Top of the class - Byju’s ft. Shahrukh Khan
In 2011, Byju’s started as an online tutoring firm based out of Bangalore. Four years later, it entered the unexplored EdTech space in India with the launch of its learning app. Today, it is the world’s most valuable EdTech company and one of the most recalled brands in the country.
In this piece, we look at the strategies followed by the company then and now and analyze their campaigns from a marketing and consumer behavior lens. Since we not only analyze a campaign but also look at the overall strategies followed by the company over the past 4–5 years, this is a relatively longer blog; we hope you find it interesting!
Go big or go home
When Byju’s started out, there were no big players in the EdTech space in the country — it was essentially the first entrant in the market; and it had plenty to do. It had the responsibility of introducing this new concept to the Indian customers and establish brand recognition. Secondly, while the end-users for the platform were the children, the decision-makers who would actually make the purchase transaction were parents. Hence, it had to target both the students and their parents in all their communications. Thirdly, the nature of the platform is such that it is high on experience attribute — one can only evaluate the quality post-purchase and consumption. Therefore, the company needed to ensure that all its potential customers know about the product and at least try it once.
So how do you ensure that the whole country knows about your product? Simple. You just get it endorsed by the most recognizable face in the country. Enter King Khan.
Not only is Shahrukh Khan an influential household name, but also a family man known for his philanthropy and support towards education (he hosted Kya Aap Paanchvi Pass Se Tez Hain? and a season of Kaun Banega Crorepati). He was the perfect mix of responsibility and excitement, as was Byju’s. By 2018, it was clear that Byju’s had made a mark with its userbase standing at 15 million with 6% paid users. But this was just the beginning.
Soon after Byju’s app launch, the market saw players popping up with their apps and platforms to get their hands on this newly discovered market. It is clear that Byju’s understood the importance of being recognized as ‘The Learning App’ as they went ahead and made a considerable investment (est. 350–450 crores) to sponsor the Indian Cricket Team Jersey — the most popular sports in the country; it accounted for 93% of all sports viewership in India in 2018.
So now you got the biggest sporting names wearing your brand with the country’s eyes glued to the screen — it doesn’t get any bigger than that. Coupled with a strong on-field sales team, the company has 70 million users today — 4.6 times what they had three years ago. Surely they are on track to ensure that everyone knows and tries their product.
Clearer definitions
No doubt Byju’s is on a roll; its app downloads have jumped to 600% from 2017 to 2020. However, there is a problem. They have 4.7 million paid users today, which has, yes, increased fivefold in three years (900K paid users in 2017), but it still is just 6.7% of their total userbase. That means that although the userbase has grown, the ratio of users who actually pay is still the same. And that could mean problems for the company — it would not want to have users who are not generating revenue as the company grows since they still cost money to the company. And one of the reasons for this stagnant conversion is that although it all sounds very fancy, people don’t exactly know where it stands in their child’s education journey.
It is not unfair to say that the education sector, not just in India but in most countries, has not been the most innovative and eager to adopt new technologies. Hence, when a startup like Byju’s proposes its solution to students’ problems, it raises the question of how well it will fit in the existing education system. Is the platform a substitute for schools? Or does it complement them? If so, does the curriculum match? Or is it just all a fancy hoopla, which is good for occasional learning but not very sustainable? And the sluggish growth in conversion percentage could be a hint that the platform is not being used on a regular basis.
So what are they? Byju’s has made an attempt to define what they are more clearly in their new campaign.
Look at the ad closely and see how they break down the various needs their customers have. Do parents feel that the learning progress has stopped? Some do. Do children need personal attention? Some do. Are parents unable to find good tuitions in their area? Yes, all parents are! And that is what Byju’s is going for. They are the modern-day substitute to tuitions, where children get all the learning experience more conveniently and safely. Maybe someday in the future, such EdTech platforms might make schools outdated and redundant (there were about 2.5 million K-12 homeschooled students in the United States in 2019), but right now, they need to act as complementors to schooling systems in India.
Okay, let’s look at the ads now. The one you saw just now, the tuition one, is the new campaign they launched a couple of months back. We’ll come to that one too, but first, watch this series of ads from 2018, and then we’ll compare the communication. (just watch the first two, and you will get the general idea)
So there are two primary differences we observed between the ads then and now. The first one being how the attitude of parents has changed over three years, and the second how the Unique Selling Point has evolved.
Parents Then vs. Now
Back in 2018, Byju’s was a relatively new concept with skepticism around the viability of online learning. And the ad reflects that. It was designed to be relatable to a parent’s state of mind then, with the ‘parent SRK’ doubting the app’s viability, even chuckling at the idea. Once that connection with the parent is established, the ad proceeds to clear that doubt for the ‘parent SRK’, hoping that the viewer will follow suit. This is observational learning — a form of social learning that occurs through observing the behavior of others.
Also, see how the campaign had ads portraying households from different geographies and cultures to target parents nationwide. And personally speaking, Shahrukh Khan saying ‘ab inki bhi sunn lete hain’ just has a nice ring to it.
Cut to 2020, the new ad features parents concerned about their child’s education, looking for solutions. And that solution is Byju’s — no more doubts there now. Given the pandemic and acceptance of online classes, the skepticism has lessened, and parents are now looking for effective solutions for this new normal; and the ad reflects that.
Unique Selling Point Then and Now
When Byju’s came into the market, it had a technologically advanced product — and that was their USP. In the ads, they talked about features such as re-watching lectures, recommendations based on the child’s learning speed, and visual learning — you know the works. Because at the time, this technology was unique and attractive; and since the objective was to reach out to the masses communicating how easy it is to learn on Byju’s, it made sense to try and attract them with such messaging.
However, with competitors popping up, the technology isn’t unique anymore. Hence, the USP has to evolve — and that’s what Byju’s is doing. In their 2020 campaign, notice how they talk about the ‘personal touch’ the platform is capable of providing. The communication revolves around best tutors, doubt solving mentors, and one-on-one attention and feedback for the children. Competitors like Vedantu do have interactive classes but aren’t just there yet.
Now we know that Byju’s reputation has taken some hit due to the WhiteHat Jr. controversy; we think the company needs to take a step back and re-assess their communication and strategy to be more in line with their vision of ‘…one-to-one learning that addresses every child’s learning needs, allows students to be holistically involved in their education and be active, lifelong learners…’ to be more responsible and sustainable in their sales and marketing practices. This home-grown startup has an incredible founding story, great brand value, and presence in a growing industry — it just needs to play its cards right.
Let us know your thoughts in the responses. For more interesting campaigns and analysis, follow Nacho Marketing!
