When Apple’s iOS’s privacy changes came in like a wrecking ball last year, Nycole Kelly worked with multiple brands in its path. Luckily, she found a solution: influencer marketing.

Flashback: When the update hit, The Outloud Group’s VP of client strategy told Marketing Brew advertisers had no idea how much it would push up costs on metrics like CPCs and CPAs.

Influencers, Kelly said, can give brands some control back: She even told us that privacy concerns are “a big piece of the fuel” for the influencer marketing industry’s recent growth (the sector grew to $13.8 billion in 2021, up from $9.7 billion the year before).

Zoom out: She’s not alone—many influencer marketers think that Apple’s privacy changes have given influencer marketing a leg up, and that the industry’s growing focus on privacy may have helped to spur the sector’s recent growth.

• As data privacy concerns increase, some argue that influencer marketing can be a less invasive channel than traditional paid social ever was.
• James Nord, the founder of Fohr, an influencer marketing service, told us that the month after iOS 14.5 rolled out, brands reached out to his company multiple times a week explaining that their paid ads weren’t performing as well anymore, and that they wanted to diversify their spend into influencer marketing.
• Fohr’s business saw bookings increase 129% between Q1 of 2021 and Q1 of 2022, which the team attributes, at least in part, to privacy concerns and iOS 14.5’s impact on paid social advertising.

Other marketers have seen a similar shift. Keep reading here.—PB

Future Social is a weekly newsletter on social media, content, and creators from Jack Appleby, a Morning Brew creator who’s worked in social media for 10 years at companies like Beats by Dre, Microsoft, and Twitch. Check out an excerpt from one of his pieces below, and sign up for Future Social here.

This social media take’s gonna be controversial at first glance, but stick with me.

The purpose of every brand’s organic social media content is to promote said brand—it’s content that either creates awareness, engagement, or sales. And if the purpose of the content is to promote the brand, getting that content in as many places as possible only helps the brand with not one negative effect.

While every social media manager might hope people simply retweet or share with each social network’s basic functionality, someone stealing your content and placing it on their own social media, even without credit, is still good for your brand. It’s still earned media, even if it’s not terribly trackable.

That’s why it’s time to do away with watermarking your content. It’s overbranding, it’s discouraging a curation behavior you want, and it’s mostly a vain move to take credit, which actually doesn’t matter.

Read about why brands shouldn’t discourage others from curating their content.—JA

Last year, Marketing Brew readers said nostalgia marketing was one of 2021’s most overlooked trends.

The trend has picked up steam over the past few years and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down anytime soon. In the last few months:

• Snyder’s revived Seinfeld lawyer Jackie Chiles
• Pabst Blue Ribbon created an ’80s-themed motel
• Frito-Lay remixed ’90s hit “Return of the Mack”

Last week, we asked you if you’re sick of nostalgia marketing. Over 1,000 readers responded, the majority saying they’re not ready for it to go the way of the Saved by the Bell reboot.

• 62% said keep it coming
• 38% said you’re over it

So yes, if you’re already planning your Super Bowl campaign, rest assured knowing a C-list celebrity from 1993 will probably go over well.

There are a lot of bad marketing tips out there. These aren’t those.

Privacy, please: Meta published a guide on navigating audience targeting and ad performance post-iOS updates.

Raising the bar: How LinkedIn is updating search results on its platform.

No doubts: Google will label verified clinics that provide abortion on Maps and Search.

Dream team: Brainrider is a full-service agency helping ambitious marketers do more. Need more hands than you can hire? They’ll help you scale up (or down) your design, content, and digital marketing to achieve your goals. Get started.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}

Consumer behaviors are changing rapidly. Join us for a can’t-miss discussion about how every marketer should be navigating major shifts in the digital landscape.

Watch the on-demand webinar now.

• Google’s Display & Video 360 platform has added OOH capabilities.
• Meghan Markle has topped the Spotify podcast charts in six countries, surpassing Joe Rogan in the US.
• TikTok seems to be further expanding into CTV.
• Instacart has partnered with celebrities and influencers to fill your grocery cart for you.
• Meta is building a customer-service division for content complaints.

Snap poll: Is your brand (or are your clients) upping spend on experiential marketing?

Yep

Not really

Decreasing, actually

Which headlines are real marketing news, and which one is fake?

1. Chipotle’s lemonade-scented ‘Water’ Cup Candle, poking fun at customers sneaking free drinks, is sold out and reselling for up to $90
2. Rihanna drops new ketchup-themed makeup line
3. Kendall Jenner’s new $200 tequila bottle looks like a giant pretzel
4. AMC stages shoot so fans can re-create Nicole Kidman’s iconic movie intro

Keep scrolling for the answer.

Catch up on a few Marketing Brew stories you might have missed.

• Midterm election ads: The social media platforms where you will (and won’t) see them
• Amazon Prime Video kicks off the ‘transition’ to streaming football
• What is ‘regenerative marketing’?