A few weeks ago, GE Healthcare launched its new short film Heroines of Health. But rather than a standard linear format, the film was chopped into easily digestible, minute-long segments released on Instagram. Constructed so they may be watched in any order, the videos stand alone or grouped together in the way that viewers naturally discover them. This video-a-la-carte format may work best for branded content where viewers are less intrigued than, say, a Game of Thrones episode. It also allows maximum shareability, as users can share only their favorite bits to friends instead of sharing an entire 30-minute film.

At a time when brands are scrambling to create custom content, a-la-carte videos let viewers choose their own adventure to keep interest. It fits the success of Youtuber content, 3-5 minute videos that follow into any other video from that same Youtuber found through the sidebar (or related content from another Youtuber). Subscribers can watch in any order, skip uninteresting videos, and share small bits of content.

The videos do not appear to garner much organic reach (non-promoted posts have a few hundred views), but they are posted on a dedicated Instagram presumably to extend the life of the content past recent posts on a more active page. This keeps videos top of feed, but limits the initial reach. Promoted posts are seeing substantial views in the 20-30k range, but limited comments, maxing out at 30 comments. Many comments appear to be in Arabic, while the subtitles are in English. The lack of success may simply be an issue of targeting.