10 Brands Jumping on the Instagram Hyperlapse Craze
Cool video effects made easy.
Facebook’s Instagram has a hit on its hands, and that hit is Hyperlapse, a video-making app that makes cinema-style tracking shots and professional-looking time lapse videos. Just a month ago, these techniques required expensive equipment and professional training to pull off. Now, thanks to Instagram Hyperlapse, anyone with a smartphone is now a potential movie maker able to shoot fast-moving shots moving through a crowd of people, recording fast-moving clouds or a flower opening up, or a parody of the intro to those Benny Hill episodes, if anyone still remembers those.
How popular is it already? In its first week live, the #Hyperlapse hashtag was used more than 119,000 times and 88,000 unique users posted Hyperlapse content onto their Instagram accounts (not to mention more than 36,000 tweets). That’s a lot, and once users see their friends posting these fast-moving videos, the viral wave of Hyperlapse will soon be upon us.
Folks in the fashion world are already imaging how this will transform Fashion Week, from runway model videos to full makeup applications in a matter of seconds.
Given this success, it goes without saying that this app has huge potential for brands marketing themselves on social media. It makes the subject of the video appear fresh, fast, and fun — which is exactly what a brand manager wants out of social engagement with actual and potential customers.
In fact, some of the top Hyperlapse videos are already brand-focused. Here’s a look at how brands have jumped into the Instagram Hyperlapse craze:
The Ellen Show — Someone on Team Ellen thought it would be a good idea to give a quick back-lot tour of the Warner Brothers lot, starting with the famous water tower, passing movie sets left and right and then ending up at the awning for The Ellen Show. It has gathered 93,100 likes so far.
Disneyland — If the Teacups at Disneyland made you dizzy or nauseous as a kid, this Hyperlapse video of the Teacups in Anaheim will bring back that nausea nostalgia. 39,000 people like it.
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Oreo — The cookie already has a reputation of being incredibly savvy with its social media campaigns. But this Hyperlapse video of someone opening a package that contains one Oreo Mini was actually produced by a consumer, not the brand, and that makes it even better. Sure, this video only has about 6,000 likes so far, but brand-focused, user-generated content is the ultimate sweet spot for a brand.
Budweiser — The King of Beers took its trademark Clydesdale horses out for a Hyperlapse trot, scored by an up-tempo William Tell Overture.
Taco Bell — The Mexican fast-food chain has a successful history of early adoption of social media platforms, having been one of the first brands to show everyone its burrito on Snapchat. So it’s no surprise to see this fast-motion drive-thru run filmed on Hyperlapse. On one hand, it’s nothing special; on the other hand, do they still have those Dorito tacos?
National Aquarium — No big deal, just a school of turbo-powered sharks swimming fast enough to catch a jet-skier at full throttle. It’s what your favorite nightmare looks like, and it’s beautiful really.
Foot Locker — It would take forever to watch someone unbox and lace up a pair of shoes, unless you put it in fast forward on Hyperlapse, and then 37,000 people will like it.
Mercedes — In one of the most well-produced and cinematic examples of the early days of Hyperlapse, the Mercedes social media team gave this white CLA250 the fast-motion treatment and it looks fast.
Bud Light — Nothing says “enjoying a picnic outdoors” like a cooler full of Bud Light. Using Hyperlapse, the Bud Light team show the full life span of a cooler and the party it creates.
Milkbone — In a sense, it’s not even fair. The second-most adorable thing on the internet is dogs (the first is cats, third is babies), and Milkbone is a brand that caters to dogs and their owners. So take a dog video and speed it up real fast, and that’s Milkbone’s entry into the world of Hyperlapse.
