Explore HeyGen’s video magic!

22

October

2023

5/5 (1)

Having previously faced challenges in producing professional videos, the introduction of a new AI tool named HeyGen appears to be a promising solution. HeyGen is an advanced AI video generation platform designed to simplify the creation of professional videos. The tool uses AI-driven avatars that stimulate creativity by eliminating the expensive constraints associated with traditional video filming and editing. By employing advanced generative AI technology, it enables users to convert textual content into engaging video material. HeyGen also offers an API to integrate a user’s project with other tools.

A user can utilize the tool to create several types of video contents, such as demos and tutorials, without the need for a specialized software. The tool offers different plans, including a free plan that allows a user to create a video of 1 minute maximum. 

I explored the many features of HeyGen and here is my evaluation:

My initial impression is that the tool has a user-friendly interface.

The tool gives the user the option to start creating videos with a very diverse range of templates and avatars. There is also the option to animate your photo with text.

The tool also offers different languages and even different tones that a user can utilize.

The platform is equipped with a convenient drag-and-drop functionality that allows users to seamlessly incorporate diverse elements such as background music and personalized avatars into their projects.

My overall impression, is that a user does not have to have technical expertise to use  HeyGen. It is very beginner-friendly. The tool offers guidance as well.

At present, HeyGen does not provide the option for multiple avatars within a single scene, suggesting room for enhancement in this aspect. Additionally, the introduction of a student plan could be a valuable addition, especially considering that the most affordable plan currently starts at $24.

Source:

HeyGen. (n.d.). Explainer video maker: Create Explainer Videos Online.  https://www.heygen.com/explainer-video-maker

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Amazon Prime just got even better

4

October

2016

5/5 (1) Just this week Amazon and Twitch announced that you can now link your Amazon prime account to your Twitch account and you will receive all the benefits of a premium Twitch account. For those who are not familiar with these platforms and the pricing models they offer, here is a brief summary:

Amazon has a premium membership that is $99 per year in the US and 49€ in Europe. This membership gives you free express shipping on Amazon and also access to Amazon Video, which can be compared to Netflix.
On the platform Twitch, people can live stream when they play games and others can tune in to watch them. The platform is very popular for e-sports and reaches 45 million viewers every month. Twitch also offer a premium membership that gives you access to ad-free view. By linking both services together, Amazon also added discounts for certain games and free in-game content to the premium membership.

Since Amazon acquired Twitch in 2014 they have not made any strategic move to combine Twitch and Amazon services and industry insiders were curious how a potential strategy will look like. Now Amazon has made its first move as described above and opened premium services of Twitch to its Prime subscribers. Considering that the premium tier at Twitch costs €8.99 (or$8.99 in the US) per month and Amazon Prime only costs €4,08 ($8.25 in the US) per month, the new offer is an excellent deal and adds another argument to Amazon Prime

In a recent move, Youtube has launched a new service dedicated to gamers that is called Youtube Gaming. With this service, Youtube positioned itself as a direct competitor to Twitch. Under these circumstances, Amazon’s move to unify its services can be seen as a direct reaction to the launch of Youtube Gaming. In addition to that, Twitch also announced that creators can now upload content directly. Before that, creators always had to live stream their content.

It remains interesting to see what Amazon has planned for the future. A possible option could be to fully integrate Twitch within its Amazon Video platform. Another thinkable option would be to expand Twitch and use its young and very active community to build a potential rival to Youtube. An advantage of Twitch here might be that it has far more experience with freemium models for its viewers, which in the end makes it more interesting for creators. For instance, it is possible to subscribe to a creator for a small fee to support him and parts of the revenues from the premium tier also go to the creator. Youtube Red, the premium subscription for Youtube, that costs $10 per month in the US, was only announced less than a year ago and is only available in five countries as of now.

What is your opinion on Amazon’s strategy? Are they doing it right? Or should they rather focus on international expansion for example, such as Netflix does? I look forward to seeing your opinions in the comment section!

 

For more background on the market of videos, you might also check out our technology of the week blog post here.

Twitch’s official announcement

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Pewdiepie

12

October

2015

No ratings yet.

I guess you’ve all heard of the YouTube celebrity Felix Kjellberg A.K.A. Pewdiepie. If not, he is the most subscribed YouTuber with an astounding 40 million subscribers, mostly playing ‘indie’ or unpopular videogames while live commentating the event. In 2015, his annual income is estimated to be 4 million dollars a year and his net worth is estimated around 16 million dollars. And he’s only 25 years old! (Net Worth 2015)
Where does all this money come from?

First, let me freshen up your memory by explaining the phenomenon called ‘Social Commerce’. “Simply defined, social commerce is the fusion of social media with e-commerce or basically the concept of word-of-mouth applied to e-commerce.” (Marsden 2010)
So, in the case of Pewdiepie’s channel there are some signs of social commerce. For example, every month Pewds gets a package containing several collector items which are all related by theme, like ‘Villains’. He unboxes the items on screen and comments on them. At the end of the video he advises people to also buy these ‘Loot Crates’. The video below is one of the examples of this word-of-mouth on his channel.

Another important way companies gain a lot of awareness is when Pewdiepie plays their game. Then, the so-called Oprah effect comes into force. The Oprah effect is the effect that an appearance on a famous show can have on a small business. (Investopedia 2015) Because Pewdiepie nearly has 10 billion views, a recommendation can have a significant influence on the game developers.

Not a lot of people know that Pewdiepie actually is signed under Maker Studios, a company owned by Walt Disney, which produces videos for channels on YouTube. (Maker Studios 2015) The funny thing is, Pewdiepie says in his videos that he never gets paid to promote the videogames he plays. (YouTube 2015)

Is he telling the truth? Or is he lying and exploiting all of his subscribers? That making money is his main motive?
What do you guys think?

References:
– Investopedia (2015) Oprah Effect http://www.investopedia.com/terms/o/oprah-effect.asp
– Maker Studios (2015) Makers http://www.makerstudios.com/makers
– Marsden, P. (2010) Social Commerce: Monetizing Social Media, Hamburg: Syzygy.
– Net Worth (2015) Pewdiepie http://www.the-net-worth.com/2015/05/pewdiepie/
– YouTube (2015) Pewdiepie https://www.youtube.com/user/PewDiePie/

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Successful Marketing Campaigns on Social Media

7

September

2012

No ratings yet. During class today we discussed about successful social media marketing campaigns like Starbucks, IKEA and Target Corp. By curiosity I started searching on the web looking for more social media campaign examples. There are a lot of awesome ideas about how to use social media for your company!

One of my favourite I want to share with you guys is from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Dunkin'Donuts

I also found a funny commercial from Evian. This was a remarkable campaign, because most companies first air a commercial on TV and then post it later on the internet. Evian unleashed a funny viral video campaign online and it packed out really good! Their online campaign gained a huge amount of positive reactions on youtube. Now (or not anymore, because it’s ‘old’) you can see the commercial on TV.

Seeing this, it looks like online campaigns have more or less (or even more!) the same  effect than TV. And considering the fact that maybe the costs of using the internet is lower, do you think companies are going to use online campaigns instead of TV? Or will broadcasting on TV be just as attractive in the future? I hope the first one, than I can watch my programs without any disturbances of commercials!!

Ps. In my reaction I promised to post the commercial about dangers of chatting I referred to. Click here to see the youtube video! It’s a dutch commercial, so I hope the internationals among us understand the message of the video :-).

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