Really interesting article Steve. The recent sports relief ad with the young lad looking for a celebrity to share his pantomime horse costume with is an example of a longer ad that they've subsequently shown shortened down. The first is amusing and tells a humourous and engaging story. The shortened version lacks the impact of the longer version and I think will be much more easily overlooked. I've seen other companies do this a lot recently no doubt to save money! Thanks Oliver, there's no doubt that 'brevity' is an important factor in any form of communication, so definitely the shorter the better, but not so short that the quality of the message (and subsequent engagement) is compromised. When setting out to create a branded video, I would normally aim for 1 to 2 minutes for a simple idea, all the way up to 5 to 7 minutes for something more complex (or interactive). When you storyboard something out (with a beginning, middle and end) and include sufficient hooks for it to be meme-ified, that usually implies a minimum of around 45 seconds (at a push). 7+ minutes is really only for those who have established an expectation with their audience, and the signs are strong that they are prepared to spend more than 5 minutes watching your content. (i.e. Gymkhana) Whilst many people are still searching for the 'Holy Grail' of viral content, my advice would be not to. Viral success is as much about 'timing' as the content