• The optimum length of a YouTube video (luxury brand)
• Key factors driving success (or lack of success) for a YouTube video (luxury brand)
• Drivers of Instagram video engagement (luxury brand)
• Most effective practices for a video opening (luxury brand or non-luxury brand)
• Best practices in video "storytelling" (e.g., voiceover, text, interviews)

Data Availability

• Data availability is adequate, though notably many of the resources uncovered in early research focused on fashion brands (that may be more likely to leverage social video).

Optimum Length of YouTube Video (Luxury Brands)

• Several luxury fashion brands are moving toward long-form (>10 minute) content on YouTube as consumers seek "information and educational content from luxury brands."
• Loïc Prigent, a fashion creator who leverages YouTube, highlights the platform as a place where he can provide as much information as possible. Prigent's videos average 11 minutes, but can be upwards of 40-50 minutes.
• Neil Patel highlights long-form video content as key for luxury brands, offering an opportunity for "storytelling."
• A Vidyard article highlights the optimum video length will vary by channel and content type, noting that "explainer videos" should be 60-90 seconds and that YouTube viewers may be more open to longer content.

YouTube Success Factors (Luxury Brands)

• Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode’s development, communication and events director Guillaume Robic says of the trend toward longer-form videos, "Those who are creating content on a regular basis are finding success. They are sharing very exclusive content and creating a relationship with their communities." He identifies "live chats, celebrity commentators, and YouTube premiere" as key elements driving interest among consumers.
• Dior created a 14-video series focusing on a fashion show and product creation, generating over 1 million subscribers in 2020.

Instagram Video Engagement Drivers

• Louis Vuitton leverages Instagram Reels to promote its new collections, with Instagram marketing agency "Later" highlighting the format consistency between videos in the campaign ("all having the exact same caption just with a different model and #LVCruise bag.")
• Some luxury brands have had success with shorter-form Instagram reels by leveraging influencers. A "short video of model Bella Hadid dancing to original audio with Burberry’s pocket bag" amassed 3.7 million views.
• Consumer and retail expert, Andrea Felsted, says that making videos "shoppable" (allowing consumers to buy from short-form videos) will allow luxury brands to "capitalize on their positioning across luxury, fashion and retail."
• Interactive video (including shoppable video) is considered an effective strategy to generate consumer engagement (70% of marketers in a survey say this video form engages its consumers "very well").

Video Opening Best Practices

• Kelly Higney of Bug Bite Practices says "short and concise video" along with captions will best grab attention and "stop the scroll."
• Video platform Cincopa emphasizes the importance of a "video thumbnail" (a still image that "acts as a preview" for the video), with "at least one human in them, some text, and an aspect of the object of discussion." Cincopa also highlights the importance of communicating the value proposition as quickly as possible, setting the "tone" (via visuals, music , or voice), and including a soundbite in the opening shot.
• A Facebook study found that creative/copy drives 70% of online video effectiveness, while 30% is driven by executional elements. The study recommended "quick, fast-paced movement" at the start of a video to capture consumers' attention.

Social Video Storytelling Best Practices

• Vidyard provides several best practices in video storytelling, including "building video storytelling around emotion," creating stories with a "beginning, middle, and end," "telling one story at a time," and "keeping things short and snappy."
• Mediaboom recommends luxury brands, in particular, should be "cinematic" when storytelling via social video, giving its target audience a "mini-film instead of a quick ad" to "pull them into the experience you want to convey."
• Some examples of luxury brands embracing a "storytelling" strategy include Gucci ("consistent video content on their IGTV, frequently featuring celebrities in different scenarios, embracing the Gucci lifestyle"), Ralph Lauren (interactive and user-generated content), and Dior (using influencers in its campaign).
• Music and "sound-on," as well as "behind-the-scenes", unfiltered footage, are currently being leveraged successfully by luxury brands on TikTok.

Summary

• We used this first hour to determine the information availability to address the key questions in the request and provide topline findings.
• We were able to provide some brief insights on each specific question. While information availability is adequate, there is a notable skew toward case studies and trends that focus on luxury brands in the fashion industry.
• When information allowed, we indicated quantitative support for the insight, a case study to support the insight, or an expert point-of-view.
• Further recommendations build on what we uncovered in early research.