Education
Top Innovative Video Marketing Trends for 2020
With the COVID-19 pandemic occupying most of 2020, many businesses have had to suffer its dire consequences. Companies have had to shut down, people have lost their jobs, and the economies of countries have gone down by leaps and bounds. With the economy slowly coming back on track, businesses are having to pull themselves up by the bootstraps. Many businesses that have been operating on a loss or not operating at all are having to stand up once again and start operating. The scales of these businesses have reduced considerably, and this has meant that a lot less budget allocation can be done to secondary purposes such as marketing and advertising. This means that alternative marketing methods need to be thought of, such as video marketing. A number of trends have emerged as a response to all of this. The following list contains a list of the major trends of 2020.
1. Live Videos: A few years ago, nobody would’ve thought that live video of any kind would garner the kind of viewership it does now. Live was supposed to be majorly for sports and news. However, with Facebook and YouTube live feeds garnering attention, multiple social media apps have started the option to go live through your mobile phone. A number of question and answer sessions or even interviews are now held between highly followed accounts and their followers.
2. Video Shopping: A new trend that has emerged in 2020 is that of videos containing links to the poster’s products. The video itself is a novel piece of content but is interspersed with ads and product placement. If the viewer is interested in the content being advertised, he does not need to go search for the product. All he needs to do is click on the link in the video itself, and he will be taken to the website where he may purchase the product.
3. 360 Videos: Up to now, 360-degree videos have been among the biggest duds of the internet. This type of video simply does not have any takers, especially on desktops and laptops. This is because the penetration of VR headsets is shallow at this point. However, some big technology players have been hedging their bets on 360-degree videos being the future.
4. One to One Videos: With the end of the pandemic nowhere in sight, it is safe to assume that most office work of the future will take place remotely. Even after the pandemic, economics might dictate that most office work now takes place in the work from home fashion. This will mean that video conferencing is the way to go for the future, whether for a meeting or marketing.
5. Vlogging: Vlogging is not seen by many as the best type of content. It is looked down upon as it is seen as too easy and convenient. Vlogging is generally done even by YouTube celebrities on a secondary channel, and not seen as capable of billing as a primary piece of content. However, as the viewership of vlogging continues to increase, it does seem like marketing through vlogging is also a trend that will continue at least shortly.
6. Finding Videos: Video has undoubtedly become the primary form of content over the past few years. The importance of the written word has decreased with a decrease in attention spans, and that of videos has increased. This is likely to mean that searching for videos will become even more convenient in the future.
7. Training: The pandemic has meant a loss of jobs for many people. Those who have not been able to find an alternative job have generally had to resort to training through online courses. A large number of companies have come up in 2020, which provides completely online training in anything from languages to coding. This is likely to continue in the future as well.
8. Short Videos: All social media platforms have come up with their version of Instagram stories. Facebook has its own stories, and Twitter has also come up with Fleets. This is because people’s reduced attention spans have meant that they enjoy shorter form videos and still images a lot more than they do other content.
9. More Video Platforms: In the previous century, many made the mistake of considering the Ford Motor Company the be-all and end-all of car manufacturing. Today, it is hardly seen on the roads. Similarly, YouTube is not likely to forever remain the leader in video platforms. There will be a lot more video platforms in the future, all attempting to eat into the sizable lead of YouTube.
10. Autoplay: If you’re outdoors with no earphones and need to watch a video, what do you do? You watch it in silence with subtitles, of course. This was a feature first introduced by Facebook, but all video platforms have slowly caught up with it. It is hence always important to add subtitles to your videos so that they can be watched in silent mode.
11. Video Ads: Video ads are likely to increase in the future and become even more pestering than they currently are. This is because these ads are the major form of revenue for video platforms.
12. Explainers: Explainers are likely to be the most-watched video format of the future. The explainer format has started to garner much more support in 2020, and the number of explainer videos has increased manifold. This trend is likely to continue as people are restricted from leaving their houses for regular services and try to learn more skills from the safety of their houses.
Hence, these were the major trends that have been observed in 2020 and are likely to continue. With this in mind, get prepared to see your business grown many times over!
Education
Scaler appoints new heads for its online and offline businesses
Amar Srivastava becomes chief executive of the online business and group chief product officer; Vidit Jain takes charge of the offline schools
BENGALURU: Scaler is shuffling its top deck as the AI skilling race heats up. The Bengaluru-based tech education company has elevated two senior executives to lead its online and offline businesses, signalling a sharper push into an AI-driven market.
Amar Srivastava, previously senior vice president for product and business, has been appointed chief executive of the online business and group chief product officer. Vidit Jain has been elevated to senior vice president and head of Scaler School, taking charge of the company’s offline education units, the Scaler School of Business and the Scaler School of Technology.
The company has also recently appointed Ratnakar Reddy as head of enterprise for India and the Middle East and North Africa, with a brief to drive partnerships with governments and enterprises for AI-led skilling programmes.
Abhimanyu Saxena, co-founder of Scaler, said the promotions reflect the company’s confidence in both leaders and the direction it is heading. “Amar and Vidit have been central to Scaler’s journey, and their elevations reflect our conviction in their leadership and the direction we are shaping as a company,” he said. “With leadership now in place across the business, we remain focused on building engineers the world’s best companies want to hire. In an AI-first economy, that mission is more urgent and more achievable than ever. Our next chapter is centred on building an AI-native workforce from India, equipped to compete in a technology-driven global economy.”
Srivastava brings over a decade of experience building education-focused ventures. He previously founded Intellify and was part of the early team at Doubtnut. At Scaler, he will lead the online business with a focus on growth, profitability and expansion into new segments, while strengthening the product ecosystem across the group. He is blunt about what the AI economy actually needs. “The AI economy does not have a shortage of tools. It has a shortage of engineers who can think clearly, build reliably, and keep learning as the ground shifts. That is what we are building toward,” he said.
Jain brings more than 15 years of experience across startups and consulting, including stints at MPL and McKinsey and Company. He will oversee growth and profitability of Scaler’s offline business. His priorities are immediate and unambiguous. “The offline experience is where depth gets built, and that depth is critical in the AI era. Over the next 12 months, our focus will be on consistent growth, stronger unit economics, and delivering outcomes for students while building long-term employer partnerships,” he said.
Founded in 2019, Scaler is valued at $710 million and backed by Peak XV Partners, Tiger Global and Lightrock India. Its parent firm, InterviewBit, has featured on the Financial Times’ Asia Pacific High Growth Companies rankings every year from 2021 to 2025. On average, Scaler’s learners see a 4.5x return on investment and a salary increase of around 126 per cent.
With leadership locked in across every business unit, Scaler is betting that the next wave of global tech hiring will be won or lost on the quality of engineers coming out of India. It is a big bet. But the numbers, and the promotions, suggest the company is in no mood to hedge.
