Snackable content, according to Meg Cannistra of Ceros, is comprised of three key characteristics: It’s eye-catching, it’s short and it’s easy to follow. As such, snackable content has always been an important part of marketing, and it is something that tends to work with every generation in one way or another. But for younger consumers, it is the way to go if brands hope to get past their eight-second filter.

With so many media channels, modern consumers are bombarded with marketing messages every minute of the day. Not many have time or the patience to process everything, so to cut through the clutter, information must be direct, quick and simple – aka snackable, or as we like to say, “bite-sized.”

Remember the KISS principle, after all? But don’t confuse simple with easy. It takes a lot of work to boil things down to their simplest, but most effective, elements. Most would agree that it’s a lot easier to explain a point in 500 characters rather than 140 or in 30 seconds versus 10. And while preference for mobile is one thing among younger generations especially, attention span is an entirely different challenge to tackle. They’re distracted and often lack the time, and as mentioned, the tolerance to absorb any sort of long-form communication.

But mobile is a path in the right direction. It not only makes it easy to consume small bites of content but also gives consumers freedom to consume it on their time. And their attention time is a finely tuned filter to sort and digest information at lightning-fast speeds. When using mobile to to connect with consumers, marketers must think “light snacks” in lieu of “steak dinner.” Anything heavy to digest will be a no-go.

One entertainment brand that has mastered this is Tasty. Known as Buzzfeed’s food brand, Tasty creates the ultimate snackable content (no pun intended) with its series of shareable, minute-long cooking videos. These videos are captivating and snappy, leaving little room for boredom or confusion. Notorious for time-lapse editing and high-quality footage of on-trend recipes, it’s the perfect treat for foodies. The proof is in the numbers, with Tasty garnering 500 million people a month to their channel, with a total of nearly 1.8 billion views.

This post was updated on April 1st, 2022.