Simplilearn is in a phase of rapid growth: Kashyap Dalal

Simplilearn has rolled out the second leg of its Job Guarantee Program, which was launched following the massive success of the first leg, which took place in January 2022. The first leg of the #JobGuarantee campaign focused on the Indian cultural norm of asking or giving a ‘treat’ when one acquires a new position or advancement of status. The second leg of the campaign showcases how nothing in this world is guaranteed except Simplilearn’s #JobGuarantee. The current campaign is being activated with two engaging ad films focused on an ongoing cricket match, with each film taking place during team huddles – pre-match locker room and mid-match dugout talk, respectively.

The ad films are based on the same concept where the team captain tells his players that one cannot guarantee anything in life, let alone cricket. In one of the ads, a player responds by saying that the Job Guarantee programs of Simplilearn ensure that a learner will land a job once he completes the Job Guarantee program with Simplilearn. In another, the team captain himself makes that observation.

Simplilearn’s recent marketing and advertising activations have seen significant returns, boosting the brand’s confidence in launching the next phase. After the #JobGuarantee brand campaign launch, 260% of the maximum hike was achieved, and learners received opportunities with 5,000+ hiring partners. The campaign contributed to over 1,000 enrolments in four months. There has been a 75% increase in placement rate since the launch of the previous leg of the campaign in January.

In conversation with Adgully, Kashyap Dalal, Co-Founder & Chief Business Officer, Simplilearn, speaks about the factors that have led to the success of the #JobGuarantee brand campaign, association with sports, especially IPL, growth of the Edtech industry, and more.

What is the communication objective behind the campaign?

The primary objective is to build stronger awareness and credibility for our brand, Simplilearn. We are in a phase of rapid growth and the marketing property accelerates the process and enables us make deeper inroads into the Indian audience. Our larger strategy, through the IPL campaign, is to continue to build more visibility for Simplilearn and the job guarantee program.

What is the strategy behind Simplilearn’s focus on sports via their new campaigns like IPL?

In India, nothing can attract the right TG more than an IPL, especially for our business. We took the medium of IPL as we wanted to reach out to a larger audience and build credibility amongst our target audience in an effective way. The ad content is also curated in a way to fit in impeccably with the IPL matches. IPL has helped us in providing both growth and credibility and our enrolments have increased by six times since January.

What is the positioning of your brand and what kind of differentiation do you plan to bring in the marketplace vis-à-vis the competition?

We are the world’s leading online boot-camp for digital skills. We aim to provide programs that are in tandem with the ever changing dynamics of the tech industry. Our strong global presence in the US and other key geographies enable us to be on top of the most in-demand skills that are essential to succeed in the digital economy.

We want to instil the confidence in our learners that post the completion of their programs from Simplilearn, they will be job ready and ahead of the industry curve. Our latest brand campaign also reinforces the same thing. If you upskill with Simplilearn in relevant programs, that will equip learners with the right skills that will help them land guaranteed jobs and build careers in the right direction.

As a brand, the primary differentiator is our product itself. We excel in a truly interactive learning experience via our boot-camp style learning model, which consists of self-paced videos, live virtual classes conducted by industry experts, hands-on projects and Masterclasses by academic heads across partner universities worldwide. Our technology stack has been designed to be truly interactive, and offers a product that drives better outcomes for learners.

Who are you targeting with the communication? Could you elaborate on the profile of the target audience?

The communication is targeted towards students, professionals and anyone who wishes to upskill in their respective careers and find better job opportunities for themselves. With the Job Guarantee program, we look forward to reaching and on-boarding more aspirants, to upskill without the worry of finding a job, as it is guaranteed, given the high-quality of training provided through our digital upskilling that enable the learner to be future-ready. The same is highlighted through our series of recent marketing campaigns, the latest being the Job Guarantee campaign during the IPL.

How do you plan to engage with your audience? Will it be digital led engagement or are you going to explore some mass media as well to reach a wider spectrum of audience?

We are open to all mediums that are consumed by our TG and show great ROI for end-to-end marketing funnel. Given the wide reach of the IPL and the relevance of our campaign in this light, we explored multiple mediums to reach and engage with our audience. We have conveyed our message largely through the medium of OTT because focusing solely on television may lead to the messaging getting diluted.

What are the further collaborations or campaigns that you are planning?

We are going to continue our brand communication for the Job Guarantee program in the months to come. We plan to deploy integrated media strategies that help us gain further visibility, drive quality traffic and ultimately help us build robust and consistent revenue growth. We will consider everything – from mass media to hyper-targeted, niche platforms – to generate interest and consideration amongst our TG for the Job Guarantee program.