The Haiku of Modern Marketing
During Japan’s Edo period, masters of words dazzled audiences with their ability to craft exceptionally short yet deeply atmospheric and moving works — the haiku. Their creative challenge would terrify any modern influencer: just 17 syllables and three lines. Yet within such constraints, haiku managed to capture emotions, tell stories, and inspire awe.
How different is that from our current reality, where a brand has precisely three seconds — three fleeting, precious seconds — to capture someone’s attention before it’s gone? Today’s audiences don’t want long, analytical videos filled with explanations; they crave simple, short, and captivating content. And that’s exactly where we can learn from the art of the haiku masters.
Short-form video ads are built on two core principles: limited time and maximum meaning. Anyone seeking to promote themselves must fill each second with as much clarity, value, and creativity as possible — achieving two goals at once: keeping viewers engaged and motivating them to take action.
Social media platforms have made it easier than ever for brands to tell their stories. Algorithms understand our preferences sometimes better than we do. Think about how YouTube Shorts ads often show you something surprisingly relevant, or how Reels ads seem to intuitively match your interests. Now imagine being offered the same ad — but stretched into a 30-minute video. Within 10 minutes, you’d likely be daydreaming about a cup of coffee and an adrenaline shot.
There are some unwritten short-form video ad best practices that separate the strong from the forgettable. The first rule: forget smooth intros. You must crash into the viewer’s consciousness from the first frame — grab their attention instantly with a hook that explains why they should keep watching, all within the span of a single second.
Next, build an environment the viewer subconsciously associates with comfort and familiarity. Is it a friendly chat? Someone sharing a secret? Or a dynamic show? Work carefully on scenography and the context in which your brand speaks — because atmosphere communicates as powerfully as visuals.
A paradox of the digital age: many people watch videos without sound, yet the best clips lose half their magic when muted. The solution? Subtitles — not just functional captions, but visual elements that satisfy the viewer’s aesthetic sense. Play with color, typography, and word placement. Keep everything alive and in motion.
And finally, abandon the shouting “Buy now!” and “Don’t miss out!” The modern viewer is like someone with spring allergies — the moment they sense sales pressure, they shut the window. The best short-form video ads don’t sell — they invite. It’s far more engaging to swipe up to satisfy curiosity than to feel trapped in a cold, transactional loop. The message remains the same, but what matters most is how it makes people feel.
We have just a single moment — a fleeting instant in which to tell a story — and we must craft it so masterfully that it lingers in memory long after the video ends. Let’s make that moment count — and create stories that truly lead the way.
