In today’s digital realm, there’s no addiction as powerful as the short video. Douyin (known as Tik Tok overseas), has just topped the iOS non-game app charts for Q1 2018. It is a low-cost platform for creators to produce 15-second videos. Viewers can easily swipe and watch any trending videos on their feed.
Between January and March, the made-in-China app was downloaded 45.8 million times worldwide. YouTube came second in the same period, with 35.3 million downloads, followed by WhatsApp with 33.8 million.
What you should know about Douyin and the short video market
In China’s booming but highly competitive short video market, Douyin stands out with the most active users during the first three months of the year, with each user opening the app 4.7 times a day on average.
Typical uploaders of Douyin are in their twenties or younger, often good-looking, singing or dancing to a short piece of music in a funny fashion, or dubbing hilarious lines of a well-known movie.
Douyin has stirred strong feedback from the society. Some critics have lashed out on the app’s additive effect on young people. In response to that, the video app has added two new functions. If a user is using the app for 90 minutes non-stop, a reminder will pop up. If they use it for two hours in total within one day, the app will lock and require a password to open it.
On the bright side, the app encourages people to make original videos and show off their talents. Some say it lowers the threshold in performing, giving everyone the possibility of being entertaining and shown to the world.
The 15-second design proves to be the key element of Douyin’s success. The duration of the video is short enough to keep people from leaving, but long enough to deliver a message.
From the popularity of Douyin, or the short video sector as a whole, we can see the power of video in audience engagement. Contact us and see how we can make a captivating video to tell your brand story.
Read the full article at: radiichina.com and SCMP.
