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- Talking Jewelry on TikTok
- Snapchat rolls out its BeReal-esque dual camera feature
- Inside the lucrative world of pet influencers
- Olaplex's 'Olaflex Challenge' Racks Up Over 3 Billion Views
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Great Reads
Emilee Helm Of Gamesight: Helping Games Grow In A Hyper-Competitive Market
Emilee explains that Gamesight takes multiple approaches to help games grow, starting with understanding your audience.
For example, she shares that they may provide insights into what other games your players enjoy playing. Advertising and targeting other games with similar audiences can help companies decide where to spend marketing dollars more effectively.
Gamesight has also developed community-based marketing programs, like their creator program.
“We provide a full service of a webpage where creators can apply to be in the program. We measure performance throughout the program. We post things like leaderboards. We do things like Discord management, community management, [and] we just hosted our first webinar in Discord. So, we’ve found ways to engage content creators and make them feel much closer to the brands and the developers of games they love.”
“For creators to have that, almost face to face, access to their [the developer’s] team and feel heard is really important, and so I think that’s a really big foundational piece to community building, in general, is just understanding what your audience wants and listening to their feedback and making them feel like they’re heard.”
When asked about some of Gamesight’s most successful campaigns, she shared about the Outriders campaign she worked on.
“I think that is why it was so successful. We started engaging content creators in the beta phase. So, on beta, we activated, I think, somewhere of like a hundred plus creators to try out the demo, play it with their friends to explore the concepts, create videos, and start getting that initial exposure.”
Talent-Focused Production With Lena Katz, The Creator Built-in Division Lead At Ampersand
Lena believes that fewer brands will be looking to hire creators or influencers to just post a TikTok walking around with a sponsored bag for a large amount of money. Instead, she sees more and more brands wanting truly creative content with more accountability for results and ROI.
“There’s going to be an increasing demand for accountability from agency and brands, like what are you actually delivering in terms of ROI? We’re going to need to answer that question upfront and all the way through. That’s something I always do. I’m very data-driven in how I vet people. That is the future.”
In the future, she believes more and more brands will shift their marketing budgets away from PR and more to performance-based marketing with real, data-proven results.
“We’re [Companies are] going to actually have to up our game in terms of analytics and marketing, like the nuts and bolts of it all.”
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Campaign Insights
Bausch + Lomb kicks off TikTok challenge for eye drop Lumify
Bausch + Lomb is tapping into the social media craze for TikTok in a unique marketing campaign for its eye drop Lumify. The campaign asks you not to dance with your feet but with your eyes and offers up a chance to win a makeover with Vincent Oquendo.
The specialty pharma company has already garnered a huge TikTok following for Lumify, as it has a hashtag for the drop that “organically amassed nearly 14 million views to date,” it said in a press release.
Now, Bausch + Lomb is looking to turbocharge its marketing with the new #LUMIFYEyeDance challenge. The OTC eye drop was approved in 2018 to reduce eye redness and made more than $100 million last year.
The idea is to get consumers to dance “with their eyes” to the beat of a new Lumify audio track all for the chance to win an A-list makeover with celebrity makeup artist and Lumify eye drops brand ambassador Vincent Oquendo.
The $10,500 prize includes travel and accommodations for two to New York, a $500 AmEx gift card, a ""dream kit"" featuring products used during the makeover session and professionally shot photographs to commemorate the event.
Olaplex's 'Olaflex Challenge' Racks Up Over 3 Billion Views
Olaplex's 'Olaflex Challenge' has racked up over three billion views on social media—with the #Olaflex hashtag reaching that number of views in just 72 hours.
The Olaflex challenge asks consumers to share their hair issues, challenging its loyal fans to share their wildest, craziest hair from the past—compared to their healthy hair today that they got by using Olaplex, using the hashtag #Olaflex.
Charlotte Watson, CMO for Olaplex, says, "TikTok is the perfect platform to engage with our loyal users, who've helped build our organic momentum on the platform, going from twenty-four million views to more than one billion in less than 30 months."
Watson adds, "We view this challenge as a fun way to help educate on OLAPLEX's original patented bond-building technology to relink hair bonds to repair and strengthen from the inside for healthier hair."
The campaign taps into the nostalgia trends that are gaining momentum on TikTok and will rally passionate salon professionals and consumers around the mutual fact that while everyone has made hair mistakes in the past, Olaplex has helped them on their journey to healthy hair.
Why DTC chocolate vitamin brand Sourse wants to reach millennials and Gen Z
“We love working with influencers who have an audience on multiple platforms, like YouTube,” said Megan Howard, senior director of product marketing at Sourse. “This is a strategy that has helped us scale quickly.” Howard did not provide exact figures.
It is unclear how much of its advertising budget went to influencers and social media marketing as Howard could not disclose the exact figures. However, according to Howard, about 80% of ad spend has been spent on digital marketing channels. Of that spend, Google Ads and display make up 20%, social media ads make up 40%, mobile games make up 15%, influencers and brand partners make up 25%. Offline channels have been direct mail, brand events and partner activations.
Among the influencers Sourse worked with were Nicole Cogan, an angel investor blogger and wellness enthusiast, and fashion model Sanne Vloet. “We like to build relationships with our partners for the long term and we’re a cruelty-free company and love working with like-minded partners whose followers are looking for clean label options, which are hard to find in the supplement industry,” said Howard.
Securing influencers with long-term contracts is one way brands have tried to maintain a connection with consumers. The thinking goes that the strategy will reinforce the brand’s messaging in a close-knit community setting among an influencer’s following, particularly as influencer marketing struggles to mature given its measurement issues.
The business of influence: Why the era of celebrity influencers is over
Brands are also tapping into the value of highly engaged, everyday customers of a brand — known as key opinion customers (KOCs) — to raise awareness through word of mouth and user-generated content. Like KOLs, the concept was originally used by brands and retailers in China but is increasingly adopted by companies in the US and UK.
Premium fashion brands like Ganni, Rixo and Sir have made good use of this strategy: creating dedicated hashtags, events and initiatives for loyal customers who they feel best represent their brand. Luxury brands are also beginning to shift away from a top-down approach of selling an idealised, affluent — and for many, out-of-reach — lifestyle, towards co-creating with communities they have organically grown.
Womenswear brand Marfa Stance has a #MarfaMuse series that runs across all its channels, profiling “real and interesting” people from different fields and disciplines, such as beauty entrepreneur Linda Rodin, photographer Lily Bertrand-Webb and perfumer Maya Njie, wearing its product in their own way. “As an 80 per cent DTC brand, our customers and ambassadors are integral to our brand’s philosophy, narrative and success. It’s important to work with individuals I want to be inspired by, rather than following a traditional influencer model of meaninglessly gifting product,” says founder and CEO Georgia Dant.
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Interesting People
Inside the lucrative world of pet influencers
Tatum, of course, is far from the only pet to light up the social algorithms. The world has become enamored with famous donkeys, iguanas, and ferrets. TikTok is currently obsessed with an affable, photobombing emu; and the late Grumpy Cat — one of the original animal influencers — made it all the way to American Idol and the South by Southwest festival. There’s no rhyme or reason — no replicable trick — to transforming an animal into a celebrity. Those who know the industry well say the most successful pets possess a delectable quirk that the rest of us can't resist during our languid afternoon scrolls. I mean, just look at Marnie The Dog’s tongue, or Nala Cat’s eyes. Usually it happens by accident. One day you're sending a goofy video of a terrier to your friends, the next day you're quitting your job.
That’s the story of Thomas Shapiro, the owner of Tika — a luxurious Italian Greyhound and runway model who Shapiro dresses up in tracksuits, furs, and Met Gala-ready gowns. (It’s important to bundle up for life in chilly Montreal.) Shapiro says he started Tika's Instagram account in 2016, simply because he was posting too many photos of her on his own page. He quickly found an audience delighted by Tika’s outfits and left his job as a web developer in 2021. Since then, Shapiro has attempted to nail down a routine in a very unorthodox career; after all, they don't write books about how to manage a professional pet (at least, not yet), so Shapiro says he mostly makes it up as he goes along.
"I start my day by checking emails from Tika's agent. We touch base in the mid-morning to see if there's anything new [with branded content opportunities]," he tells me. "Tika wakes up and has her breakfast, and at lunchtime we'll do some content for TikTok or Instagram. She's really a professional. We get our shoots done in 10 or 15 minutes. Then we'll do stuff like Cameo. I try to be as active as I can in the DMs, just to keep her engaged."
Instagram's pilot influencers are also feeling the stress of air travel chaos and airline staffing shortages
The Instagram account The Third Culture Pilot shows off the beauty of flying planes around the globe as a commercial pilot. The man behind the account keeps his name and face private — going only by his username — but documents his journeys with stunning photos from the flight deck and videos of landing on runways all around the world.
Thirdculturepilot, who asked Insider to withhold his name because of concerns around professional boundaries, started flying planes as a first officer in November 2019, and was able to complete the last of his training and get his license just a few months before the start of the coronavirus pandemic. He was one of the lucky ones, he told Insider, because shortly after getting all the qualifications to become a fully fledged pilot, the travel industry ground to a halt.
While pilot influencers accounts like Thirdculturepilot gain hundreds of thousands of followers for the idyllic picture they paint, there is chaos behind the images of sunny skies they post online. Flight delays, cancellations, and luggage disarray at airports have plagued the headlines for months. Pilots spoke to Insider about what they wish vacationers understood about the travel industry right now, and what it's like for the people working in it who bear the brunt of travelers' disappointment and frustration.
"All of the complaints mostly hit the crew rather than the airline," Thirdculturepilot said. "I wish people were aware that our job is just as much as a normal job as the job of a nurse or a doctor, who find themselves with the same struggle each day."
‘Chicken Shop Date’ Creator Amelia Dimoldenberg Signs With CAA
Amelia Dimoldenberg, the creator and host of the popular Chicken Shop Date interview series on YouTube, has signed with CAA.
The comedic series, which Dimoldenberg created in 2014, has featured guests like Keke Palmer, Jack Harlow, Daniel Kaluuya, Charli XCX, Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy. But Dimoldenberg’s February interview with the documentary filmmaker Louis Theroux helped raise the online series’ popularity to new heights after a clip of Theroux rapping on the episode was later paired with music and turned into a bona fide song by the duo Duke & Jones. (The latest version of the song, with Jason Derulo, features Theroux and Dimoldenberg in its accompanying music video.)
In addition to Chicken Shop Date, Dimoldenberg also hosts the YouTube series Amelia’s Cooking Show, where she and a guest cook a meal using five ingredients. Past guests have included Starstruck creator and star Rose Matafeo and the British YouTube creator Amin Mohammed, best known as “Chunkz.” Both Chicken Shop Date and Amelia’s Cooking Show are produced by Dimoldenberg’s production company, Dimz Inc
TikTok: Welsh young people quitting their jobs for social media
Dean Morris, 27, described the TikToks he makes as "quite geeky humour, mixed with a bit of self-deprecation to make other people laugh".
The Llanelli-based creator has been creating TikToks since 2019, and now has just under 700,000 followers.
"When I first went viral, I loved it, my notifications were popping off. It was a lovely feeling," he said.
"You try not to get caught up in numbers but it's a fun feeling when it happens. It's the polar opposite then when the numbers aren't coming in.
"You try not to get sucked in, but you do. You look at the numbers and you're obsessed with it.
"I think my best way of handling it is I just don't look at my notifications because it will mess with my mental health if I do."
Mr Morris, whose TikTok page is called "dheanasaur", said he believed the success of TikTok in Wales was due to the Welsh creators' "fantastic personalities".
"The Welsh humour and the Welsh way of living is incredible and I genuinely think it's just the personalities of the Welsh people coming through," he said.
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Industry News
Instagram is now allowing users to share posts, Reels and locations through QR codes
Instagram is now allowing users to share anyone’s posts or Reels through a QR code. What’s more, users also can share a QR code location through its searchable Map experience. While people usually think about sharing posts through direct messages or a URL, QR codes can be effective in marketing campaigns — for example, the Coinbase Super Bowl ad — and highlighting businesses.
Multiple users, including TechCrunch staff, have noticed this option for sharing. Users can head to any Reel, post or location and hit the three-dot menu to see the option for QR code sharing. Alternatively, on the web, users can add “/qr” to a post’s URL to generate a QR code. Notably, Instagram has had the feature of sharing profiles through QR codes for a few years now. But this is the first time the company is releasing such an option for individual posts.
“To make it easier for people and businesses to share specific content, we recently launched the ability to create QR codes for profiles, tags, locations, reels and more,” a Meta spokesperson told TechCrunch.
Snapchat rolls out its BeReal-esque dual camera feature
Snapchat is adding a new feature to its main camera, allowing users to capture photo and video using the front- and back-facing cameras on their phones at the same time.
The dual camera feature was initially announced back in April as part of Snapchat’s to-be-released director mode, which will give users access to a wider range of creative tools. The dual camera feature is coming directly to Snapchat just as BeReal — the nostalgia-tinged photo sharing app using both cameras — is breaking into the mainstream.
Part of BeReal’s appeal is in the relatively minimal set of features and the mundanity of what users see when they open the app. It only supports images, there’s just one layout for pictures, and it doesn’t include any editing tools. Snapchat’s version is more robust than what BeReal offers. For one, users can pick from several different layout options, including windows stacked vertically, side by side, picture in picture (the most similar to BeReal), and cutout. Snap also says users will be able to add lenses, stickers, and music to their content captured with the dual camera setting.
Mobile photo editing app creator Lightricks launches text-to-image generator
Mobile photo editing app creator Lightricks is hopping on the AI-generated art bandwagon with its new “Text to Image” generator within its apps, including Photoleap, which is known for its photo editing capabilities, and Motionleap, an app that can animate a still photo to make it look like it’s in motion. As of today, users can now create AI-generated images via text prompts to share with their friends and social media followers.
The new feature is the latest AI development for Lightricks, whose flagship Facetune app is used by many Instagram models to retouch their selfies and alter waistlines. The Israel-based startup is known for leveraging artificial intelligence technology to power a range of creative expression tools. Its other products include apps like Videoleap, Filtertune, Beatleap, Artleap, Lightleap and Boosted.
With the new “Text to Image” feature, Lightricks is adopting technology that will help users not just edit photos or videos, but create art by leveraging to AI capabilities. A similar feature was recently introduced into TikTok’s mobile app to create video backgrounds.
To use the new feature, click “Generate AI Image” at the top of the app and a text box will appear for you to type whatever has spawned from your wildest dreams (within reason, as the app doesn’t allow NSFW content). You also can start with pre-written prompts provided, such as “a purple fox, by Van Gogh” or “singing poodle k pop album cover.”
After creating the AI image, users can access the editing and animation tools. Photoleap provides tools such as layering, filters, quick art, cut-out tools and more. Motionleap has animation tools, a 3D motion tool, as well as overlays and other effects.
Twitch's new YouTube, TikTok simulcast policy isn't a change at all
Becoming a Twitch partner means many things: additional monetization options, channel customization, a shiny verified badge. For a time, it also meant live-streaming exclusively on Twitch. On Tuesday, the live-streaming platform announced an end to that requirement, though in reality it hadn’t enforced that rule for quite some time.
Yesterday Twitch sent out an email informing partnered streamers that they now have the option to create live content — that is, host streams — on other platforms like YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok.
“We still believe that Twitch is the best place for creators to build and engage with their community,” the Amazon-owned company wrote. (Amazon’s founder, Jeff Bezos, owns The Washington Post.) “We also recognize that the digital landscape has changed since we first introduced the Partner Program and that many of you engage with your communities in many different places. So we are updating our policy. We will no longer be enforcing this portion of your agreement and will be updating terms early next year.”
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Great Paywalled Content
Talking Jewelry on TikTok - The New York Times
In August 2020, when Julie Dang, a 31-year-old psychiatric nurse practitioner in Houston, started a TikTok account to talk about her jewelry and luxury goods collection, she never expected that, a couple of years later, 21,500 people would watch her, as @jkimdee, shopping at the local Van Cleef & Arpels boutique for a Mother’s Day gift.
But those are the kinds of numbers that TikTok, the world’s most successful video-sharing app, has said it intends to grow — in this case, to reach the next generation of potential jewelry lovers: the 18- to 24-year-old Gen Zers, who make up more than 40 percent of TikTok’s more than one billion users, according to the marketing data company Statista.
Browns, the London luxury retailer, has been noticing. “We often have Gen Z clients WhatsApp-ing their personal shoppers with screenshots of jewelry they have seen styled on TikTok, wanting to jump on to the latest trend,” Hollie Harding, a Browns buying manager whose job includes making jewelry selections, wrote in an email.
Teresa Sandeman, a 22-year-old student whose TikTok username is @13asandeman, said she searches the app before she buys jewelry. “People actually make videos saying, ‘This is good; this is bad; this is what happened when I wore it,’ et cetera — and it’s an actual person, and you can actually see them say it, so I trust it more,” she said during a video interview from her family home in Porto, Portugal.
Many TikTokers say they try to ensure their videos reflect such authenticity and personality.
Humor also works, or at least it has for Ms. Dang, who has tallied a total of 1.3 million likes on all her videos. “I’m sarcastic. And make a lot of jokes,” she said on a video call from the game room in her home, where she occasionally makes videos for her TikTok.
A Leaked Amazon Deck Pitches Advertisers on Sponsored Influencer Events - Business Insider
Amazon is hosting numerous events for influencers through the end of the year, according to a 27-page pitch deck viewed by Insider, and is pushing for brands to sponsor things like hotel bathrooms, embroidered pajamas, and dressing rooms.
The e-commerce giant is using these events to grab the influencer marketing ad dollars that typically flow to TikTok and Instagram, said an agency exec briefed on the new ad offering. Competition to become a major ad player with influencers is stiffening. YouTube and Instagram's parent Meta also host events centered around creators, and TikTok is the title sponsor of creator industry conference VidCon.
Amazon's white-glove sales process include consultation services to make sure the sponsorship fits each brand's goal, according to two agency execs briefed on the offering. These sponsorships cost between $35,000 to $50,000, they said.
An Amazon spokesperson said its events are meant to give creators educational and networking opportunities but declined to comment on specifics of the sponsorships.
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