The co-founder of video looping app Vine has announced the return of the platform through a new app called Byte.
Dom Hofmann took to Twitter to share the news that the looping video app will launch in spring 2019 (March to May in the US).
Byte will allow users to share content and the brand is currently calling for users to join their creator program.
“We’re building Byte with creators in mind. To aid us in our quest to be the best video app out there, we’d love your participation in our budding creator program,” Byte’s website reads.
The second iteration of the video looping app is likely to gather a strong interest, based on Vine’s popularity.
Connection to Vine
Vine’s much-loved app, of six-second looping videos, was founded by Dom Hofmann, Rus Yusupov and Colin Kroll in 2012.
Vine officially launched in January 2013 and by December 2015 the platform had more than 200 million active users.
Twitter acquired Vine in late 2012, before it officially launched, but by October 2016 Twitter announced it would discontinue the app. Uploads were disabled but the platform still allowed users to view and download videos. In January 2017 an archive of all Vine videos was created to allow people to continue watching the videos.
Vine was used as a platform to share anything from hilarious footage of a dog riding a scooter to a rooster causing a stir during a live cross, and it helped launch the careers of popstars such as Shawn Mendes.
While most of the content on Vine was comical, a video during the Paris attacks was the most-looped, with more than 750 million views.
What will Byte mean for marketers?
Given Vine’s substantial uptake and user base, coupled with the hype for its sequel, it’s important for marketers to be aware of Byte and the impact it may have in the social media space.
Marketers would be wise to pay attention to Byte when it launches or even consider signing up to the service as a user to become familiar with the platform.
It’s worth noting that video as a medium is certainly on the rise – advertisers are spending more on video advertising than ever before, due to increased consumption of video on mobile devices, Facebook launched its Watch tab last year, and video streaming and influencers are changing marketing.
This all makes for a sound case to support video as part of a brand’s marketing mix, and Byte may become one of the components of this mix.
The video looping app has the potential to complement existing marketing activities, so it will be important for marketers to consider how this app may fit into an existing strategy and budget.
While the capabilities of Byte are yet to be unveiled, if you are already creating videos for brands as part of your marketing activity, it’ll be worthwhile keeping an eye on this app.
Until then, you can sign up for updates here.