SOCIAL MEDIA STRATEGY 

Slow motion in videos increases ‘likes’ and promotes brand preference

By our News Team | 2024

Researchers find that, because slow motion is easier to process, it feels pleasing to viewers and often results in a more positive response. 

Slow motion is a popular style tactic for short videos on social media. But until now there has been limited understanding of if, or how, this benefits marketers. 

 

Recent research by marketing researcher Anika Stuppy, of Tilburg University in the Netherlands, shows that slow motion increases the number of ‘likes’ and ‘views’ of videos and stimulates brands’ preference, choice and willingness to pay. There are conditions to its use, however.  

 

Her article, titled ‘The Art of Slowness: Slow Motion Enhances Consumer Evaluations by Increasing Processing Fluency’, has been published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Marketing Research. 

 

Although slow motion is used in many videos, there was little scientific evidence on how this technique affects a positive viewing experience. Previous research suggests that just the opposite is true. Radio broadcasts, for example, are enjoyed more when they are played faster. 

Viewing pleasure is enhanced by slow motion 

In the research, subjects were shown GIFs in a slow-motion version, and in a normal-speed version. It turned out that slow-motion GIFs were found to be much more enjoyable than the normal-speed GIFs. This effect occurred because slow motion is easier to process, which feels pleasing to viewers. 

 

Interestingly, this theory can also explain people’s viewing behaviour on an online GIF-sharing platform. In a dataset that scanned several hundred GIFs from a website, the researchers saw that slow-motion GIFs were viewed more often, received more ratings and were generally rated more positively than regular-speed GIFs. 

 

“We see that slow-motion is especially a great technique when movements that are extremely complex and difficult to observe at normal speed are slowed down. Think, for example, of a TikTok video of a dance performance,” says Stuppy. 

 

Videographers themselves can also make a movement complex, and therefore interesting, by zooming in on subtle movements.  

 

“For example, slow-motion footage of a chef cutting a steak. This might be boring, but a close-up of the knife slicing through the meat in slow motion is aesthetically pleasing,” Stuppy explains.

Slow motion is not always appropriate 

However, slow motion is not recommended in some cases. Do not use slow motion in a video of a very simple movement, such as a simple dance. Such movements are more boring to watch in slow motion, according to the study.  

 

The research also shows that when slow motion is used for content that is unpleasant, it can make the viewing experience more disagreeable. For example, consider a video of a brutal and bloody boxing match. In this case, slow motion reveals details that make the experience more unpleasant for the viewer. 

 

Finally, the research shows that slow motion creates feelings of safety and familiarity.  

Therefore, it is not an appropriate technique if when you want to excite the viewer or show a product as ‘adventurous’ or ‘exciting’. In that case, the researchers recommend fast-motion techniques. 

 

You can watch a YouTube video about the research here. 

 

You can read more about the study here. 

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