Unpacking the Distinctive Features of Short-Form Video Advertising: A Comment Analysis of Consumer Commentaries

Short-form video advertisements, characterized by their brevity and nontraditional promotional approaches, have become a distinctive tool for encouraging active consumer participation and word-of-mouth engagement in digital marketing. This study investigates the unique characteristics of short-form video advertisements on major platforms such as TikTok, YouTube Shorts, and Instagram Reels. To elucidate consumer perceptions of these advertisements, comment data collected via web crawling were systematically analyzed using Latent Dirichlet Allocation topic modeling. The analysis of extensive consumer commentaries resulted in the identification of four principal topics: Interactive Engagement, Consumer Utilization as a Key Marketing Tool, Uniquely Created Content, and Anticipated Value and Curiosity. Among these, Uniquely Created Content emerged as the most prominent theme, followed by Anticipated Value and Curiosity, Interactive Engagement, and Consumer Utilization as a Key Marketing Tool. The findings of this research offer a theoretical basis for understanding short-form video advertising and provide practical insights for marketers in crafting effective strategies for consumer engagement and brand communication.