Short-form content isn’t a quick fix: Why quality and strategy matter more

During the IAMAI’s India Digital Summit, marketing and advertising experts discuss the need for a balanced approach between short-form and long-form content, emphasising strategy, storytelling, and consumer engagement over trend-chasing

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IAMAI

(L-R) Ramsai Panchapakesan, PG Aditiya, Garima Sharma, Mohit Desai, Deeksha Yadav

New Delhi: Thinking that short-form content is the magic solution to today's shrinking attention span is like assuming a shot of espresso will fix your entire day. Sure, it’s quick, but it doesn’t always deliver the punch you need. The reality? Sometimes an 18-minute film, like the one Talented created for Swiggy, resonates deeper than a fleeting 10-second clip. 

Short-form content is not a quick fix for low consumer attention, believes PG Aditiya, Co-founder, Talented. He said, “Relying on short-form content alone doesn't guarantee quality. It’s a misconception. We created an 18-minute film for Swiggy, which worked well for the brand. Short-form and long-form content serve different purposes and should not be used interchangeably.”

Aditiya was speaking during a panel discussion titled, ‘Cut The Noise: Engaging Audiences in an Attention-deficit World’ at the 19th edition of the India Digital Summit (IDS), the flagship annual conference of the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) in New Delhi. 

Moderated by Ramsai Panchapakesan, Managing Partner - Investments, Havas Media, other panellists of the sessions were Garima Sharma, Chief Content & Strategy Officer, Scatter; Mohit Desai, Senior Vice President & Head - Digital, IDP Education; and Deeksha Yadav, AGM - Product, Route Mobile.

Aditiya remarked that every piece of bad content a brand creates becomes good content for platforms like YouTube and Spotify Premium. He further noted, "By placing brand logos everywhere in communication, we’re damaging creativity. The iconic Fevicol and Happydent ads didn’t need to rely on that."

Scatter’s Sharma echoed Aditiya’s perspective, stating, “In the obsession to create short content, we are compromising on good content. As long as the content adheres to the brand strategy and objective, the length doesn’t matter. Don’t create content just for shock value; it should be helpful to the consumer, evoke empathy, and remain simple.” 

Desai of IDP Education added, “Brands are today latching on to trends without understanding whether those trends align with their objectives.”

Route Mobile’s Yadav emphasised the need for leveraging various data models combined with machine learning. This approach analyses past content, its impressions, and the type of messaging individuals engage with, enabling the creation of hyper-personalised content. This strategy helps derive actionable insights, optimising the messaging process for better consumer connection.

“If it were just about short-form content, Nikhil Kamath’s podcast wouldn’t have been successful,” added Desai. “That said, if it works for him, it doesn’t mean it will work for everyone else. Focus on creating content that solves the brand’s problems.” 

He also stressed the importance of balancing brand building with performance marketing, saying, “While brand building may seem challenging at first, focusing solely on performance can harm organic growth in the long run.”

In today’s ‘always-on’ world where brands need to produce large volumes of content, Panchapakesan from Havas asked Sharma how smaller brands with limited marketing budgets can compete. Sharma responded, “Brands need to deeply understand the information customers seek. Once the messaging is figured out, finding the right storytelling format is key. For instance, a car purchase involves months of research, not just viewing a reel. Brands must assess customer involvement in the buying journey and create valuable, helpful content.”

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