Best 7 Most Engaging Commercials of 2021

While it may feel like 2022 is just getting started, we’re a few days into the year, and 2021 was a great year for tv contents especially tv commercials so we have made a list of the most engaging commercials of 2021 to talk about.

We’ll go into more detail below, but here are our seven picks for the most engaging commercial of 2021 (in no particular order):

  • Double The Luxury by Double H Luxury 
  • Black Shines Brightest by Guinness
  • Glover For Everyone by Glover
  • We Move by MTN Nigeria
  • That Feeling by Bet King
  • Find Your Beautiful by Darling Hair
  • Turu Ugo Lota by Life Lager

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Most Engaging Commercials Of 2021

  1. Double The Luxury by Double H Luxury 

The creative directors behind Double H Luxury’s advert did a great job. The brand’s message was clear- no matter the kind of day you’ve been through, your luxury apartment would be waiting to make it all better! Through the eyes of a couple, they also projected a typical day in the life of Nigerians such as balancing work, family, and simply trying to commute in a city like Lagos. The fully automated short-let apartment features a voice-controlled two-bedroom suite, a private in-house movie theatre, and cuisine freshly prepared by world-class chefs.

  • Black Shines Brightest by Guinness

Guinness has launched “Black shines brightest”, the biggest pan-African campaign in over a decade in Kenya. Inspired by the bold and unique black beer of Guinness stout and brings together passionate and creative individuals to celebrate the spirit of Guinness and its home across African markets.  Energetic and empowering, the campaign celebrates individuals coming together, fizzing with optimism, creativity and potential. Across the continent, a generation of individuals, inspired by each other and the people around them, are coming together as they unite to take on the opportunities in front of them.

  • Glover For Everyone by Glover

The commercial highlights the unique products of the business and their usefulness to the lifestyle of everyday Nigerians in Gifting, bill payments, and excess airtime challenges.

It also reveals the actions taken by common people in making sure their everyday activities and lifestyle are faced without any interruptions; a solution which the Glover app has taken responsibility to create.

The 30-second commercial focused on the three features of the Glover app- GiftcardRefill, and Airtime2Cash, showing a woman in her mid-years receiving a gift in the form of a giftcard from her child, with a note to buy the one thing she really wanted.

  • We Move by MTN Nigeria

This has got to be one of the most relatable ads to come of Nigeria in 2021. First of all, the title is from the streets. “We Move’ was a trending slang amongst the youths at the time the ad was released, and MTN capitalized on it to share a touching story, one similar to what the majority of the youths in Nigeria are currently facing. Plus, it made use of music, another passion point of the youth. No wonder it was an instant hit. 

There were other similar ads in terms of concept and story released before and after We Move launched, but MTN’s ad had more impact. Not only is the ad more popular, but the melodious song also made it more memorable.

  • That Feeling by Bet King

And on the number one spot is a totally unexpected yet simple ad by Bet King titled That Feeling. The ad which featured former Nigerian Super Eagles Star, Jay Jay Okocha is by far the most creative of the lot! Rather than simply telling people to bet to win on their platform, the ad sold a feeling instead. It depicts a happy feeling as Bet King, which means that one is always happy when on the platform. Doesn’t that mean that one would always win? Yes, the ad says that without actually saying it. Also, the ad concept, the music, and Okocha’s funny dancing made this ad one of the most fun and memorable!

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  • Black Girl Magic by Darling Hair

The official hair brand for BigBrother Naija never disappoints with its adverts. Not only does it capture the beauty and magical essence of women in Nigeria and beyond, but it also reinforces the brand’s position as an innovator and expert in quality hairstyles and extensions. Darling Nigeria is committed to giving customers the trendiest styles and quality hair at the best possible price. “So wherever life takes you, you can #FindYourBeautiful.”

  • Turu Ugo Lota by Life Lager

Barely few months ago, Life Lager launched a strategic ad specifically targeting the east, titled Turu Ugo Lota, and it made the number 4 spot on this list. The reason is not far-fetched. The use of the celebrity father and son duo of Pete Edochie and his son Yul, the unique father and son type narration, the content of the narration ladened with deep-rooted messages, and the quality of production catapulted this ad far above any other in its category.

 And most importantly, judging by the level of engagement and nature of comments on the ad, it is safe to say that the easterners whom it targeted, felt a deep connection with the ad.

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Conclusion: Adverts, why are they important 

Across the world, manufacturers and service providers typically operate in saturated markets where competition is rife. The situation is not any different in Nigeria. To stand out, it is not enough for companies to offer high-quality products and services; they must also be able to adequately communicate the benefits of their products and services to customers in order to attract their patronage. This is the whole essence of marketing communication. 

Advertisements are inevitable in the world of business. For this reason, companies are ever willing to expend billions of naira per year for the development and dissemination of befitting ads. So far this year, the ads highlighted above are the ones that really caught our attention. Have you been influenced by them to purchase? 

So, if you’re a business owner and you want to create a professional video that will get you those kinds of results, it’s the perfect time to contact with kennysoft STUDIOs.

With our state-of-the-art equipment and marketing savvy, our team of experts knows what it takes to create a high-quality video that will impress your customers and help you reach your marketing goals!

Best 9 Smartphone Photography Tips And Tricks

Young funny pretty traveler tourist woman with retro vintage photo camera doing selfie on mobile phone with monopod selfish stick at airport. Passenger traveling abroad on weekend. Air flight concept

The smartphone photography as we know it some years ago is not the same as we know it today, the world of technology has change how people take pictures this day. In today’s advance fast pasta world, you can take a fully professional photography with a smartphone and the most amazing part of it is that it’s very easy to take pictures with your smartphone just a click of a button you have taken amazing pictures.

Your smartphone is always with you, a constant companion that can connect to the web to look up any tiny nugget of trivia, and generally keep you in constant contact with the outside world. It’s one of the key items you grab before leaving the house, and the last time you (probably) turned it off was at the movie theater.

This also makes your phone your take-everywhere, shoot-anything digital camera. Just a few short years ago, making images and video with smartphones was a compromise, with poorer image quality but a heck of a lot more convenience than a good point-and-shoot camera.

But times have changed and phone cameras have gotten better and better. The latest models offer superior imaging and video to budget point-and-shoot cameras, and offer nifty software tricks to blur backgrounds, just like an SLR and f/2 or f/1.4 lens.

So today I’m going to show you my readers some amazing smartphone photography tips and tricks that will help you take better pictures with just a click of a button, without no further ado let’s get started.

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Smartphone Photography Tips And Tricks

  1. Start With A Good Camera Phone:
  1. Smartphone camera quality has enjoyed a big leap forward in quality over the past couple of years. If you’re using an older handset, chances are the camera isn’t up to snuff. If camera quality is a priority when shopping for a new one, make sure you peruse our list of the top camera phones we’ve tested. But remember that you really can’t go wrong with the latest Apple iPhone, Google Pixel, OnePlus, or Samsung Galaxy devices.
  • Look For The Light:

Smartphones have very bright lenses and include special modes for making images in very dim light—the Night modes in the latest iPhone and Pixels do a much better job than point-and-shoot cameras. Even so, it’s a good idea to find some light to illuminate a snapshot. Whether it be some sunlight from a window for an indoor portrait, or a neon sign for a nighttime photo in a city, it’s always smart to find some environmental illumination—smartphone flashes leave a lot to be desired in comparison.

  • Adjust Exposure:
  • Smartphones are the modern point-and-shoot, but the apps that run their cameras typically offer some level of manual control. The most basic adjustment you can make is exposure—brightening or darkening a scene—and using it effectively can turn a bland image into a head-turner. Use it to brighten the shot of your fancy dinner to make it perfect for Instagram, or to darken shadows in a portrait for a more dramatic look.

The feature isn’t always labeled the same. On an iPhone you’ll want to drag the sun icon, to the right of the focus confirmation box, up to brighten an image or down to darken it. Android phones typically have the more traditional +/- icon for exposure adjustment.

  • Turn On Your Grid:
  • Pro SLRs usually have framing grids in the viewfinder window to help you better square up shots and conform to compositional guidelines like the rule of thirds. (For more on composition and other photo basics, read our tips for basic photography, which apply as much to smartphones as they do to pro cameras.)

You can turn on the same thing in your phone’s camera app. Adding a grid line gives you help in keeping the horizon straight and is a big plus for portraits in front of famous landmarks. With the notable exception of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, it’s generally a good idea to keep upright structures perfectly vertical in your photos.

  • Learn Your Camera’s Features:

The imaging capabilities of modern smartphone cameras are staggering. We’ve seen advances in computational photography that allow you to make SLR-level photos with your phone. Learn what your phone does, and when to use them. You’ll want to turn on HDR for most phones for day-to-day photography. Use Night mode for images shot in dim interiors or outdoors after the sun has set. Portrait mode is an option on many phones; it blurs the background behind your subject and is sometimes called the Bokeh Effect. Those are the basics—some phones may have more specialized modes available.

  • Try an Add-On Lens:
  • Smartphone camera stacks are pretty complex. Basic phones may still have one rear lens, but midrange and higher-end handsets often include a wide-angle or telephoto lens as a complement. You may still want to add a quality add-on lens. We’ve tested a number of these over the years, and have found the lenses from Moment to be the best of the bunch. You’ll pay more than with a bargain-basement alternative, but you’ll see the difference in results. Picking the type of add-on lens is important too. I think a macro adds the most versatility to your phone’s camera, but you may prefer an ultra-wide, a fish-eye, or a telephoto conversion lens. Video fans should check out Moment’s anamorphic add-on, it gives footage an extra-wide cinematic aspect ratio.
  • Get A Gimbal:
  • It’s not all about images. Basic compact cameras are stuck at 1080p, but if you’ve got a recent smartphone you have a 4K-capable video camera in your pocket. Flagship models include optical image stabilization, but that can only go so far. If you want truly smooth, great-looking video, think about a powered gimbal to keep your phone steady. Our favorite is the DJI OM 5, a $160 device that steadies video, can track moving subjects, and also supports time-lapse and panoramic stitching.

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  • Add A Microphone:
  • When shooting video, good audio is more important than sharp footage. Your phone’s internal mic is meant for making phone calls—not recording high-quality audio. Headphone jacks may be disappearing from phones, but you can get a microphone that plugs directly into your USB or Lightning port, or one that works with your phone’s audio dongle. Just make sure to read some reviews to make sure the mic is compatible with your particular phone and its operating system.
  1. Stand Still, Hold Steady:
  1. Smartphones are incredibly lightweight devices and, folding phones aside, are very thin for a better fit your pocket than most dedicated cameras. That’s good news for portability, but it’s hard to hold a featherweight phone steady, and it takes some care to keep its lens plum and parallel to your subject. For better snapshots, take some time to set yourself before a shot. Stand steady, hold your phone like a camera (with both hands) and take advantage of any physical controls for exposure—if you can use a volume button to take a photo you can more easily hold your phone with two hands when making an image.

Our Best Smartphone Photography Tips And Tricks:

We hope you’ve learned something new and interesting, continue to use your smartphone to capture the world around you.  Do you have a favorite tip, photo app, or accessory for use with your smartphone’s camera? Please share it in the comments below.

Best top 10 Video marketing statistics of 2021

video marketing trends 2021

video marketing statics overview

Are you looking for a piece of trustworthy statistical information about video marketing? then this is for you, The scope of marketing has changed in the past decades. From the conventional media to the newer, vibrant digital platforms, marketing has evolved significantly. With the need for a more engaging and memorable way of interacting with customers, videos have proved ideal to marketers.

In 2022, video marketing is one of the top dominating content strategies. Companies are not only driving the majority of their content through videos; they are also generating numerous business leads. While marketing videos can take many forms, they are cheap, easy to produce and do a great deal of advertising.

With video advertising being a great way of advertising, here are some mind-blowing video marketing statistics to look at. 

Key video marketing statistics

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If you think that video content is the future of marketing, then you are right. These statistics are proof that videos have the power to revolutionize your brand;

Video is likely to take up to 82% of the internet by 2021. According to a study by Cisco, videos will outdo majority of other forms of content marketing such as blogging, eBooks, email, and social media posts.

  • Before purchasing a product or service, 50% of internet users look for related videos. This means that having videos for your products is likely to earn you more customers than without.
  • Video content attracts more than 300% more traffic than the popular channels in content marketing. Also, it nurtures leads and boosts website traffic on a slashed budget.
  • Videos engage users longer on your website. According to a 2018 study by Forbes, the average internet user spends 88% more time on a website with videos. Users retain messages better when in video form than in written content.
  • A website is 53x more likely to rank on Google’s front page if it has videos. Besides, videos increase organic search traffic on a site by 157%. For SEO purposes, use as many videos as possible in your website content – when relevant of course. This way, your content will rank high in search engines.
  • Videos are a vital tool for marketing software products. Nearly 80% of software products or app buyers do so after watching the brand’s video.
  • In 2021, 89% of marketers say that video content gives them a good ROI. That figure is up from 78% in 2018. This increase in relevance among users shows why videos are gaining much-needed traction in the marketing industry.
  • Video content gives marketers 66% more qualified leads in a year. Also, video content increases brand awareness by 54%.
  • According to HubSpot, 97% of marketers say that video marketing helps users understand their brand better.

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Social media video statistics

Social media integration has elevated businesses to new heights. With the increased relevance of social media platforms, more people consume social media content. Here are some social medial video marketing statistics to look at;

Youtube marketing statistics

It’s unquestionably that YouTube is among the most widely known search engine tools. Here are some YouTube video statistics you should be aware of;

YouTube comes only second to Google when it comes to the most popular website

It’s easy to say that YouTube marketing is the best for “how-to” and other informative videos. These stats show that YouTube is a powerful marketing tool, and you can actually supplement it with additional tools to boost your content outreach.

Facebook video marketing statistics

Since its inception, Facebook has grown into a powerful marketing platform. With newer features such as the live video, group videos, and pin-featured videos, it is becoming a great deal to marketers.

These stats show that you can rely on Facebook for brand engagement and shares. It’s a favorite social media platform with great user experience.

Instagram

Instagram has over 1 billion users, with 63% of them logging it every day. It is a highly popular social media platform, especially among the youth and millennials. If your target market lies in this population, Instagram can be an excellent platform for you. Here are some essential Instagram video marketing statistics for your business;

By being easily skimmable and visually intuitive, Instagram marketing be effective due to its vast popularity.

Other social media video statistics

While Facebook and YouTube are the giant platforms when it comes to video marketing, other channels still make a huge impact. Here are some stats from other popular social media platforms that you should look at;

Essential things to know about video marketing

Are you wondering whether now is the right time for video content marketing? Worry less, because you have factual proof that video marketing is all you need to do.

There is increased demand for video content

The preference for video content is on the rise. While it’s understandable that video content was initially limited to entertainment, a study shows that 54% of respondents want more video content from their preferred brands.

If you are still tied between producing more videos and writing content, the former is what you need to do. The majority of industry influencers are proactively creating video content to market brands, and so should you. Video is the way to go if you want more of your audience’s attention.

Video marketing is a very powerful tool

87% of marketing professionals are using videos to reach out to their audience. This is contributed by the increase in demand for video content. Many marketing professionals are putting more trust in video content because it increases user engagement and improves brand trust. With video content being an integral part of digital marketing, more and more brands are adopting it.

Video marketing has a great ROI

All that marketers want is a good return on investment, and 89% of video marketers are okay with that. Furthermore, 87% of marketers said that it increases website traffic, with more than 80% saying that it has helped increase sales. 91% of respondents said that video marketing on social media had a good ROI. Among the interviewed brands, 93% got a new customer from social media marketing.

Videos are gaining popularity

The time users spend viewing videos online is increasing. From 2016 to 2019, there has been a 59% increase in the average time spent weekly on watching online videos. Audiences under the age of 36 spend a considerably more extended period watching videos than their elder counterparts.

Videos have an increasing role in internet traffic

With videos’ growing popularity, its share in internet traffic is on the rise. By 2022, 82% of all global traffic will come from video streaming. Traffic from live videos will grow 15-fold from 2017 to 2022.

The bottom line

The above 2021 video marketing statistics should be an eye-opener to your marketing endeavors. They equip you with the necessary insights and morale to pursue video content as a means of selling out your business.

Whatever business you are engaging in, consider Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube videos. They will not only generate more traffic but also nurture leads and set your business afar from competition.

What is video marketing? And 5 ways to leverage on it

what is video marketing

To begin with our topic of the day what is video marketing?

Video marketing is the production of engaging videos around a marketing strategy that delivers business results. The perfect blend of storytelling and promotion that maximizes your marketing funds.

Video and marketing go together like peanut butter and jelly.

From traditional television commercials in the 1960s to today’s YouTube, Snapchat, Vimeo, and even Facebook Live, it’s no secret that video has become a staple of our everyday lives.

While convenient and efficient for the consumer, video marketing provides marketers with an attractive, versatile, and extremely shareable medium to reach their audiences. In case you don’t know In Nigeria, digital video marketing is a $135 billion industry. That means brands everywhere are realizing the value of video and investing in its creation and distribution.

And, because of this growth, you’re now behind if you aren’t releasing branded video content regularly.

How to leverage on video marketing for business

Now that you know what is video marketing and the prospect it holds for your business lets dive into ways you can leverage on video marketing for your business and increase sale.

While going viral should never be the objective of your video marketing campaign (never ever!), the term itself has seemed to have taken off this year, exploded even…

Marketers, we’ve been hearing lots of stats like these: 5 billion videos are watched on YouTube every single day, 1200% more shares are generated by social videos than text and images combined, videos on a landing page increase conversions by 80% and 80% of users recall a video ad they have seen online in the past month.

Eek…Well, if that’s the case then you best get to grips with the best practices for ensuring your video marketing campaigns smash your objectives and propel your social media forward. Below we reveal some of our favorite tips to help you create compelling, inspiring and actionable online videos.

1.    Center Your Video Around the Story, Not the Sale

There is a heap of sales clutter on the Internet that is actively annoying and repelling your customers. Don’t let your brand be that guy – instead, your video should be centered around the story and not the sale. Remember: the same rules that apply for written content marketing apply for video marketing – concentrate on the value you’re providing for your customers.

Make the most of the emotive power of video by appealing to your consumers’ needs and hidden desires. Scared you’ll lose leads this way? You can always place a strategic and relevant call to action alongside a tracked URL at the end of your video (just make sure it fits into your overall story).

2.    Define Your Video Marketing Goals

In order to know whether you’ve actually achieved what you’ve set out to accomplish with your video marketing strategy, you need to set measurable goals.

Content intelligence platform Conductor recommends defining marketing goals for both revenue and your brand.

Revenue-based goals focus on things like increasing lead form inquiries while brand goals involve things like growing a higher quality email list, driving more blog traffic, or capturing Google answer boxes for targeted keywords.

Brand goals can be just as important as revenue ones because they help position you for future success and often take into account qualitative feedback.

Some common video goals include:

Brand Awareness—typically measured using brand recall and recognition, frequency/quality of mentions, or video views

Demand Generation and Conversion—typically measured by lead count, impact on conversion rate, or influence on sales opportunity and pipeline generation

Viewer Engagement—typically measured by average engagement (also known as the average length of time viewers watched the video)

How to Set S.M.A.R.T. Goals

As with any kind of marketing goal, following the S.M.A.R.T. goal setting framework is a good place to start.

Specific

The goal should zero in on a specific aspect of your strategy. After all, saying you want to get more views is great, but what does it actually mean?

Measurable

The goal should be accompanied by a relevant key performance indicator (KPI) and metrics that can be used to measure its success.

Attainable

The goal should be something that’s within reach of your department without “sandbagging” (deliberately setting a goal that isn’t a challenge for the team to reach). Try starting with a baseline and determining a desired increase (or decrease, as the case may be) from there.

Relevant

The goal should be relevant to your overall business objectives AND a good fit for the types of objectives that video is best suited to meet

Time-Bound

The goal should have a timeframe in which it can reasonably be achieved so that you can accurately measure how effective your efforts have been. While some goals can be tackled in a quarter or two, others may require a longer timeframe, like a year. Go one step further by breaking down your overall goal into weekly targets. That way you know what you need to be doing, every step of the way.

An example of a S.M.A.R.T. video marketing goal—one that is specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound—might look like this:

We will increase time on page for key pages on our website by 15% this quarter by embedding relevant videos.

3.    What Kind of Video Should I Create?

Once you have your strategy laid out, it’s time to think about the actual video you’re going to create. Easy peasy, right? Well, not exactly…

Every type and every style of video has its own pros and cons. Some types might be better for you depending on your specific marketing goals, others are better if you’re just looking to save some cash long-term.

If you don’t know the difference, you’re not alone. That’s why we’re breaking down some of the most common types and styles of video, so you can get the video creation process started!

5 Most Popular Types of Videos

From brand videos to FAQs to instructional videos and more, there are almost countless types of videos you can make in conjunction with your marketing funnel.

Despite there being so many, certain types of videos are better suited to meet your marketing goals. Once you’ve got your goals strategized, you can start learning about how each video type differs and pick the ones that’s right for you.

  1. COMMERCIALS

Commercials are brief, attention-grabbing videos that highlight your company’s best features with a dynamic scene, beautiful imagery, or summary of exciting features, and end with a clear call to action. They’re the most common type of video — you’ve probably watched a ton on TV, streaming services, or video platforms like YouTube. Because their primary goal is to attract new customers, commercials are often broad in appeal and provide only the most important and relevant information a viewer might need.

And, most importantly, they’re memorable! They show off your brand in a way that sticks with the viewer, so if it’s the viewer’s first time being exposed to your brand, they won’t soon forget it.

Commercials are typically short, only 30 seconds to one minute long, and distributed via paid advertising online or on television. They’re also great on your website or homepage, since they provide a general overview of your brand and encapsulate your brand mission in a quick and easily-digestible format.

  • SOCIAL CONTENT VIDEOS

Social content videos are short video clips created solely for social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. These are usually fun, playful, engaging, and designed to be shared. They can include lifestyle shots, a montage of scenes relating to your product or service, short interview sound bites or quotes, or just a beautiful shot of your product.

If you haven’t seen a commercial on TV, then you’ve definitely seen a video on social media. Social videos can be almost anything and usually fall anywhere along the buyer’s journey. Due to their fun, engaging nature and shorter length, they most often help engage potential and current customers.

Try to keep social content videos under 30 seconds. Pay attention to aspects unique to social media, like muted autoplay and video looping; you can actually use these tools to your advantage by playing with silent audio and creating seemingly endless loops. Also take advantage of highlighting positive customer feedback in your social videos — this increases your credibility and spreads positive word of mouth.

  • EXPLAINER VIDEOS

Explainer videos are videos that teach your audience more about your company, brand, product, or service. Like social content videos, almost any video can be an explainer video, the only requirement is a focus on how your company solves a particular problem.

Explainer videos are excellent introductions to your brand. They should quickly and efficiently explain what your company does and why that matters. Typically, under three minutes, explainers end with a strong call to action and offer a simple solution to a complex problem.

Remember, these videos should always answer three main questions: What’s your audience’s problem? How will your product or service fix it? Why should your audience choose you?

  • Product Videos

A product video tells your audience about your best-selling products or services and their top features. It shows your product in action and helps increase consumer confidence in your company or brand.

Here, your main goal will likely be to attract new customers who are in the first stage of product research. You’ll want to show off not only the beauty of your product, but its utility and necessity. You’ll also want to highlight what makes your product better than the rest — since these new visitors are still doing research, you’ll want to make sure your product video sets you apart from your competition.

Product videos are usually about 30 seconds long and can be shared on your website, social media platforms, via email, or through paid advertising. Use high-quality production and great sound, whether it’s music, dialogue, or voice-over, to communicate how amazing your product is.

  • TESTIMONIALS

Testimonial videos are one of the strongest types of videos you can make; they show past or current satisfied customers talking about their positive experience using your product or service.

Honest personal feedback from a customer is stronger than anything you could say about your own company. According to a recent survey, 90 percent of consumers say their buying decisions are influenced by online reviews, so use these reviews to increase your brand credibility and convince your prospects to take the plunge.

Customer testimonials are usually between 30 seconds and two minutes long and can focus on one happy customer or numerous. These videos are highly versatile, meaning you can publish them almost anywhere. You’ll just want to make sure whoever you film is wholly authentic — a forced or fake-feeling testimonial could be more detrimental to your brand, so take some time to find the perfect person.

 

4.                What Style of Video Should I Create?

Picking the right video type is crucial to your video’s success, but so is picking the right video style. Style is a broader term that relates to your video’s tone and messaging. It affects how your actual story is told — are you using actors? Graphics? Dialogue? Specific locations? Together, these elements create your video’s style. Pick the right style and you’ll draw in the audience that’s most likely to convert.

  1. LIFESTYLE

A lifestyle video is any video that appeals directly to your target demographic, helping them visualize how your product or service fits into their way of life. Beautiful visuals, actions shots, and stunning imagery should set the mood and epitomize the lifestyle you want to associate with your product.

This means working to create a specific look or style for your video. If your product is modern and sleek, you’ll want a video with sleek, minimal design, plain backgrounds, and modern accessories. If your product serves a young, high-tech demographic, you’ll want your video to showcase tech culture, young, smart actors, and functional utility. Think of your brand aesthetic and make sure your video follows that aesthetic.

Lifestyle videos usually range between 30 seconds and two minutes, and feature locations that best highlight your product’s exemplary features.

  • MINI-DOC

Mini-documentaries are less about your brand’s visual aesthetics and focus more on expressing your company’s core value or mission statement in a documentary-style format. This is usually accomplished through interviews with key company representatives, like founders, employees, or satisfied customers.

To make a big impression, it’s important your mini-doc keeps it short and sweet. You want to highlight excellent sound bites that tell viewers exactly who you are, all while maintaining their attention. While feature-length documentaries have enough time to develop a full, three-act story, mini-docs don’t. They have to establish their story by quickly answering three crucial questions: what, why, and how. What is the focus of this video? Why should the viewer care about this? How does your subject work? This helps you get key pieces of information to your audience in a fun and interesting way.

We recommend keeping mini-docs to under a minute, though they can be a little bit longer. Unfortunately, viewer attention span drops dramatically after the minute-mark, so try to tell your story as best you can in the time you have.

  • NARRATIVE

Narrative videos are probably the most recognizable style of video besides animation. They use classic storytelling elements, including character building, conflict, and resolution, to tell your brand story in an entertaining and engaging way. They create a journey — one your viewer can easily follow and relate to.

Because their goal is to tell a story, narrative videos often work best top of funnel, when users are just learning about the problem they face and you’re introducing your brand. Whether you tell the story of how your company came to be, the story of a frustrated customer finding you for the first time, or the story of a fictional hero character, your narrative should be memorable and help your brand stay on the mind of anyone who watches it.

Remember, watching should be a fun experience, so make sure you have fun writing, producing, and sharing your video. Use heavy branding and remember your company’s mission as you create it, otherwise the story can start to get away from you.

  • Animation

Animated videos have the power to engage and captivate your audience like no other. Animation is an interesting style because it can be used independently of the content in your video; almost any type of video can be made in the style of animation. But animation is especially powerful when it comes to explaining difficult-to-understand concepts or technology.

It’s also great for combining with other styles. You can have a lifestyle video that uses animated graphics or animated cutaways, or you can use it entirely on its own. It’s wonderfully versatile and spices up almost any video you create.

Keep in mind that animation can be less costly to create (no equipment, less time on set, etc.) but can take much longer because of the technical skill per frame that it requires. Keep a pros and cons list handy before deciding whether animation is right for you.

What Are the Three Stages of Video Production?

Now you’re ready for the big show. Your video strategy is set, you know what video goals you want to accomplish, and you know exactly the type and style of video that’ll help you get there. You’re ready to start the fun stuff!

5. How Do I Distribute My Video?

You’ve got your amazing video and your entire team loves it. Now what? How do you actually get people watching it and sharing it? Well, that all comes down to distribution!

Distributing your video on the right channels is essential for your video’s success. Owned, paid, and earned distribution channels each have their own pros and cons, but using the right balance of them all can propel your video to new heights, spreading your brand awareness and converting users at every stage of the marketing funnel.

Let’s take a look at each of these in a little more detail.

  1. OWNED

Publishing your video across all your owned channels is probably the easiest way to distribute your video, and the one method that cannot be ignored. It includes every channel you own, like your website, PDFs, digital documents, email lists, ecommerce pages, apps, and more. These channels are the primary sources of information about your company and brand, so use every single one you can intelligently and with purpose.

Here are some of the owned distribution channels you should use for your video.

WEBSITE

From your homepage to your ecommerce pages, put your video on as many pages as possible on your website; this will help not only drive more visitors to your site, but engage them once they’re there. If you have more than one video, even better! This is the first place you’ll want to start gathering video views — and probably the most impactful of all the views you’ll get.

BLOG

No matter what your video is about, publishing it on your blog is a must. Home to informative, educational content, as well as more brand-specific marketing content, visitors will expect your blog to host any and all relevant product news you have to share. Better yet, if someone is browsing your blog, they’re ready to commit time to your content. What better way to engage them than video?

EMAIL

Email is an easy way to reach those who’ve already interacted with your brand or given you their contact information. A direct line of communication, you can embed your video in any newsletter, email sequence, automated email, or promotional email.

SOCIAL MEDIA (ORGANIC)

Social algorithms are increasingly prioritizing video content, so you’ll want to make sure you’re promoting your video numerous times on all your social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and more. Video generates 1,200 percent more shares than links and images combined, so this is a required (and easy) place to promote your video and reach a large audience.

Because you own these channels, there should be no issue using them to distribute your video. With a simple website update or email blast, your video can be in front of more people, telling your brand story to those who most want to hear it.

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  • PAID

Even a small advertising budget can pay off big.

Paid distribution, or paying money for the distribution of your video via advertising, has become almost essential to the successful marketing of any video. Because most sites don’t charge for the use of their services (think Facebook or content sites like Buzzfeed), charging for distribution has become their one way of earning money — meaning video creators like you sometimes have to pay more to get your content seen by a wider audience.

But that’s OK! Even a small advertising budget can pay off big, and with the right balance of paid and non-paid distribution, your video can reach exactly the right people.

Here are a few paid distribution methods you should take full advantage of.

SEARCH ADS

Search ads aren’t video-friendly just yet, but you can target high-volume keywords related to your product, service, or brand and create a landing page for your video content. Whether your goal is to educate about a certain topic or introduce your product, you can drive these high-traffic keywords to your page for a low cost per click and get huge returns.

SOCIAL MEDIA (PAID)

Just like organic posts, paid social media posts can spread your content far. Paid posts, however, allow you to target the exact type of person you want watching your ads. Organic posting is only shown to your immediate fans, but with paid advertising, your content can target all sorts of demographics, locations, income levels, interests, and beyond — ensuring only the people most likely to purchase from you actually see your ad.

NATIVE ADVERTISING

Native advertising embeds your video content onto a third-party website in a natural way that doesn’t disrupt the user’s experience. For instance, if you own a bakery and created a commercial about all the different types of cakes you sell, your video might be naturally embedded on a food website in an article about baking. This advertising is slightly more expensive than social or search ads, but have high returns thanks to the relevance of the content.

SPONSORED CONTENT

This is any form of content which was paid for, usually by a company promoting another company or brand. It is written in the style of the site publishing it, much like native advertising, but isn’t actually an ad — it’s a valuable piece of written or visual content meant to inform the viewer. Usually, sponsored posts get organically shared via social networks, too, so they get an extra push when it comes to distribution.

INFLUENCER OUTREACH

Influencer outreach is both a paid and earned type of distribution. Basically, you reach out to “influencers,” or social accounts or personalities with a lot of followers, to share or promote your content. They may do it for free, but the right influencer may need a bigger incentive. Work with them to create a video you’ll both benefit from.

  • EARNED

Earned video distribution is one of the trickiest types of distribution due to its uncontrollable nature. Try as you may, earned media means you’re essentially leaving this distribution up to chance, though there are some definite efforts you can make to push the needle a little further in your favor. Since earned media is totally free to implement, it’s just a matter of putting in the effort and not being afraid to follow up.

Though earned media can be a little unpredictable, here are a few ways you can increase your earned distribution efforts.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Social sharing is one of the simplest forms of earned distribution. It often happens organically, but you can encourage social shares by getting the ball rolling. Set up a schedule to post your video content from your corporate and personal accounts on every social channel you’re active on. Send a private message to friends and family to do the same. If you know anyone in a related field or industry, make sure they share your content, too! Though it’s not the best method, you can even incentivize shares by creating a contest or giveaway through an app like Rafflecopter.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

An easy way to get others to create content for you and talk about you is by sending your product to online reviewers, like YouTube influencers, or asking your customers directly to write or record their own reviews. This increases your brand’s credibility (as long as the reviews are positive) and spreads brand awareness.

TRADITIONAL PR

Depending on your industry and the type of video you create, your video could benefit from more traditional types of publicity, like a press release or publication on a trade website. Working with a PR agency could be beneficial, but you could also reach out directly to site administrators on niche sites related to your field, like health and wellness sites, fitness sites, major food websites, tech sites, and more. Ask to be featured in their newsletter or send them your press release with a link to your video directly — the more official your campaign, the better!

INFLUENCER MARKETING

This covers any type of marketing done for free by an influencer, including shoutouts on social media, product reviews, endorsements, mentions, and more. Many influencers are willing to help you distribute your content in exchange for something, maybe a reciprocal mention, a trial of your services, or an ongoing relationship. Think about what you’re willing to give for the promotion of your video. Depending on how much they can up your exposure, it just might be worth it.

Which type of distribution is best for me?

We can’t say this enough: It all depends on your video goals and strategy.

Ideally, you’ll use all three distribution methods. You know your audience and hopefully you know how they’ll respond to your video. Focus on the distribution method that’ll give you the biggest return. If you’re in the film industry, focusing more on paid distribution might be your best bet. If you’re in the field of cancer research, earned media might be the way to go. Are you an entrepreneur that just launched your own startup? Spread word via your owned channels. It all really depends, so do a little research and see what fits your situation best.

Owned distribution is always a must, though, since you own and have complete control over these channels. There’s the lowest barrier to entry here and they also have the most opportunity due to how many different options for distribution you have. If one form of owned doesn’t work, another surely will. And, if your goal is to capture leads, using your owned channels is especially crucial.

Paid distribution is super important as well, but how much you can do will likely be limited by your cash resources. You’ll want to think more strategically about where your highest-converting audience is and dedicate most of your budget there. And because there are so many different forms of paid advertising even within one single channel (Facebook has 11 different types of advertisements alone), you want to test every channel and every type of distribution method. Until you know which will give you the highest return, hold back on spending your entire distribution budget.

Earned distribution, like owned, is free. You have relatively little to lose using it other than time and effort, but unlike owned and paid, the payoff can be drastically more unpredictable. From SEO efforts that boost your search presence, to building relationships with influencers you’ve never met, you never quite know what your ROI will be — it can be enormous or it can fizzle to an end. But don’t skip earned distribution altogether! Take a little more time to think strategically about which earned channels will help you accomplish your video goals.

Don’t wait any longer. Reach out to kennysoft STUDIOs let create that perfect video for your business.

8 Ways To Make The Perfect Christmas Videos

8 Ways To Make The Perfect Christmas Videos

Christmas is that beautiful season of the year where companies and brands show love to their customers and employees for standing with them throughout the year and this season comes with plenty of merriments and joy and Christmas videos are one of those things companies use to end the year.

It’s the end of the year, it’s time to show to your customers and employees how much you love and appreciate them for been with you all through the year and so to help you the that we created this article to help you with recommendation to some of the beautiful Christmas video you can create for your business.

Types of Christmas videos

  1. Merry Christmas Greeting Card: Surprise your customers with a beautiful merry Christmas greeting card video this Christmas no matter how far they are! Use this video to send them your heartwarming message in the form of an eye-catching animation.
  1. The Spirit of Christmas Intro: Share the magical Christmas spirit with your loved ones on this wonderful holiday! Create a charming video intro they will enjoy watching and cherish for a long time! Add your logo and a heartwarming message, and get your video today!

  2. Christmas 3D Art Album: Create a joyful video by compiling the most magical moments of Christmas. Using Christmas 3D Art Album template and animating those memories with lovely effects and transitions. Perfect for making a family video album, Christmas greetings, Christmas cards, and corporate greetings.
  • Twinkling Christmas Intro: Let the twinkling lights whirling into a bright Christmas tree announce that the new year is here! This New Year, send your heartfelt wishes to your customers and love ones in the form of a beautiful and elegant video card.
  • Christmas Gifts Greeting Card: Send a personalized Christmas greeting card to your family, friends, and business partners, and share your love with our Christmas Gifts Greeting Card. Add your warm message, upload your logo, pick your favorite color combination, and get a short and sweet video card in minutes.
  • Sparkling Christmas Tree Intro: Christmas is the time of the year when everything is glittering with lights and decorations. Send your best wishes with Sparkling Christmas Tree Intro and let them shine bright. Perfect for Christmas promos, New Year greetings, party invitations, and a lot more. Christmas is coming. Create your greeting video now!
  • New Year Numbers Fun: Kiss goodbye to 2021 and get ready for the New Year. Infinite love and wishes, lots of gifts, and greetings. Featuring funny numbers animation, amusing sound effects, the New Year Numbers Fun logo reveal is the easier and funniest way to create a Christmas intro, company and corporate greetings, family celebration or invitation, and many more projects requiring holiday creative design and mood.
  • Christmas Slideshow: Wish your family, colleagues, and friends a Merry Christmas and impress them with an elegant and professional holiday slideshow. Use this Christmas video as a Christmas album, winter slideshow, Christmas video greeting, or as a Christmas present. Create a magical story as a gift to your loved ones. Try it out! Let this year be a blessed year to all.
  • Magical Christmas Night: A vibrant celebration of the Christmas spirit, as the festive season draws nearer with the Magical Christmas Night template available in both logo and text versions. It is an animated Christmas greeting card with sparkling magical lights against a starry night sky. Send love to your clients, family, and friends. Simply upload your logo, write your own text and render. Try it out today for free.

Looking for a video agency to help you create that perfect Christmas video? then look no further kennysoft STUDIOs is your one stop video marketing agency.

Video marketing: Best top 5 video agencies in Nigeria

Best top 5 video agencies in Nigeria

The act of bringing a story to life is a beautiful thing that infuses joy into the mind, most especially when such expression is seen on numerous faces who viewed the story through a video, so today we are going to look at some the best video agencies in Nigeria that has been creating video that has created millions for their clients.

Some of this companies don’t just only create the video for the client some even go further to study the client brief in connection to the targeted audience the client is targeting, so this is our own list of the top video marketing agencies in Nigeria.


List of Video marketing agencies


1. Capital Dream Pictures is Africa’s Premier Film Production Company. It is owned by multiple award-winning director Clarence Peters. He is also the CEO and co-founder of Capital Hill Records. He is a cinematographer, filmmaker, and music video director who has produced awesome music videos for every popular male and female

2. Film Factory is a multi-award-winning video production company based in Lagos, Nigeria and serving all of Africa. They specialize in producing professional, broadcast, digital content for ad agencies, corporate businesses, and government bodies.

3. Kennysoft STUDIOs is a Nigerian based video and animation production studio. They are located in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Their expertise is focused on Video Production and video services (Music, Tv commercial, Promotional), Animation (2D/3D), Motion Graphics, Visual Effects, and pieces of training too.

4. Squareball Media is a multimedia production company specializing primarily in audiovisual production. It is owned by Award-winning music video director and cinematographer, Adasa Cookey.

5. Rushing Tap is a Video production and marketing agency that tells high-value brand stories by conceptualizing, producing and marketing video content with the vision to improve the accessibility of video marketing to small and medium-sized businesses.

6. JM Films is a media and production services company specialized in creative visuals, music videos, commercials, movies, and television. With an exceptionally skilled team and a global footprint, they deliver quality work for their broad client base time after time.

7. AJE Filmworks is a registered Nigerian production company that produces music videos, feature films, commercials, and documentaries. It was founded by Anietie James a prolific Nigerian video director & visual storyteller who’s detailed & exceptional works have been recognized in the Nigerian, African mainstream entertainment & creative industry.

8. Team TERZI is a fast-growing 360 degrees creative think-tank company established in 2013 is audiovisual content development, production, and management company offering channel support to TV stations, commercials, branded and editorial content across all media outlets including television, digital and mobile.

9. Mex Films is a video production company and animation studio based in Lagos, Nigeria. It is owned by Emeka Ossai a Nigerian music video director and graphic animator. Mex runs Pixel Chaos, a digital media company. They have done videos for Johnny Drille, Simi, Reekado Banks. Mex Films

10. Ibst Media IBST provides TV broadcast, video and audio-visual solutions for the discerning client. We have a distinct array of broadcast facilities, equipment, and services that enable the production of various types of media, communication, entertainment and advertising content to high technical standards.

11. Orange vfx studios is a 3D and Visual Effects content creator in Nigeria. Founded in May, 2010 the company today boasts of a committed 20 man team that can successfully carry out a project. Since inception Orange VFX has introduced the Nigerian Animation industry to a new breed of professional animation and visual effects services right at heart of Nigeria’s commercial hub – Lagos, helping our clients save money on projects that would otherwise have been outsourced.

12. Sps Media Nigeria SPS is a Lagos-based media organization established with the sole purpose of helping brands and organizations capture the attention of their target audiences through impactful media content.

Beginner’s Guide: How To Become A 3d Animator The Sure Way

Build a solid foundation in film making and digital art

3D Action Figure – 3D animator 

Study.com defines 3D animation as a technical specialty within the graphic arts animation field that generates three-dimensional moving images to take place in a digital environment. It is undeniably among the best innovations that arched up film, TV, and other visual media in the Philippines. This is why becoming a 3D animator doesn’t happen just because you have the ambition and enthusiasm to be one. It requires, moreover, transferable skills that cannot be acquired in one sitting. Apart from being artistic and creative, take this beginner’s guide to give you a head start. 

How to Become a 3D Animator the Sure Way 

Mickey Mouse Action Figure – 3D animator 

  1. Master the Animation Techniques.

You must have the ability to apply the right movement and expression on the object. This will show how you will execute your thoughts and how you will imitate real life gestures into your object.

  1. Learn the Program.

Curves and 2D geometric figures can create a 3D object. You need animation tools and software to build and modify the texture, lines, shapes, light, and colour of the layout. Some also use virtual cameras to zoom, focus, brighten, and resize an object. You should also develop frames to control the movement. Learn the entire 3D animation course to wholly manipulate the computer to perform the task and achieve a desirable outcome.

  1. Hone Your Technical Skill.

Creativity is boundless, but you still have to enhance your craftsmanship. Other than that, learn how to properly use this on a computer-generated program. Consider that while computers are making the animation work conveniently, it is also complicated if you lack the digital proficiency. Developing and maintaining a strong technical skill will prevent further problems and help you create a stunning 3D animation. 

REASONS THAT KEEP YOU FROM BEING A GOOD 3D ANIMATOR

Wooden human model – 3D animator 

Realizing the reasons for your failure is sometimes the finest means to improve your skills and to become a 3D animation specialist. To dodge failure common to beginners, below are some of the mistakes you may commit. 

  1. Letting Perfectionism Take Its Toll. 

When you’re starting, aiming for perfection can lead you to a circle of lazy depression. Thus, if you set the bar so high, the mere thought of starting can be paralyzing. 

  1. Breaking Rules Without Knowing Them. 

It’s normal to break the rules in animation. Yet, if you have no firm grasp of what you’re breaking, you can’t do it. Likewise, if something goes wrong, you won’t understand why. 

  1. Doing Too Much Too Soon. 

Almost every animator wants to get to the “fun stuff” such as brilliant effects or soulful character performances. With the tools available today, it’s easy to jump into them. Yet, these stuffs are likewise the quickest ways to produce lousy animation. 

  1. Learning from The Wrong School. 

You’re a degree holder, but you’re jobless. Moreover, the cold reality that your first school is nothing compared to a real animation college slaps you hard. You got mediocre skills, boring demo reel, and no real connection in the industry. 

TECHNICAL TIPS ON HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR CRAFT

Super Mario figurines – 3D animator Once you accepted your flaws and made amendments, it’s time to boost your skills. Furthermore, following are tips from Nigeria’s top 3D animation school,  Kennysoft Film Academy. 

  1. Study the Psychology of Movement

To mirror something, check first not only their movements but their intentions, too. In addition, knowing what lies behind every action will help you express them through your animation. 

  1. Find Real-World References. 

When animating the face, it’s important to refer to something solid and real. Hence, grab a mirror and repeat the words to recreate key expressions as a good starting point. 

  1. Use Shark Fin Curves for Facial Animation. 

The shark fin curve works great with facial animation. In particular, it helps simulate rapid movements such as those of the lips and eyebrows. Each part of the face moves fast, so get their movements to happen fewer than three frames. 

  1. Add Ambient Movements

If the character is not so active in your shot, add ambient movements to keep it alive. Likewise, play with curves to get subtle movements of the head, arms, and shoulders to show your character is fighting gravity. 

  1. Lead with The Eyes. 

In watching people’s daily routines, you’ll notice that each movement comes with a specific sequence. Your eyes move the most when something catches your attention. Often, the eyes move first, followed by the head, neck, and the whole body. 

Nobody starts as an expert already. Besides, failures are vital for growth and they show you’re not afraid to decide. If you want to become a better 3D animator, Kennysoft Film Academy can help you. We offer classes for incoming senior high school animation students and professionals with busy schedules. Visit kennysoftstudio.com/academy/academy to view the course modules and class schedule. 

Sources: study.com | creativebloq.com | bloopanimation.com | animatorisland.com | cgchannel.com 

Powerful 6 Benefits of Video Marketing

Photo by George Milton from Pexels

Video marketing can be an overwhelming concept for small businesses and startups. It will require a considerable investment, but will it be worth it? Some business owners might think that video marketing is exclusive to established businesses, but this is not true. In fact, small businesses stand to benefit the most from this type of marketing content.

The Benefits of Video Marketing

Video marketing has always been an effective way to target a specific audience. It started at the dawn of television, and it still is an excellent way to market your business in today’s digital world. Videos in digital ads today are more relevant and catchier, and they can help boost your business in the following ways:

  • Better Way to Acquire Information

People today have shorter attention spans and less patience than previous generations. They grew up in a time of instant gratification. If choosing between reading an article that will take at least ten minutes or watching a two-minute video about a product, most people will choose the video. That is how effective and impactful videos are. 

  • Visual Support

Your videos can act as additional visual support for your existing marketing materials. You can start working with your current materials and create engaging video content that will capture your audience’s attention while strengthening your brand awareness. 

  • Encourage Conversion and Boost Your Sales

Since videos are highly engaging content, they can help boost your sales. Companies that add product videos to their landing pages can increase their conversions by up to 80 percent. Videos are powerful marketing tools. When done right, they can grow your sales.

  • Help Promote Trust

The best thing about videos is how they communicate emotions so effectively. Successfully creating an emotional bond with your target audience is one of the key factors in earning their trust. Trust is never easy to get or instill in your potential customers, but it can create wonders for your brand once you have it.

If you make video materials for your brand, you can try shooting interviews, testimonials, and behind-the-scenes videos to make your brand more real and relatable. These are also effective ways to showcase the positive thoughts that current customers or employees think about your brand or company. Having real people talk about an organization, a product, or a service, makes it more authentic and attractive.

You can also make engaging content to educate or wow your viewers. Seeing how a product works, for example, will give them a clearer understanding of what it does, and it will help inform their decision to buy. 

  • Not Everyone Is Doing It

Video marketing is a highly effective marketing tool, but not everyone is using it yet. Utilize this to your advantage, and be one of the firsts in your industry to create video content. Let this be your edge over your competitors.

  • Shareable With Extensive Reach

Another great thing about video content is how easy it is to share them with other people. You can upload them on your social media platforms, and once it captures people’s attention, your network will do the sharing for you. As a result, you will have better chances of reaching different audiences without relying on paid ads. Moreover, videos give you better access to mobile viewers, who comprise the majority of online users today.

Conclusion

When companies and brands want to make big names for themselves, they make viral video ads. That is how powerful, fast, and massive video marketing’s reach and impact are. With the right strategy and team, you can bring your small business to the next level using quality video materials. 

Do you need professional video marketing services ? We can help you in various ways, from video production and editing to strategy creation and development. Contact us today to learn how we can help you.

7 Ways on How To Use Animation For Your Business

Hey people!

Animation is more than just the cartoons and films. Today animation has evolved so brilliantly that it can influence the return on investment of businesses.

Few of us have to consciously remind ourselves that animation today is more than mere entertainment. We were probably introduced to animation in its nascent stage and somehow have forgotten that those very things are actually serious stuff today. Business tools to boost your marketing and branding.

In case you’re one of them, this article is a great way to catch up on where animation is as of today. What are the types and why businesses across industries are employing them to their advantage?

Animation today

What started as multiple hand-drawn frames were replaced by the computer revolution making it less tedious and time-consuming. It wasn’t until later that CGI totally changed animation as we know it. With technology, animation is come to be known as an “intricate relationship between artwork and technology.”  Its reach made endless penetrating every industry possible.  We now have advanced to a stage making possible architectural visualizations and virtual tours, mechanical designs that cut development costs and educational tools for health care and learning.

The different types of animation

There are genres of animation that can be used by businesses based on factors like reach, audience profile, concept and medium. Although listed in order of their evolvement, they also exist as standalone preferences today.

  • Traditional animation – Sequential hand-sketches screened quickly to create an illusion of movement, are used by ad agencies today to test commercials before production.
  • 2D animation – This is very similar to traditional animation but uses computerized software to simulate a 2-dimensional motion.
  • 3D computer animation (CGI)– A more realistic, 3-dimensional look that is created with computer generated images to create an animation.
  • Motion graphics – These are often used for multimedia projects, where texts or images are creatively given the illusion of motion.  Example: animated logos, movie opening titles.
  • Stop motion – Photographs of objects taken in sequential different positions, that when played create an illusion of movement.

Benefits of using animation for your business

  1. Quick message delivery

You getting time to read this is great! But, it’s rare. That’s the world we’re living in. Animation in the form of stop motion or micro-videos are a great way to deal with the instant-demand these days. These six-second videos can be used to highlight unique selling features of a new product, app or service. There is no better way to explain complex features than with visuals that keep the technicalities at bay. Animation can bring life to the product and keep audiences engaged with simple and personalized visuals for better conceptualization.

Educate while you entertain

In a high-stress world, there is a universal craving for information in its most simple form. When this can be presented in the form of entertainment, then you’ve got the crowd all ears. Animations allow for easy processing of information without having to deal with the technical jargon and strain their minds. With social media trending, news spreads like wild fire. The interactive nature of social media has its advantages when it comes to micro-videos or campaigns. Remember, visitors to social media are all in for entertainment and these videos are just ideal.

 Transfer the emotion

Animation is a great way to emotionally connect with your audience. Almost everyone is fascinated by a make-believe world that’s a factor that easily keeps viewers engaged. These animated videos can be commercials or campaigns that drive the point straight home even in the absence of text and dialogues. That’s the beauty of animation. The feeling of ‘being sold to’ is the last thing viewers experience when visually engaged with an animated image or object. Say, employing a friendly faced mascot to run your campaigns which can definitely boost brand awareness and promotion.

Show off your personality

So what’s so unique about your business? The benefits of signing up for your services?  Who are your clients?

These are some of the questions that are often thrown at businesses. When first impressions matter the most, businesses are always in a tussle to deliver their stories in a nutshell considering optimization on prospective clients’ allotted time. With animation, there is a lot of scope to show your personality. Perceptions, ideas and concepts are portrayed when words may fail.

Influence buying decisions

Animation videos or mascots certainly are one of the strongest influencers in a consumer’s purchase decision due to the power of association. A simple example we all can relate to is ‘Cornelious’, the Corn Flakes Rooster. A simple concept of waking up to cornflakes and why it would make an ideal breakfast. These are all a boost to not just branding but assist consumers to convert. Needless to say, a familiar brand gets preference in terms of choice. The more viewers are exposed to these ads the better the promotion. The greatest strength of animation is its self-sufficiency when it comes to text or language; the universal language spoken by this creative advertising tool speaks volumes.

Boost search rankings

Videos and images are the life of any page. Animations are all the more fun, increasing time on page and giving engagement a boost.  The resulting improvement in analytics signals search engines of users finding website content relevant and these positives ultimately have an impact on search rankings.

Easy share

Animations are fun. They have an element of surprise that make users want to share with their friends or group. The likes and shares on these videos facilitate a long lasting impression and identity.  While these are embedded on video platforms and showcased on business websites, they could be search optimized and bring in additional traffic from video platforms like YouTubevimeo and other social media platforms.

Animation is all about creativity. There is no limit. Guaranteed is a branding boost but not just that, you’re headed to win a lot of hearts and have a whole lot of eyes glued.

Conclusion

 The importance of animation in business promotions cannot be over emphasize in today’s business world, it’s either you evolve and follow the trend or your competitors will kick you out of business. So why not contact kennysoft STUDIOs lets help you engage new audience, grow brand visibility online, improve social engagement and enhance conversion rates through video marketing.

How Nollywood Is Changing the Narrative for African Storytellers

How Nollywood Is Changing the Narrative for African Storytellers

How did the Nigerian movie industry, known as Nollywood, become one of the world’s top three movie industries in a period of just three decades, attracting an impressive degree of research interest since its debut in the 1990s and resulting in a dedicated transdisciplinary research niche called “Nollywood studies”.

Nollywood is situated as disruptive of historic and contemporary African movie culture, underscoring Nollywood’s significance as a phenomenon “fundamental to Africa’s self-representation. Nollywood represents a grassroots indigenous entrepreneurial cultural initiative.

The Nigerian film industry is undoubtedly helping create jobs in a country with an economy that relies mainly on oil and agriculture. Over a million+ people are currently employed in the industry, making it the country’s largest employer after agriculture.

Looking at the evolutionary interface between technology and entrepreneurship as a dynamic process in the progress and transformation of Nollywood. Complementing the issue of technology as a factor in Nollywood’s evolution, further matters of interest at the outset of this study include issues such as culture, ethnicity and social capital.

Nollywood is a typology of a community where process, outcomes and culture of knowledge production operate in a social ecosystem of inclusiveness and openness on a scale where the existing theory of openness does not fully capture the critical details.

In case you don’t know Nollywood films have the largest following in Africa and among Africans around the world. They gained popularity during the digital revolution of the early 1990s when camcorders replaced 35-millimeter film cameras, and digital systems replaced celluloid as recording devices. At the time, while some parts of the world adapted to the new digital technology, Nigeria continued to use inexpensive VHS tapes and players that were easily accessible and affordable to consumers. Eventually film technology evolved as movies made on DVDs started to generate huge demand. Now technology has evolved to the stage where movies are streamed via a mobile device.

Nollywood’s entry into the African and global entertainment space marks or affirms creative destruction or disruption thesis specifically in the case of African auteur cinema and also of a state monopoly of entertainment media, giving rise, in Nigeria at least, to a grassroots economic development that horizontally democratizes appropriation and distribution of benefits with equitable outcomes.

Before the Nigerian film industry, evolved and became known as Nollywood, Nigerian film makers were producing amazing movies.

 In 1957, “Fincho,” became the first Nigerian film to be shot in colour. Following Nigeria’s independence in 1960, more cinema houses were established, and in 1972, the Indigenization Decree by Yakubu Gowon made possible the transfer of ownership of about 300 cinemas from their foreign owners to Nigerians, resulting in more Nigerians actively participating in the Nigerian film growth.

In 1984 “Papa Ajasco” by Wale Adenuga became the first blockbuster, grossing an estimate of 61,000 naira in three days. In 1985, “Mosebolatan “ by Moses Olaiya grossed 107,000 naira in five days. Also in the 80s, filmmakers like Adeyemi Afolayan produced classics such as Kadara” (Destiny), “Taxi Driver” among others.

It is impossible to forget the artist imagery created by Afolayan as far back as 1980. More than the narrative structure, it was the images, shots and production quality that took the older generation through a nostalgic journey, and the younger generation through an enlightening journey.

The theatrical and cinematic efforts of the likes of Hubert Ogunde, Taiwo Ajai-Lycett, Olu Jacobs, Tunde Kelani, Adeyemi Afolayan, Ladi Ladebo, Moses Olaiya, Adebayo Salami, Sadiq Daba, Jide Kosoko, Afolabi Adesanya among others, played a pivotal role in shaping the film industry which is now known as Nollywood.

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Nollywood continues to exploit technology for both production and marketing. Still forging pragmatic partnerships with the informal marketing stakeholders, the industry has also embraced video-on-demand (VOD), especially for the diaspora market. According to Abubakar Yakubu, “beyond traditional marketing, we can use the internet platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and Google to market content. Through internet, people can access our products and pay directly via advertising”. He rightly observes that “the marketing field is now democratized and not limited to single monopolistic medium”.

Nollywood movie producers produced a total of 1,051 movies in the first six months of 2021, 1.7% higher than movies produced in the corresponding period of 2020. This is according to data published by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The Nigerian film industry has recorded an improvement in the volume of productions over the years. The cinematic culture of Nigerians, that is wanting to express and spread our diverse cultures through film, has encouraged more movie productions, so much so that movie production has grown 477% within three years, from 2017 to 2020.

In addition, they said despite the 45% market share that Lagos cinemas represent, in the first quarter of 2021, Funke Akindele’s blockbuster movie, ‘Omo Ghetto,’ accounted for 48% of revenues and 47% of attendance in Nigerian cinemas.

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Nollywood Highlight   indicates films still running in theatres

RankTitleYearDomestic Gross (₦)Studio(s)Director(s)
1Omo Ghetto: The Saga2020636,129,120[1]SceneOne ProductionsFunke Akindele
2The Wedding Party2016453,000,000[2]Ebonylife Films / FilmOne / Inkblot Production / Koga StudiosKemi Adetiba
3The Wedding Party 22017433,197,377[3]Ebonylife Films / FilmOne / Inkblot Production / Koga StudiosNiyi Akinmolayan
4Chief Daddy2018387,540,749[4]EbonyLife FilmsNiyi Akinmolayan
5Sugar Rush2019287,053,270  [5]GreOH Media / Jungle Filmworks / Empire Mates EntertainmentKayode Kasum
6King of Boys2018244,775,758[6]Kemi Adetiba VisualsKemi Adetiba
7Merry Men: The Real Yoruba Demons2018235,628,358[6]Corporate World Entertainment / FilmOne / Gush MediaToka Mcbaror[7]
8Merry Men 2: Another Mission2019234,505,169[8]Corporate World Entertainment / Gush Media / FilmOneMoses Inwang
9Your Excellency2019186,340,948  [9]EbonyLife FilmsFunke Akindele
10A Trip to Jamaica2016180,264,964[2]Corporate World PicturesRobert Peters

Conclusion: Nollywood is a clear manifestation of the link between entrepreneurship and economic development. It also shows how openness, technology, and innovation reinforce that connection. Furthermore, Nollywood’s success reveals a constellation of factors not often considered as elements of openness and shows their ramifications for economic growth. In Nollywood, we see how historical, circumstantial and context-specific factors at national level coalesce to trigger local entrepreneurial ingenuity and are in turn leveraged to yield positive economic outcomes. This happens in ways that indicate potential scalability and adaptability of the Nollywood phenomenon to other entrepreneurial sectors in the rest of Africa. Already, the globalisation of Nollywood across the African continent and in the African diaspora is a fascinating development that has been the subject of many studies. Catapulted way beyond its Nigerian origins, Nollywood is a yet-to-be-fully-unravelled cinematic phenomenon that analysts regard as fundamental to Africa’s self-expression.

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