could suggest a decrease in consumer attention span due to the increase in popularity of quick and punchy content. However, notably there was a temporary increase in video length in 2020/2021 which could be attributed to consumers having more free time during COVID, and marketers adapting to this change.
“Marketeers face tougher challenges than ever before to deliver their messaging clearly and concisely in such a short window of time.
“At Bynder we understand the importance of getting content right the first time. That’s why we launched Studio, to help marketers with dynamic content creation, flexible sourcing and batch creation.”
Studio streamlines content creation for everyday needs, to meet the evolving landscape of shorter and more focused marketing videos. By enabling anyone in the organisation to easily produce on-brand content with approved templates, it not only adapts to the trend but also reduces reliance on designers, complex design tools, and agencies.