No one would have predicted the events of 2020 as the world got confined to their homes due to social distancing and self-isolation rules in the face of the pandemic. While nothing can be predicted with surety about how things will unfold in 2021 either, the previous year has laid solid grounds for a new digital era with a new series of voice acting trends in the media and advertising industry. Read on to learn more about five interesting forecast trends in voice acting for 2021.
1) Conversational Voice Overs Will Remain in Demand
Year after year, audiobook voice over and conversational reads continue to be in demand, and this trend doesn’t appear to be going anywhere soon. From 2020, with social distancing being put in place, the feel of human connection has become more crucial than ever.
If you take a closer look at today’s world, we see that everything moves towards a realistic and natural read. Everyone is moving towards a more grounded sensibility, and vocal requirements are reflecting the new norm. Even the voiceovers of animation characters have a thrust of realism.
In the face of the ongoing global challenges, people call for ‘real-person’ voice delivery styles since natural person reads are more attention-grabbing and can rise above the ‘noise’. To make it through the pandemic and beyond, conversational voiceovers and genuine reads that reflect human compassion and care will continue to be in high demand.
As the world continues through uncertainty, 2021 is expected to comprise a natural and diverse sound in vocal styles, genuine reads, and commercials. Also, voices that are diverse yet offer vulnerability will be something that listeners will be more likely to respond to.
2) Brands Will Continue to Seek Voice Overs For Marketing Purposes
If we have learned anything from 2020, it is that priorities, strategies, and perspectives can change within an instant. And brands are no exception. Since March 2020, brands and businesses have faced numerous challenges in turning their marketing tactics that reflected a brand new reality in the face of the COVID-19.
Marketing teams still had to find a way to reach their target audience, fighting through the physical delimitations. Hence they turned to voice overs as an effective tool for an agile marketing message. With businesses switching to working from home overnight, brands collaborated with voice talents while turning to remote technologies, such as Zoom and Source-Connect, and using online marketplaces, such as Voices.com.
Thus, this kind of remote-creative collaboration between brands and voice-over actors has set the future state’s foundation for 2021. As brands and businesses continue to navigate through the ongoing challenges in 2021, we can totally expect this trend to continue this year.
3) Online Videos and Creative Internet Content Will Continue to Bloom
Since March 2020, people turned to their screens with social distancing and isolation in effect, even their smaller phone screens for entertainment. Above 80% of consumers have increased their screen-time watching online videos on different platforms, such as Facebook, YouTube, Snapchat, LinkedIn, TikTok, etc.
We cannot expect a slowing down in the consumption of online videos and internet content, such as podcasts, anime series, makeup tutorials, etc. It is predicted that 83% of the global audience will continue to watch the same amount of online videos this year. 2021 is definitely set for an increase in social media ads and tutorial videos.
4) E-Learning & E-Learning Jobs Will Continue to Rising
If we look at the global education system of two years ago, we see that only half of the educational programs offered online classes or e-learning programs. However, 2020 instigated a quick change as the world was forced to quickly shift to remote learning. Besides, business training programs turned digital as well.
The e-learning market is expected to grow over the next couple of years, which signals the increased demand for e-learning jobs. Experts forecast that the globe will continue to witness an increased demand for various educational and corporate programs delivered online, including skills upgrading, telehealth, and online counseling.
With in-person training shifting to e-learning, you can expect continued growth in this voice-acting trend in a post-pandemic world. With the new norm of remote work and remote learning, companies’ training decks will continuously be updated according to requirements.
5) Voice Technology And Text-to-Speech Jobs Will Keep Growing
Even in 2021, the pandemic has solidified the requirement of a touchless world, meaning that AI and voice technology jobs, such as text-to-speech, are here for the long run. With the increased demand for minimizing high-touch spots, retail and food industries are on the lookout to incorporate voice technology to fill in the high-touch gap.
Incorporating voice technology in high-touch areas, such as operating the elevator, having the doors opened, or using a vending machine, can be transformed into a much more sanitary experience. The category of voice assistants has grown over the last years, especially through voice technology apps, such as Alexa Skills. We can expect this trend to continue in the coming years for a healthier and safer world.