Brands Don’t Have To Be Funny To Make A Big Impact On Vine, Says Yves Das

In the latest part of the Unruly Vine series, we caught up with the increasingly popular Yves Das. He’s rapidly becoming a popular content creator as brands strive to get cut-through on one of the hottest video platforms on the planet.

On a recent visit to London for a creative partnership with Social Media Week and Microsoft, we took some time out of his busy creative day to find out what it is about Vine that it made him throw in the agency towel and start his very own Vine consultancy, Looping Tales.

Yves is somewhat of a stop-motion sensation. His all-natural, authentic style is extremely eye-catching and he’s not alone. Many of the most popular Viners use stop-motion to stand out from the crowd and it’s easy to see why this style of content is so popular. However, there’s normally something that makes each content creator unique. #

Ian Padgham, for example, has a Vine companion in Woodman, while Pinot’s work always begins life as a 2D sketch. Yves is no exception here. In lots of his Vine work you’ll find Guido, his tiny, orange, Vespa-riding friend. It’s probably safe to say his huge stunts make him the most famous Vespa rider on Vine.

1. Tell us a little about yourself and how this led you to become a professional Viner

I’ve been working in the video industry for 12 years and I’m always looking for new ways to communicate with audiences. One day I downloaded the Vine app and it really was the first platform that gave me that wow factor. Short, looping, straight from your phone, fast and creative – it was totally my cup of tea. I was hooked. Mashable then featured me on a list of the 10 best Viners to follow, and brands and agencies soon reached out. Eventually, I had so many enquiries that I quit my day job and started a company, loopingtales, telling six-second stories for interesting brands like Microsoft, Ford, Unilever, Peugeot, Deezer, L’Equipe,… I started the company because I felt brands and agencies loved Vine but were just not ready to invest in a person making Vines full-time for them. I wanted to be that person. Vine is a young medium, and we all still have a lot to learn about making the most of it. But I always want to put everything into the new projects I do. This is where my background in advertising helps me a lot – because I understand their needs.

2. What do you think makes Vine content so shareable compared to longer content on YouTube, for example?

Nowadays we get overwhelmed by all kinds of content. You never know how long it takes to watch it, and people get a bit click tired. But with a Vine, you know it will only take up six seconds of your time, and that’s not long, so people easily snack on it. Vines are also very shareable, of course.

3. How much planning do you do before making a Vine, and how would you describe your creative process?

It depends. I have a few simple steps I always go through for every project. These are: Brainstorming, storyboarding, pre-production, production and post-production. The first 3 steps are the most time-consuming, but, that being said, I feel like the more I create Vines and think about Vine concepts, the faster the brainstorming part becomes. I usually spend about half a day on making a detailed storyboard, because I feel it’s very important that the client knows exactly what I want to do with their product. Pre-production depends on the idea. Sometimes I build whole sets from scratch, and searching for the right props can sometimes take a while. The production itself takes between 2 and 3 hours, because I plan everything in detail. But sometimes you discover problems only when you start to shoot. These are often the moments when I learn the most.

4. Vine recently introduced the option for users to upload content. They resisted this for a long time. Do you think this has made the platform better in the end?

I’m not against uploading if people who do upload understand the nature of the platform. If people use this option wisely, it’s good for the platform. If not, they will soon learn this is not the best way to connect with the Vine community.

5. Loops seem to be the view count for Vine. Do you feel this is a valuable metric for brands to measure content performance?

It says something, but I am not sure the numbers of a single vine are the most important thing in a campain. It’s about reaching out to and engaging your target audience.

6. You were recently at Social Media Week in London teaching people to use Vine in partnership with Microsoft #OneStudio. Do you still think there’s a long way to go with educating content creators looking for true results on Vine?

I think once people start using Vine, the learning curve is very short. But some people are afraid to jump into something new. It’s always like that with new, cool things. You have early adopters and you have followers.

Matthew Sykes, Global Content Manager at Microsoft Mobile, said: “A Vine is so much more than an opportunity to create a six-second billboard. It’s an opportunity to tell a story. It has more in common with Hemmingway’s famous “six word story” (where the writer wagered, successfully, that he could tell a beautiful story in only six words) than it does traditional storytelling.”

7. So far it seems humour is the most popular emotional trigger on Vine, but consequently everyone fancies themselves as a comedian. Why did you choose to stay away from it!?

Simple, it’s just not my cup of tea. I also feel that it is difficult for brands to work with selfie stars. Not that I’m against it – some are very very clever and funny. But I think brands should always consider a broad mix of factors when choosing the people to create their Vine campaigns. The size of followers is very important, while some Viners can create content that tells the story in a more professional way. Some brands really understand that and are successful on Vine.

8. As the platform becomes more and more popular, do brands have to rely on Vine stars like yourself to get cut-through and reach a large audience online?

They don’t need to do this, of course. But, like I said before, if they want expertise and somebody to solely focus on telling that part of your social story, it certainly helps. But if they are ready to invest, learn and discover the platform for themselves, that’s great.

9. If you could suggest one new feature for Vine, what would it be and why?

Actually, I have 2 suggestions :-). The first is an audio feature. I think it would be a great creative push to have a separate timeline, which allows you to add voices, sound effects etc. It would also be great if Vine and ibeacons could connect.