Short-form ads: holding the attention of the modern consumer

There’s a lot of noise online, especially where short-form content is concerned.

Connecting with consumers on social media has become more competitive than ever, with apps like TikTok and Instagram Reels creating new potential channels for advertising, it’s hard to hold the attention of the new consumer, who will swipe past anything that doesn’t grab their attention instantly without a second thought. We hear it a lot – our attention spans are getting shorter. Psychologists suggest that screens are the reason, specifically the habitual temptation to constantly change tasks in order to maintain a constant stream of novel stimuli. In recent years and through the introduction of the infinite scroll, it takes a lot to hold our attention. 

What does this mean for the way brands advertise? It’s no surprise as to why short-form has become a major part of ad spend for so many companies, especially those targeting Gen-Z and Millennial markets.  

We’re in a new era of advertising where short-form content is king. The 10 second ad is nothing new – the first one aired in 1941. But a study by Microsoft found that from 2000 to 2015, the human attention span has dropped to eight seconds from 12 – creating a deficit of 25% in just a few years. And since the explosion in popularity of infinite scroll-enabling apps, there’s no telling how things have changed since 2015.  

Regardless of attention span, these social feeds are where consumers live, and winning brands know how to grab ever-fleeting consumer attention and cut through the noise.  

Best practices for short-form content

Cooking up short-form content isn’t as simple as squeezing all of your typical messaging into a few seconds and formatting for 8x16 dimensions.  

With so many brands competing for consumer attention, a lot of content just gets swiped past in the first few seconds of viewing if it’s not engaging in the right way, or if it’s too obviously an ad. Content that feels native to the app goes the distance. 

A study by Magna showed that on TikTok, ads that were formatted vertically hit a recall of 44 percent, whereas horizontal recall was 35 percent. The study also showed purchase intent for vertical ads reached 8 percent, while horizontal achieved only 3 percent.  

For short-form content to succeed and meet conversion goals, there’s endless ways to stand out, but here are a few ideas to implement and experiment with: 

• Remember that authenticity is everything. Inauthentic ads negatively impact the brand and, according to the Magna study, are 19% less effective in driving purchase intent.    
• Up the fun factor. Native ads resonate for a few reasons, but a major one is because they’re just fun. According to the same study,, there was an 8% increase in perceiving a brand as fun after seeing its native ad for non-purchasers vs. prior customers, who registered a 4% lift. 
  
• Above all, be entertaining. This is what will make or break your content. When good storytelling and creative are neglected, key metrics will end up falling short. 

Testing your short-form content  

Short-form content is an investment in itself, and it’s helpful to know what your audience responds to.  

In the wild testing can help discern between what is and isn’t true to your brand identity or marketing strategy, especially if you’re in a crowded space and aren’t getting conversion results with regular paid media or typical in-feed digital ads.  

Shorter attention spans aren’t the reason for marketing fails, but rather, the wrong strategies. 

The future of advertising isn’t much different from its past. Attention spans might not be what they were 20 years ago, but consumer values have changed. Good storytelling, a sense of humor, and “fun” are at the forefront of stand-out brands right now. 

This value shift isn’t just for younger brands – keeping up is essential.