MONDAY 11 OCT 2021 2:11 PM

FIVE MINUTES WITH SANTI SARAPINAS

Santi Sarapinas, creative director and technologist at VisMedia talks to Communicate about the rise in digital interactive experiences and how brands can utilise this technology to captivate audiences online.

What trends have you seen in video communications over the last twelve months?

I can see more AI tools being used to improve the overall video communications experience. By simply enhancing video and audio quality, AI also brings automatic background detection, live transcription and more useful video conference enhancements. Another trend becoming more noticeable is ‘gamification’ within video conferencing tools. The most common gamification technique used is a 'breakout room' where participants can play mini-games or complete quizzes in exchange for points. When you bring elements of fun to a meeting, it helps to boost participant concentration and engagement. Everybody benefits.

How can brands use interactive digital experiences in their digital comms?

Interactive digital experiences, without a doubt, bring more fun and engagement. Leveraging engagement is crucial for brands because it captures the audience's attention and adds a more personal touch to the campaign. With rapidly evolving web technologies, we can now bring powerful interactive experiences to the modern browser that multiple devices can access easily. From immersive environments to high-end 3D product configurators, there are virtually limitless opportunities to engage with your audience directly on your website. By adding gamification and communication elements, brands can rapidly enhance their storytelling and increase their visibility.

What is the key for brands to captivate audiences in an increasingly saturated digital landscape?

The critical issue is a marketplace full of noise. It's not enough anymore to offer the ability for a customer to buy something online or discover more about your services. Customers want a personal connection with a business, and personalisation plays a huge role in brand success. Interactive web experiences with gamification elements, live chat functionality and AI-powered marketing tools help to bring more engagement to grab audiences attention. Applying innovative solutions helps to add a more personal touch to marketing campaigns. It enables brands to increase user dwell time on their website organically, which positively impacts both conversion rates and Google algorithm positioning.

How have you adapted to work creatively at Vismedia during the pandemic?

Luckily, working remotely has never been a challenge in our industry. We had been working with talented individuals all across the world long before the pandemic. Using collaboration tools like Slack and Miro has made our day-to-day much easier, for sure. With less distraction than you otherwise inevitably get in the office, I think we became more effective with our tasks, especially when it comes to creative strategy/idea generation. 

Over the past year, what project/projects are you most proud of at Vismedia?

I'm proud that our great team has built an immersive and interactive sales training solution for Dell Technologies, a Virtual Pension Centre for Fidelity and an exciting interactive public consultation tool for National Grid. There are even more exciting projects we are working on at the moment – but due to the confidential nature of some projects, I can't shout out about them just yet!