Joanna, congratulations on your new undertaking with 90 Seconds! You are a seasoned Marketing icon with big names under your belt. Can you tell our readers about yourself and your professional journey?
I have more than a decade of marketing experience across the entertainment, media and technology industries. My previous experiences spanned the US, Europe and Asia-Pacific where I worked for major broadcasters like Sky Germany, MTV and HBO. Most recently, I was Spotify’s Head of Business Marketing for the Asia Pacific, where I led the company’s B2B marketing efforts. I’m excited to use my diverse experience to help scale the 90 Seconds’ brand and platform in new markets.
Outside the office, I love exploring new cultures and seeking new experiences. With my trusty GoPro on hand to capture every moment, I am always on the lookout for the next surfing and diving adventure.
Your 10 years experience spans around entertainment, media and tech. We know your experiences and what you have achieved speaks for itself but we need to hear it from you. In your opinion, how will your background be an asset to 90 Seconds?
A global mindset is crucial to my role at 90 Seconds, especially as we expand rapidly across regions and remote locations worldwide. This means being equipped with both the technical and cultural know-how to tailor our marketing strategies for different markets. With my experience at Sky Germany, MTV and HBO, I’m also fully aware of the importance of content and can work effectively in a fast-paced environment, which is the way we work at 90 Seconds. Additionally, my time at Canon USA Inc. provided a unique perspective from the production side – particularly on how production companies began to use DSLRs to create quality videos.
From disrupting the audio industry at Spotify to disrupting the video industry through innovative technology, I aim to help 90 Seconds deliver its promise to create quality videos at scale, across 900 cities in the world. Video production can be tricky when filming is taking place across different countries and time zones – think product launches and international events. Having been on the client-side, I understand marketers’ demand for quality, scale and value, and can, therefore, better highlight how 90 Seconds’ current or future offerings can address these needs.
I stumbled upon 90 Seconds sometime ago and cannot help but feel amazed. Now, everyone can make your own video and we are not talking shoddy videos but one of superior quality. How did this idea first came about?
It all started when our founder and CEO Tim Norton discovered just how challenging it was to coordinate and produce videos on-set. As a customer, he felt that the video production process lacked transparency and that communication between the production crew was unclear. 90 Seconds has come a long way from our startup days in 2010. We’ve since undergone two funding rounds from notable investors including SIG, AirTree and Sequoia India. Our most recent Series B round will go towards developing video automation and intelligence capabilities to personalise brands’ experience on our platform.
With the emergence of video creation platforms like 90 Seconds, what will happen to the traditional camera or video person, say a decade from now?
90 Seconds has enabled the video creation gig economy to go mainstream. We plan to provide more jobs to creators from around the world, which in turn will give brands the ability to scale with the demands of their video creation needs. Another key area that we expect video production to evolve is the opportunity for continuous creation. What this means is that existing videos can be repeatedly repurposed and reused to extend its life cycle. With video automation and intelligence, it will free up manpower to enable creators to focus on more complex and creative tasks.
Who is your target audience in 90 Seconds and why?
On the customer front, our target audience is largely made up of marketers and HR professionals looking to create videos for a wide variety of corporate and marketing needs including content marketing, advertising, corporate communications, learning and development, recruitment and so on.
On the recruitment front, we’re always on the lookout for skilled creators including videographers, directors, editors, animators, drone operators, photographers and many more. They form the backbone of our curated network, upholding the quality of video production through their respective roles and responsibilities.
What is the biggest component factored-in when you are planning your marketing strategies, Joanna?
As obvious as it may seem, the foundation to every well-thought marketing strategy should be one that keeps your customers central to every decision. This comes with thorough research and years of experience working alongside your target audience, understanding their needs, their pain points, and the ability to help identify potential issues before they even arise. But most importantly, don’t be too anchored in your past experiences that it prohibits you from testing and trying out new things. As new channels and video formats emerge, marketing strategies should evolve too.
Globally, where can we find the most users of 90 Seconds? What do you think is the reason for this particular location?
We have users in 160 countries. Most of our users are found across Southeast Asia, the UK, US, Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, New Zealand – this is where the demand for video production is the highest. Being physically present in these countries has also enabled us to become highly plugged into the local markets. Today, brands don’t just need high-quality videos, they need videos on demand.
The benefit of our platform is that it helps our customers overcome the geographic barrier, granting access to more than 12,000 creators in over 160 countries and 900 cities. As part of our upcoming expansion plans, we’re already looking into enhancing our creator network to provide brands with greater global coverage across major regions and key remote locations.
For someone with a comprehensive experience in marketing, which is more important to you, branding or marketing?
Based on my past experiences launching new products as well as brands in new markets, branding and marketing always need to work in tandem. As with the many other facets of marketing like PR and advertising, branding should be at the core of your marketing strategy. It has an important part to play in establishing your identity but it cannot stand alone without the proper marketing tactics to help bring these aspirational attributes to life.
The significance of both is something that I’ve held very close to the heart in building the 90 Seconds brand. As a brand, we see ourselves as a curated marketplace that taps into the global gig economy to produce quality videos. As such, a significant portion of our marketing efforts is towards expanding the outreach of our creator network, so that we can continue to deliver on our promise of creating quality videos at scale.
Without doubt, 90 Seconds is going to have a wonderful ride with you at the helm, Joanna. Any parting words?
As a marketer in today’s increasingly competitive business landscape, data will be instrumental in helping brands strategically navigate their stakeholder outreach. Having created over 30,000 videos for over 3,000 brands, 90 Seconds has plenty of opportunities to expand on insights through our exhaustive database of videos. I fully intend to leverage on them to further tailor the video production experience for our customers.
For those who wish to get in touch with you, what is the best way?
Feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn!
