\n\tJCPenney is betting on short stories \u2014 and hoping for long-term benefits.<\/p>\n
\n\tSpanish-language media giant TelevisaUnivision<\/a> has created a short-form \u201cmicrodrama\u201d for the large retailer, a story told over the course of five scripted episodes, each just 90 seconds in length. The program, which is slated to appear across Univision\u2019s TikTok and Instagram channels and JCPenney\u2019s own platforms, including YouTube and Pinterest, launches as the result of TU focusing more intently on entertainment in miniature<\/a> for a new generation of viewers increasingly open to scrolling though quick-hit videos.<\/p>\n \n\tThe new series is \u201cevery bit as drama-inducing as the telenovelas older generations have grown up with,\u201d says Tim Natividad, president of U.S. advertising sales and marketing at TelevisaUnivision, during a recent interview, \u201cbut with the short-form mobile format that these millennial generations have gravitated towards today.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tJCPenney\u2019s interest in the concept \u2014 the retailer tells a holiday-themed tale about the importance of gifts, no matter their cost \u2014 no doubt gives traditional media outlets hope they might prevail in a bite-sized battle. Quick-hit videos have fueled the rise of TikTok and Meta\u2019s Reels, among other venues \u2013and are something the media industry has been trying to monetize for years via efforts ranging from Quibi to Vine.<\/a> Younger consumers are putting increasing focus on such outlets, which always have another video snippet at the ready.\u00a0 Tucking commercials into the new behavior, however, can be unwieldy.<\/p>\n \n\tOn some platforms, the video can be obscured by an advertiser\u2019s \u201coverlay\u201d graphic, which gets in front of the action on screen. And some video publishers use a format that essentially places the vignette a user was watching with a seconds-long ad.<\/p>\n \n\tJCPenney was interested in making a more direct connection with potential customers. \u201cThis holiday, we\u2019re reminding people that it\u2019s what you give, and what you get, that matters more than what you pay, especially knowing how important great value\u00a0is to JCPenney customers. In partnering with TelevisaUnivision, we collaborated on a fresh way to tell that story, with particular resonance with our Hispanic audience across generations,\u201d says Marisa Thalberg, executive vice president and chief customer and marketing officer at Catalyst Brands, which operates JCPenney and other retailers. \u201cWhether they grew up watching telenovelas or are just discovering them now, this format gave us permission to lean into entertainment, humor and yes, a little melodrama \u2014\u00a0all while landing a point about what JCPenney has to offer.\u201d<\/p>\n \n\tTeleviaUnivision has launched dozens of short-form series on its ViX streaming service, but it isn\u2019t the only older pro entering this arena. When ESPN unveiled its much-ballyhooed new \u201cultimate\u201d streaming service<\/a> earlier this year, it did so along with a new interactive version of \u201cSportsCenter\u201d that is perfect for young sports aficionados with limited time. \u201cSportsCenter for You\u201d doesn\u2019t feature anchors or intros. It serves up quick, consecutive clips \u2014 a key play, a short report from a correspondent \u2014 all narrated by Hannah Storm or handful of other ESPN personnel, boosted by A.I. ESPN calls its rapid-fire clips \u201cverts.\u201d Meanwhile, the new Fox One streaming service features \u201cshorts\u201d<\/a> that let users dive into their favorite topics or programs with a series of attenuated video vignettes.<\/p>\n \n\tTelevisaUnivision got on the field early. During this year\u2019s \u201cupfront\u201d market, the company offered sponsorships tied to a new wellspring of \u201cmicrodramas<\/a>\u201d\u2013 under 30 different titles, says Natividad. \u201cWe\u2019ll increase our investment in microcontent next year,\u201d he says, estimating the number original \u00a0projects will number \u201cup to 100\u201d in 2026. \u201cWe actually not only have audiences engaged in microcontent,\u201d he says, \u201cbut brands are coming to us saying, \u2018Hey, we know a trend when we see it.\u2019\u201d Citing internal research, he\u00a0 estimates the \u00a0average user watches more than 20 \u201cmicros,\u201d each just a minute long, during a typical session.<\/p>\n