Branded entertainment as it pertains to authors is heavily restricted in the United States. Although the Hemingway Foundation promotes his writings, they are not legally allowed to use any of the author’s written words in their creative expressions. Hemingway in 15 Seconds became a way around this restriction in that it allowed us to reinterpret his books into a 15 second film format. All of the entertainment was there with none of the actual character dialog or narrative.

The videos were created specifically for an audience who lives on their phones, allowing them to absorb an entire Hemingway novel without ever putting it down. The films’ different animation styles were designed to stand out in their social feeds. And although they were launched on Instagram, the films were widely shared across other social media.

The Hemingway Foundation’s Instagram account became an instant hit, receiving over 1.2 million likes and 12,000 comments to date. The campaign was picked up by press around the world, and has even caught the attention of educators who are now using the videos as a tool for teaching Hemingway in classrooms. All this happened with zero paid support.