
Author Archives: Aksara NKR
Aksara is a passionate marketer at Animaker by day and a gamer by night. He believes life is about learning new things everyday. The new things you learn everyday creates you a path to live along.
Author Archives: Aksara NKR
Aksara is a passionate marketer at Animaker by day and a gamer by night. He believes life is about learning new things everyday. The new things you learn everyday creates you a path to live along.
Animation videos!
When people hear this term, they usually think about highly skilled professionals producing complex high quality animations.
Often, people assume it will take a long time, require a lot of learning, etc.
But what If I told you all you need is a browser on a PC with an internet connection?
Yes, you heard that right.
You can create animations like this right from your browser
And also within minutes and not hours or days.
How you ask?
That’s where Animaker’s 1000+ studio quality video templates come in handy. And these templates aren’t created in random. There are created under highly useful set of categories that will help any person or person achieve their goals through the use of videos.
Here’s a small gist of Animaker’s categories of templates
These are just some of the template categories we have, and there are 100s more inside the app.
The first step is to register for a free account on Animaker.
To sign up, head over to Animaker.com and click on the “Sign Up” button on the top right. Once you are fully signed up, all you have to do is find the best-animated video template from this list and click on the “Edit this template.” Upon clicking, the project will open up as a new project in a new tab. Inside the project, you can simply edit the text, change the colors, and customize it the way you want in just minutes and not hours.
Really?
Yes really!
If you want to learn how to edit an Animaker template you can check out this video below –
Now that we know how simple edit a template on Animaker is, lets have a look at some of the most awesome Animated video templates present inside Animaker
If 25 Best Animation Video Templates aren’t enough, you should head over to Animaker’s massive template library. It has over 1000+ professionally created animated video templates that are readily waiting for you to edit.
Video templates are simply ideas put into creation. Similarly, the sky is the limit for creating your Animation videos and bringing life to your ideas. There are many articles on our blog on creating animated videos using Animaker, and our YouTube channel is filled with 100s of high informative tutorials for making Animated videos. Do you have more cool Animation Video template ideas to check out? Please let us know in the comments below, and you might even get a professionally created Animated video template in our library.
A Birthday is a very special day for any person! Be it a small kid or an elderly adult, it’s that day where the person’s phone gets filled with happy text messages & positivity.
In today’s world, it doesn’t just stop with the text messages. The positivity and kind words do fill our social media feeds too.
If you have a friend or a loved one who is an instagram user, it would really make their day if you wished them on Instagram!
But among the available ways to post on Instagram, the Instagram story is undoubtedly the best & the more personal way as it lets you tag your loved one in that exact story. This allows them to quickly repost your wishes video on their own story and showcase the love they have been receiving.
I know what you are thinking!
You are not a designer and you don’t want to go through a long creative process just to wish your loved one on Instagram.
Well. Don’t worry! We got you covered! 🙂
We know you don’t have the time to come up with a new idea or learn a complicated design tool just to wish your loved one on their birthday. That is why we did all the heavy lifting for you.
In this article, we will be sharing with you 10 simple Instagram Story Birthday ideas that you can try.
To help you out further we have also included an easy to edit the template with each Instagram story idea.
Get started by signing up on Animaker for a free account. To sign up, head over to the signup button on the top right corner of the Birthday video maker page and click on “Sign Up”.
Once you are signed up, all you have to do is pick a Birthday story idea from the list below and click on the edit link of the template. Once you click on the edit link, the template you chose will open as a project and you can quickly make it your own by replacing text, images & effects.
Idea 1: Quirky Instagram Birthday Story
Want to surprise your friend with a quirky birthday message and picture? Then this Quirky Instagram story template would be the right choice for you. In this template, you can customize & add your own text, photos & other assets.
Idea 2: Film reel Birthday Story!
Is your friend a creative junkie who’s constantly working on short movies, vlogs, etc?
If so, this film reel template will be ideal for you. This template lets you replace 5 photos and would definitely be a refreshing approach to the person you are surprising and everyone else who is looking at your story.
Idea 3: Classy Typography Birthday Story
Want to surprise a friend who derives joy from posting classy photos of themselves on Instagram? Then, the Classy Typography Effect Birthday story is a template for you. While this template allows deep customization like every other template, you can simply replace the existing photo with a classy photo of your friend and be done with the creation process. We promise you that your story will look classy even if you just replace the default image with your friend’s image.
Idea 4: Cute Collage Birthday Story
Want to surprise the best friend with a super personalized Instagram Story? Then this is the right template for you. This template has an aesthetically pleasing color scheme and three customizable photo sections.
Replace the existing 3 photos with photos that are special to you and your friend. We are sure you will make their day brighter with this one.
Idea 5: Simple birthday story
If you are looking for something simple and non funky, then this idea would be the best choice for you. This is a super simple and a flat themed story idea to wish your best friend a happy birthday. If you are looking for a quick Birthday template to customize, this is the way to go.
Idea 6: Hanging letters birthday story
Hop on the trend and Get heads turning with this birthday idea. With the Hanging letters birthday story template, you can get creative and add multiple scenes with different text to make this template even personalized.
Idea 7: Photo frame Birthday Story
If you are looking for a simple photo frame Birthday story idea, then this template is the right one for you. This template lets you add one photo along with your own text & other assets. You can make it even more personalized by adding even more photo frames, music, multiple scenes, and more.
Idea 8: Multi photo birthday story
The multi-photo Instagram is a simple go-to Instagram story idea for Birthdays. This template takes a simplistic approach and lets you add two photos. You can add more scenes, different photos and make it the perfect birthday surprise for your friend.
Idea 9: Creative Birthday Story
Are you looking for an idea that is modern and creative? Then the Creative Instagram Story birthday template is definitely a stand-out birthday story template among the list which lets you add 3 of your own photos and lets you customize the text elements to make it your own.
Idea 10: Colorful Birthday Story
If you are looking out for something funky, then the colorful Birthday story template would be the right choice for you. This template has everything you need right from plenty of customizable text to adding your own elements.
We hope these Instagram Birthday Story Ideas help you add a smile on your friend’s face.
With a powerful application like Animaker on your side, there are a lot more ideas you can come up with on your own and get your hands dirty. If you want to dive deep into how you can create your own Birthday video, then you should check out our other blog on ‘How to make a super unique birthday video in under 15 minutes’ using Animaker.
Do you have any other cool birthday story ideas that can be made on Animaker? Please let us know in the comments below
Being a marketer, I’ve always been fascinated by the nexus between human emotions and marketing communications. It is truly remarkable to see how the latter can tap into the former and can result in influential decision making.
Over the years, advertisers have managed to capitalize on a plethora of human emotions to get their product messages across. Out of the lot, one particular emotional marketing tactic really piqued my interest, perhaps because of the fact that I happen to fall in the target group that can relate to it the most.
Looking at the theme of this article, I’m sure you would have guessed where I’m going with this.
So before we dive in, get a load of this commercial first.
So, Yes, Nostalgia is what I’m talking about and yes, I’m a millennial.
The agency behind Internet explorer’s commercial has done a terrific job of putting together this video. It clearly captures the essence of the 90’s and makes everyone resonate on such high levels.
The fact that the Ad managed to garner 7 Million views in just five days of being rolled out and amassing a total of 50 Million+ views so far stands as a testament to its virality and the efficacy of the concept.
Here’s what the agency had to say about the Ad:
“With Internet Explorer, we wanted to change how Gen Y felt about the browser. We wanted the video to be a walk down memory lane, to feel conversational and familiar. We wanted the audience to think, “Maybe Internet Explorer can relate to me better than I thought; the new browser could exceed my expectations.”
We certainly wanted to drive viewers to the site to rediscover Internet Explorer. But even if they didn’t, by sharing the video, they were sharing the story—a story inextricably connected to Internet Explorer, a story that might not lead everyone to switch browsers that day, but that would linger and grow in a generation’s mind. That story has been told more than 27 millions times to date, and that’s the impact we wanted more than anything: a reframing of IE’s relationship with Gen Y.”
Looking at the nostalgia marketing statistics of Internet Explorer’s Ad, it’s pretty evident that the concept of tapping into nostalgia works! Internet Explorer managed to identify and use the right emotional trigger to hook it’s users, majorly millennials.
Before we get into the specifics, it is paramount to understand the “WHY” behind a nostalgia marketing strategy.
Source: The Shelf
Marketing has always tapped into human emotions and has exploited their cognitive biases to drive their decision-making. Almost every other human emotion has been capitalized on over the years, and nostalgia is no exception.
Nostalgia marketing essentially preys on people’s affinity for their most relished memories from their past, taking them to a time where they lived their best lives without all the commotion that is present in today’s chaotic world.
Reminding people of their golden days will trigger a dopamine boost, and that is exactly what brands utilizing nostalgia marketing tactics intend to take advantage of.
In fact, according to a study published in the Journal of consumer research, it was observed that participants were willing to shell out more when they were consumed by nostalgia.
No wonder why brands have incorporated nostalgia marketing into their strategy! It opens the doors straight to people’s wallets.
Over the years, Brands big and small have used nostalgia as a marketing tool to capture the interests of their target market. Regardless of the industry and vertical, the companies are in, brands that use nostalgia marketing have cut through the clutter of conventional marketing communications and stood out from the crowd.
The following are examples of nostalgia marketing campaigns of some of the prominent brands that have won over their audiences:
Apple’s attempt to bring in the renowned muppet, the cookie monster for their iPhone 6 commercial was a huge success. They even launched an array of bloopers featuring the muppet, after their Advertisement garnered a lot of attention.
Target’s Star Wars campaign promoting the movie’s merchandise was a massive hit. The campaign struck a chord with the fans, both old and young, and received a lot of press. As part of the larger campaign, Target released a two-minute compilation, where fans dressed up in Star Wars attires and made impressions of their favorite characters.
Spotify hit the nail right on its head with their 30-second Ad, bringing back the once loved duo, Falkor and Atreyu from the acclaimed movie “The Never Ending Story”. The Ad received tremendous support, as it featured the beloved duo who once ruled the hearts of their target audience.
Today’s millennials are burdened with a ton of responsibilities, shoulder the onus of their families, and are desperately gasping for breath in this hyper-competitive world.
The only time millennials caught a break was back in their childhood or during their adolescent years, where they were free of any form of responsibility. Watching their favorite TV shows, tuning in to their loved radio channels, and listening to their favorite tracks, hitting the theaters to watch movies, millennials lived every second of their lives back in those days.
With their glory days behind them, millennials today can only think of those cherished moments with great fondness. It is those memories that offer them solace during this turbulent phase of their lives. Needless to say, rekindling those memories by flashing their cherished moments in front of them through visual media and messaging would tremendously benefit brands.
Tapping into those long-lost memories and using them as leverage in marketing communications would be a sure shot way for brands to get millennials on board with their offerings.
I know it’s a no-brainer, but nevertheless, let me put it into perspective for you all.
Cartoons, for the most part, were at the crux of every millennial’s childhood. Right from when they were kids to when they turned into adults, millennials got to experience their fair share of cartoons. Heck, some millennials are obsessed with cartoons even today. Talk about Anime!
Source: Google trends
The upward trend in anime viewership in the last 5 years stands as a testament to the popularity of cartoons, even when “Netflix and chill” is still hot!
With cartoons taking up a major piece of the nostalgic pie, it is only logical that brands leverage cartoons in some way or the other to target today’s millennials. And what better way to do that than cartoon videos!
Here are some examples of a brand putting cartoon videos to the test.
McDonald’s cartoon video campaigns were an instant hit with the millennials.
Here’s why:
One key difference between mainstream businesses and startups is that the former has an abundance of resources to bank on. Startups have limited financial resources and have to put them to use very judiciously.
You may wonder how this adds to the overall context of this article. Well, to put it short, the copyrights of mainstream cartoon characters such as Tom and Jerry, Starwars etc used by brands in nostalgic marketing communications cost exorbitant sums of money, which as you may have guessed, can only be afforded by affluent businesses.
Hence, startups have to come up with workarounds to use cartoon characters for their marketing communications. This is where online DIY cartoon makers come into play. Tools like Animaker’s cartoon maker can help startups create stunning cartoon characters and videos at budget-friendly prices, helping them execute nostalgia marketing to perfection.
What has Animaker got in store for Startup Marketers
Animaker’s cartoon maker is a startup marketer’s best bet to deploy nostalgia marketing campaigns using cartoon animations.
With Animaker’s cartoon character builder, marketers can build a ton of lifelike cartoon characters with easy drag-n-drop manoeuvres.
With Animaker, you don’t have to build a cartoon video from scratch. Using its cartoon video templates, you can create a cartoon videos in no time. All you have to do is to pick the template of your choice, customize it and roll out the video.
Also, Animaker’s cartoon maker offers a myriad of animated assets such as stickers, emojis, etc using which you can customize and enhance your cartoon video, making it look as creative as possible.
Free DIY tools have become the lifelines of a lot of startups and Animaker is no exception. Cartoon videos are now that easy to create and affordable to roll out with Animaker. In a way, Animaker has helped democratize nostalgia marketing for startups of all sizes, and it is now up to them to effectively put Animaker to the test.
With cartoon videos becoming an integral part of contemporary business’ marketing strategies, it is pretty clear that they are here to stay and are working wonders for brands across industries and verticals.
If your brand still hasn’t boarded the cartoon video bandwagon, it is high time that you did, as most of your competitors would have already taken the plunge and might have started gaining the innumerable benefits that cartoon videos and nostalgia marketing have to offer.
So, stop contemplating and start creating your own cartoon videos using Animaker.
The first few seconds are very crucial for a Youtube video.
It decides whether the viewer would stick longer or bounce away to another one.
Now, in these few seconds, you have to create a strong hook that makes the audiences look forward to more.
Typically, having an intro into the first few seconds of the video will give your audience a clear understanding of what they can expect from your video and your channel.
It does not only make them hang out throughout your video but also makes them decide whether you are worth “subscribing”.
An intro is not just something that leads a viewer further but also something that helps you brand your channel. It sets a vibe that makes people resonate with your personality, ideology, and your content.
A good intro can certainly be a game-changer.
But, keep in mind that the intro can’t be long and boring. It needs to be attractive and engaging. So, if you are wondering how to make a Youtube Intro for your videos, this article covers everything that you need to know about creating YouTube Intros easily.
A YouTube intro is a short clip that appears at the beginning of most YouTube videos. Typically, it displays the channel name, title, brand logo, colors, animations, and other elements accompanied by some background music.
Before we get into the details of how to create a Youtube intro all by yourself, let’s look at some classic examples!
Here are some examples of attractive YouTube intro videos –
Source: MKBHD
MKBHD is a tech-centric YouTuber who is considered one of the best tech influencers in the smartphone industry.
Source: What’s Inside?
A father-son duo who is keen on knowing What’s Inside (Quite literally) by cutting random things to see what’s inside.
Source: Linus Tech Tips
Linus Tech Tips (also known as LTT) is the top watched technology channel that covers everything you can think of in tech.
Did these examples spark some inspiration in you?
Do you want to create such stunning intros too?
Animaker makes it super easy to make a YouTube intro straight from your browser. Let’s see how you can make one by yourself.
For those who are unaware of what Animaker is, Animaker is a cloud-based video-making tool used by more than 10 million people across the globe. Animaker helps both designers and non-designers to create professional YouTube intros and high-quality videos in just a matter of minutes.
Animaker’s YouTube intro maker is a super simple and straightforward app. It comes with tons of beautiful templates, a massive stock library, a character builder, music tracks, and more to help you make a professional-looking YouTube intro.
In this tutorial, we will show you how to create a YouTube intro in two ways.
So, let’s begin with option 1
With templates, creating your YouTube intro is super simple.
Here’s how you do it –
Get started by creating an account on Animaker here. If you already have an account registered with Animaker, you can login to your account here.
The template will open in a new tab as a project.
That’s it! You’re done. You are good to go. To download the video, you can click on the ‘Publish Video’ button on the top right, select ‘Download Video’. If you wish to see your creation once before downloading, click on the ‘Preview’ button.
This part of the article will guide you on how you can create a YouTube intro video from scratch. It’s super simple and you just have to follow the steps below.
The steps shared above are just the tip of an iceberg. There’s plenty of opportunities that you can further explore in the Animaker app. Be it a simple text intro or a beautiful animated intro, you can do it all.
PS: Apart from that, several more video makers for YouTube are available. You can start with any of these tools. If you have any doubts or queries regarding this article, drop them in the comments section and we will be happy to answer them.
Also read: Top 11 YouTube Channel Ideas [Based on most Subscribers and Views]
Everyone is inside their homes, locked down and maintaining social distancing to protect themselves.
Who would have imagined being in the situation we are in right now?
Definitely not me.
A casual conversation with my colleagues at Animaker started this topic. “How really aware are we about pandemics?”
We discussed the information we knew among ourselves but since no one had experienced this kind of pandemic earlier and we didn’t come to a conclusion.
Later at home, during a conversation with my grandmother (who lived through World War 2), she mentioned that the current lockdown was more strict than any of the lockdowns she had seen in her time.
It became clear to me that COVID19 was more serious than anything we have seen in the last 100 years. So it is very important for people to understand the seriousness of the situation.
But, the issue is that people aren’t really taking things seriously. While most people have self-isolated themselves, there are some people still visiting malls, partying with their friends and even having sleepovers.
This got me thinking “What would it really take for people to understand the seriousness of things?”
Movies are the answer.
Stuck between a section of people who have responsibly isolated themselves and people who are yet to realize what is happening right now, Movies seem like the only way to connect and convey the dos and don’ts in this time.
So here is my list of 10 movies and series that can spread awareness about Pandemics. From Empty roads, Empty supermarkets, and million more empty places, these movies not only connect with our current situation but also increases our awareness about pandemics.
A documentary showcasing how the doctors fought the war against lethal virus Influenza and how they abolished it with the cure.
Available on: Netflix
A movie with the story outline of the Ebola virus in Nigeria. It explains how the virus was contained before it became an epidemic.
Available on: Netflix, PrimeVideo
This movie is about a deadly virus named Kalavirus that is released by an army named 12 Monkeys. The plot of the movie involves travelling back in time and finding the cure for the virus.
Available on: Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, PrimeVideo
A virus leak from the biological factory caused the humans to become Zombies. The apocalypse happens as the train moves from Seoul to Busan.
Available on: Netflix, iTunes, YouTube, PrimeVideo
A deadly virus wipes out a village in 24 hours. Skilled army doctors research & struggle to find a cure for the virus that was brought into the city by an African monkey.
Available on: iTunes, YouTube, PrimeVideo
A movie about a virus that sweeps across the United States. The movie focuses on four characters who were the only survivors and how they survived throughout the pandemic virus spread.
Available on: PrimeVideo
This movie is about a rage virus that turned Britain into Zombies. The isolated survivors helped by the US Army fight against these zombies to survive.
Available on: iTunes, YouTube, PrimeVideo
This movie is about an infection that is transmitted by Fomites and the doctors, healthcare professionals put their hands together to find the cure for this pandemic disease.
Available on: iTunes, YouTube, PrimeVideo
This movie is based on the Nipah Virus that breaks out in the state of Kerala and how a group of individuals tries to contain the virus.
Available on: PrimeVideo
An award-winning film about the accidental release of a deadly virus and how the four survivors struggled against it.
Available on: iTunes, YouTube, PrimeVideo
Now that you have some handpicked pandemic movies to watch from your home, isolate yourself and maintain distance from people as much as possible to avoid the further spread of the deadly COVID19.
Right from the series Pandemic which shares the struggles of different doctors battling against the deadly influenza virus which shows us the precautionary measures that has to be followed during the virus outspread. This can help us with what we should do and what we should not do during this lockdown.
The other movies like Train to Busan, 28 days later, and others show how we should support ourselves, helping each other out when there’s nothing outside and the social forgiveness & the tendency to help each other is going to keep us going during this pandemic days.
We at Animaker are fighting against the Corona outbreak by isolating ourselves and working from home. Check out what our CEO says : How we are fighting the Corona outbreak at Animaker.
We have also introduced new templates, characters for your needs during this outbreak to ensure the right information is passed everywhere. Check out out the blog on Response to COVID19.
And finally #StayHome & #StaySafe
Be it any part of the world, right now everyone is isolated in their homes, protecting themselves from a deadly virus. The increasing cases of COVID 19 all over the world have made the authorities of different countries announce a lockdown to reduce the spread. The lockdown forces us to stay indoors and do our day to day office work from home.The work-from-home culture might seem difficult to adapt to at the beginning. But with dedication, focus and the right tools, the work done from home can be as effective as work done from an office. These tools not only help us to get the job done but also help collaborate with your team-members online.
CoronaVirus or not, communication is the key here.
Effective collaboration leads to better flow of work, so here are some basic categories of the tools that we recommend for collaboration and communication:
Collaboration – Apps for tracking the projects at the company level, team level and user level.
Communication – Apps used to communicate with your fellow colleagues at ease.
Remote connection – Apps to connect to a computer & transfer files, connect remotely.
Mass communication – Apps for conveying the message to the mass in a single click.
An effective work collaboration starts with effective communication. With proper communication and the right information passed, anything can be achieved. There are tons of free communication and collaboration tools that can be used by anyone. Here are few that we felt will add value and help you achieve your goals:
Slack – The super famous Slack is the go-to tool for any team collaboration. Right from project management to individual messaging, everything is possible here. The freemium tool also lets you integrate with different apps to improvise the workflow.
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Discord – Discord was originally made as a communication base for gamer communities. The app is also packed with almost all the necessary features for a workplace to collaborate and a bit more as well. Separate channels for specific teams, text-only channels, voice-only channels, etc can be made with discord.
Pro tip: Slack and discord put together have their own pros & cons. Slack being the ultimate collaboration tool with tons of integrations and discord with the powerful VOIP technology for Voice & video calls.
Teamspeak – Teamspeak is a famous VOIP app that lets you communicate with your team at ease. Discord & TeamSpeak is very similar but just the UI being too old here and discord being modern.
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Google Hangouts – Google hangouts is a powerful communication tool that allows users to create their own channels, groups, etc to facilitate the group channel communication among different teams.
Pro tip: While Google Hangout is packed with a bunch of useful features such as HD Voice call, Group call, Inbuilt screen sharing, etc Teamspeak is integrated with Military-grade security level for enhanced security.
Trello – The ever famous Trello is the best project management tool to track and maintain projects. This will help you keep a track of all the projects in progress as well as the upcoming projects in a single dashboard.
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Asana – Timeline view of the projects lets you view all the projects in a single screen and automation makes project management much easier by avoiding manual tasks.
Pro tip: Accelerate your tasks & projects by managing them with Project management apps and tracking them to completion. The timeline feature available in Asana gives you an overview of all the projects, tasks currently handled by the respective team members which make it easier to know who’s doing what during the current scenario.
AnyDesk – Anydesk is an app that allows you to connect to computers remotely. This will come in handy if you want to connect to your colleague’s computer & explain or demonstrate something which cannot be done through a call.
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TeamViewer – Teamviewer is yet another remote connection application that allows you to connect to your colleague’s computer or to your customer’s computer.
Pro tip: Always turn on auto-connect in TeamViewer or AnyDesk (Unattended access) in case you want to access your machine remotely through internet & transfer files. This will come in handy when your files aren’t available in the cloud but the computer.
Picmaker – The easiest tool for all your Picture making needs. Right from Instagram post to a YouTube Thumbnail, Picmaker got you covered.
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Animaker – Communicate to the masses by making an eye-appealing video online easily & for free. The template library in Animaker makes it way easier for those who don’t know how to edit a video.
Pro tip: Use the free templates to make eye-catching animations & pictures easily and quickly. You don’t have to be a designer to make eye catching media posts.
Now that you know all the right tools you need to get started with work from home, it’s time to think about how you can work from home effectively.
With the right set of tools & best practices, Working from home will be the same as any other day at the office. Let it be any tools or any best practice, the best practice for work from home begins from the personal commitment to work.
So stay motivated, stay focused. And never stop hustling!
How do you work from home? Do you have any tips for us?
Share your views in the comment section down below.
#StayHome