Let’s ignore the Vine -vs- Instagram rivalry for a moment and focus on what Vine actually represents.

The Vine Phenomenon

Twitter acquired Vine, a 6 second mobile video application, in October 2012, and debuted the app on the iPhone in January 2013. For anyone that has missed 2013 so far, Vine is one of the few apps that immediately broke free from the pack and caught fire. As of June, Vine has exceeded 13 million users.

To the unexposed, 6 seconds may seem like a insufficient length of time for video…and in some ways that’s not untrue. But for those who have seen the creativity that the 6 second constraint provides, you know that Vine is perfect the way it is.

We have all witnessed the rise of the YouTube star, the Instagram power users, the Twitter rockstars, and mavens of every platform…Vine is no different and we will see individuals that rise above the rest.

For every medium, there are those that will “get it.” And those that “get it” can generate enormous exposure.

This video (at the time of posting this blog) has 35,409 likes, 2,151 comments and 25,300 revines. Now tell me that’s not remarkable.

Vine vs Instagram

Ok, ok, I know you all want to talk about Instagram video and what that will do to Vine. 15 seconds vs 6 seconds. Twitter-owned vs Facebook-owned. So here we go…

STOP IT!

Not everything is a competition, not everything is winner take all. Vine is a unique platform, with a unique audience. This is the same debate we’ve been having since 2008 about Twitter vs Facebook. There is plenty of room on our smartphones for both apps, and there are plenty of users for both applications to still be successful and valuable.

Instead, let’s focus on what Vine can mean for you.

The Individual

As an individual, Vine is an opportunity to entertain people 6 seconds at a time. The question becomes, how many good Vine videos do you need to make to become a phenomenon?

Creativity is obvious when you see a good Vine video.

A friend of mine has wholeheartedly embraced Vine, and I get to see another side of him. I’ve always thought he was funny, but his Vine’s are showing me how creative he can be.

The Business

If your audience is on Vine, it might be time to figure out how to entertain and engage them there. RevZilla does a particularly good job of using Vine.

But it’s not just about entertainment. Is it possible to inform your audience in 6 seconds? You betcha. Check out Lowe’s:

Bottom Line

Here’s the take-away: Vine exists, and people use it. Whether it goes away tomorrow is irrelevant because opportunity is there today. Like a Haiku, Vine provides a structure to work within. If you can see that structure and work creativly within it, there is no limit to what you can do with the platform. Vine will undoubtedly make someone or some company very popular. People are going to get their 15 minutes of fame, it’s just going to start happening in 6 second increments.