Everything has to get shorter.

15 seconds. 6 seconds. 3 seconds.

People’s attention spans have shrunk, they say.

Perhaps that is not quite true.

Perhaps it is only patience for boring content that has shrunk.

YouTube is full of videos that last an hour or more. Podcasts reach millions of people. Documentaries are streamed. Series pull us into stories for weeks.

People are clearly willing to invest time.

When it is worth it.

That is interesting news for brands.

Because a film does not automatically have to get shorter just because it appears on a digital platform.

Perhaps it simply has to get better.

A good story is allowed to take its time. It may take detours. Develop characters. Leave questions open. Let atmosphere emerge.

The challenge is not to hold people for as long as possible.

It is to give them a reason to stay voluntarily.

That is a difference.

And perhaps that is exactly where the future of brand storytelling lies:

Not always shorter content.

But content long enough to say something — and good enough that people want to listen.

#frischebrise|