Enterprise Video Trends in 2018

The Golden Week holiday of early May has passed, this means that our work in fiscal 2018 is well underway. Our Audiovisual Dept. assisted numerous clients in fiscal 2017, and, fortunately, this year we've again received many requests for enterprise video production.

Reflecting on recent consultation requests, I feel that there are certain trends regarding client needs and enterprise use of video as there have been many client companies that have sought similar advice and support. In this column, I'll introduce video measures that were frequently requested last year as well as measures that will likely see an increase in demand in the future.

Video Headers

Video content is used in place of an image on a website's homepage or sub-pages. For reference, below is a link to our mid-career recruiting page which uses a video header. As soon as the page is opened, the movie plays, attracting attention – I believe this has a big impact on users and clearly conveys the atmosphere of our company.

• Mid-Career Recruitment Information (note that content is in Japanese)

* Please view the page on a PC.

The objective of implementing a video header strategy is to "convey". On a website's homepage, the most viewed page, provide a service overview or company introduction etc. thereby creating stronger brand appeal.

There are several reasons for increasing video header adoption - such as the positive promotion of the company's atmosphere, as on the linked recruitment site above; or for companies that find it difficult to truly convey their service content through text or images and want to showcase actual service use scenes; as well as getting consumers really interested in products and services from the initial stages to prevent loss of leads.

Movie Manuals/ Explanation Videos

To provide guidance and explanations of online service registration and use etc. screen captures are made of the computer screen, these are then animated in process order and voice commentary is added. Below is a demonstration movie, however, in addition to the just showing computer screen operation, text and arrows have been implemented to guide users and further simplify explanation.

• Movie Manual (in Japanese)

Actually, this type of video content strategy is not new and has been utilized for several years now. However, it remains a popular implementation as it meets user needs - video demonstrations on how to use websites/products etc. allow users to achieve their purpose anytime they need to - while simultaneously reducing the demand for provider helpdesk support.

Video content produced for several hundred thousand yen may lead to reduced helpdesk inquiries, thus delivering high cost-effectiveness. On many sites, video manuals are used to provide website operation instructions as well as offer software application support.

360° Videos

Regarding enterprise video utilization this fiscal year, 360-degree video is expected to be most popular. A 360-degree movie allows viewers pan around, altering the viewing perspective of the content they are watching 360-degrees, by adjusting their line of sight using either their mouse, for computers, or changing the orientation of their mobile device, when using smartphones etc.

There is now much 360-degree BtoC and CtoC content online and several companies have been using the technology since last year to introduce their offices and factories.

Reasons for its popularity include the increased realism the content offers viewers as they freely alter their perspective thus creating a more immersive experience and providing a feeling that the viewer is there, at the location where the video was filmed.

To those considering implementing a video strategy

So, what do you think?

Now that utilizing a video strategy has become "as normal" as creating a website, the use of video content for a multitude of reasons in a variety of spaces continues to grow. Based on this, we'll be holding an Introduction to Enterprise Video Use seminar on June 8 that will answer, from the viewpoint of the company, the fundamental question "what is video?" (Please note that this seminar will be in Japanese).

This seminar contains updated content from last year's popular seminar of the same name – in the seminar, I will explain the use of video and types of content, from the fundamentals, in an easy-to-understand manner while also incorporating 2018 trends. We hope to assist both companies that are considering video production as well as those wanting to utilize video more strategically. We're awaiting your participation.