Attention is dead. Long live the 90-second soap opera.
Short vertical serial videos with cliffhangers are becoming a real format for branded content, and AI makes them cheaper to test.
By Campaign Middle East · Oct 12, 2026
Attention is dead, says the headline of this Campaign Middle East op-ed by Abhinav Sinha of Xawiya Studios. His argument is that short vertical serials, the kind that end each episode on a cliffhanger, are becoming a serious format for branded content.
He gives four reasons. AI lets producers move quickly. Cliffhangers work like natural ad breaks, and a product can sit inside the plot rather than interrupt it. Brands can test a story cheaply before committing a large budget. And audiences stick with stories they care about, so a brand can earn attention on purpose.
He also warns that AI does not fix weak writing, and that audiences are getting better at spotting synthetic actors. He argues the brands that win will be open about using AI rather than hiding it.
For the MENA market the format suits mobile-first audiences well. The open question is whether brands will invest in story before they invest in reach.