|
|
|
|
- Deloitte Survey On The Creator Program
- Influencers cash in on Las Vegas, creating buzz
- American Express partners with TikTok for small business accelerator
- Budweiser rallies over 100 influencers for World Cup effort
|
|
Sponsored
$5,000 in TikTok Ad Credits to Scale Your Influencer Campaigns
Scaling your influencer marketing campaign on TikTok? Lean on Captiv8's in-house marketing experts to increase your bandwidth and maximize your creator impact this holiday season. We're even throwing in $5,000 in TikTok Ad credit (*rules and exclusions may apply). Limited time offer is available on a first come first serve basis.
Claim Your Ad Credit
|
|
Great Reads
Budweiser rallies over 100 influencers for World Cup effort
Budweiser is gathering over 100 influencers from all over the world to participate in a major FIFA World Cup campaign that will see these partners flown to Qatar to make content for their followers and the brand.
Budweiser, owned by Anheuser-Busch InBev, has been a long standing sponsor of the FIFA World Cup. This year the brand has opted for an influencer-heavy activation that will put participating influencers in a music video for “The World is Yours To Take” by Lil Baby as well as having them participate in events at the Budweiser Hotel.
“[The influencers are] gonna tell their tunnel story, in terms of what they’ve had to overcome and defied the odds and didn’t listen to the naysayers to really step up and go for it as well to help amplify our campaign message to their audience around the world,” said Todd Allen, vice president of global marketing for Budweiser.
The influencer partnerships build on Budweiser’s broader World Cup campaign. In August, the brewer kicked off a scavenger hunt in which consumers were encouraged to find QR codes all over the world for the possibility of winning prizes such as signed memorabilia. A month later, it debuted a World Cup ad spot starring Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr. and Raheem Sterling in a campaign effort that spans 70 countries. The spot sees the three athletes running with a diverse group of fans through the players tunnel as a remix of the Tears for Fears hit “Everybody Wants to Rule The World” plays. Additionally, the company unveiled limited-edition cans with QR codes that consumers can scan for the chance of winning prizes like entry to Budweiser-hosted watch parties.
With Talk of a Recession, Content Creators Worry About the Future of Brand Partnerships
Influencer Koli Marks, who has 53,000 TikTok followers, used to charge $550 for a sponsored TikTok post. Now, most brands are offering her $350.
“I definitely still have a lot coming in through my inbox, but I think a lot of brands aren't willing to pay the same amount that they used to,” Marks says.
The low proposition is a stark difference from last summer, when Marks said brands would offer her about $1,200 for a post.
“It is harder for me to say no to these collaborations because with everyone talking about this recession coming I'm just gonna take what I can get and put that money into savings,” Marks says.
As experts predict a recession in the near future, companies are tightening their purse strings. A study in June found that 6% of businesses were reducing their marketing budgets. Since then, a more recent survey found that 42% of companies are making that move.
This comes after Meta saw its first-ever decline in ad revenue, and YouTube also saw this revenue stream decrease. Even TikTok recently lowered its expected $12 billion annual ad revenue down to $10 billion.
As such, influencers have seen brand deals fall apart and payments shrink as brands figure out how to fit influencer marketing—a concept that didn’t exist during the last recession—into their plans for the future.
|
|
Campaign Insights
Ulta Beauty Celebrates Launch Of Gen Z Brand 'Petite N Pretty'
Petite 'n Pretty, a Beverly Hills-based beauty brand that appeals to Gen Z, is expanding into Ulta Beauty stores—and is celebrating with a meet and greet with YouTube influencer Piper Rockwell.
Rockwell is shown above—she's pictured on the left, in the bottom photo, which is a screenshot from her "behind the scenes" YouTube video she posted in 2021 featuring Petite 'n Pretty's campaign shoot.
Petite 'n Pretty's makup features shimmering pastel makeup colors that appeal to tweens. The packaging features pretty pinks and blues. The lip gloss shown above has caps decorated with a silver glitter effect, and stars.
The brand's fruity-floral rollerball fragrance is called "Cloud Mine," and the glass bottle is drop-proof. It's wrapped in a silicone sleeve featuring a light pink, white, and baby blue marble swirl pattern. Also shown is the brand's new "Paradise on Ice" Eye and Cheek Palette.
Ulta Beauty says the retailer is the nation's preferred retail destination for the brand's key beauty demographic, Gen Z.
Claire’s launches online influencer content series
Jewelery and accessories retailer Claire’s has launched a new online content series with “top cultural style influencers” as a means of engaging with customers.
Following last week’s announcement of Nicola Formichetti as the retailer’s new creative director in residence, the style series is the first of three upcoming projects launching in partnership with Nicola.
Each episode explores top trends and cultural themes around hair, makeup, nails, style and ear piercing.
Influencers leading the episodes include celebrity hair stylist Florido Basallo, nail artist Britney Tokyo, makeup artist Alexandra French and stylist Anna Trevelyan.
The series will also feature different seasonal trends including Denim on Denim, ’90s Influence, Skater Girl, Preppy, Pink’d and more.
Claire’s said the move will reinforce its foothold in fashion through a culture-focused perspective and the products and accessories to deliver it.
American Express partners with TikTok for small business accelerator
American Express often works to support small businesses, having spearheaded numerous initiatives like its year-round Shop Small Resource Hub and new dedicated Small Business Saturday page. Its latest move sees the company working to ensure small business owners aren’t left behind as TikTok grows in popularity, especially among the Gen Z consumers businesses may hope to reach.
The #ShopSmall Accelerator comes following research by Econsult Solutions for American Express that revealed if every Gen Z and millennial shopper spent $10 at a small business, it would support $2 billion in local economic activity in the United States. Findings also revealed that 63% of small businesses want to grow their Gen Z and millennial customer base this holiday season and that 67% of Gen Z consumers shopped at a small business displayed on their TikTok “For You” page, per additional research cited in the release.
“The real world impact is undeniable, with 44% of TikTok users saying that they discovered something on the platform and immediately went out to buy it, according to our Global Retail Path to Purchase Study,” said Sofia Hernandez, global head of business marketing at TikTok, in the release.
|
|
Industry News
TikTok begins testing an early version of its platform research API
Earlier this year, TikTok announced that it’s developing a research API to improve access to public and anonymized data about content and activity on its app. Now, the company says it’s ready to make a beta version of its platform research API available and has asked members of its Content and Safety Advisory Councils to test an early version of the API.
“To get started, we’ve asked members of our Content and Safety Advisory Councils with expertise in misinformation, violent extremism, hateful behavior, and emerging technologies to test an early version of our platform research API,” TikTok said in a blog post. “They’ll have access to public data as we gather their feedback on usability and the overall experience. We’re dedicated to hearing and incorporating feedback from testers and creating an API that will meet the needs of the scientific community while respecting the privacy of our community.”
At the time of the initial announcement, TikTok said researchers currently don’t have an easy way to assess content or conduct tests on its platform, which is why it saw the need for a research API.
Nas Daily Joins Leading Creator Economy Agency Narrative as Advising Partner
Yasin will work closely with Narrative’s founder and CEO Regev Gur to support the growth of the company and its global network of social media influencers and content creators.
"Nuseir is a pioneer and a visionary. We are thrilled to welcome him to Narrative,” said Gur. “His skills, experience, and reach are a tremendous asset to our firm. With him on board, we are delivering an added layer of creativity and expanding our clients’ access to a growing number of leading content creators.”
In 2016, Nuseir Yassin decided to leave a rewarding high-tech job and travel around the world, during which he launched Nas Daily, a vlog on Facebook where he documented his adventures. By conveying messages of love and understanding in his daily videos, he quickly became an influencer with more than 3.8 million Instagram followers and 10 million YouTube subscribers.
"I have known Regev for some time, and have been extremely impressed with the work and explosive growth at Narrative,” said Yassin. “I am proud to join the firm as a partner and an advisor. Narrative is among the quickest to spot new industry trends and we share the passion for quality content. I look forward to joining Regev and the team to support the company’s growth and provide great service to our clients.”
Despite Snapchat's efforts, creators still don't see it as a priority
Creator Ty Price (@blobrosss), who is represented by The Influencer Marketing Factory, explained that while Snapchat was never a priority for him, he did value its daily $1 million Spotlight Creator pot in the early days. “My focus [now] is TikTok and YouTube,” he said. “I really liked the money they used to give [us], but typical content doesn’t appear to perform well anymore.”
True to Snapchat’s ephemeral nature, that hefty $1 million-per day was short-lived.
In August 2021, only nine months after launching, CNBC reported creators were leaving Snapchat after payments dried up and the $1 million-per-day pot decreased to millions-per-week.
TechCrunch then reported in October 2021 that Snapchat had revised the pot again and decided to pay Spotlight creators millions-per-year — another blow to their incomes.
While creator James Thomas Casey (@JTCasey) agreed Snapchat did well to monetize creators’ efforts in the past, nowadays he and his counterparts are still waiting to see whether the mobile messaging app can help them make money, the way other platforms do.
Quadrant secures creator-focused partnership with JBL Quantum
Lando Norris-founded esports organisation Quadrant has secured a partnership with gaming audio equipment brand JBL Quantum.
As the official headset partner, JBL Quantum will provide its range of headphones to the organisation’s content creators. According to a release, other activations between both entities are being worked on, but specific details have not been revealed.
Founded in 2020 as a content creator-focused brand, Quadrant announced its first foray into esports through the Halo esports scene last year. In 2022, Quadrant was selected as a Halo Championship Series partner team for the next season alongside North American esports organisation Complexity.
Alongside Halo, Quadrant’s portfolio of content creators includes sim racing streamers Aarav and Steve Alvarez Brown, as well as Call of Duty Warzone content creators RiaBish and Fifakill.
Simona Bara, Senior Product Marketing Manager Gaming for JBL Europe, commented: “Our JBL Quantum headsets with accurate, immersive sound and integrated head tracking will give the players a true competitive advantage to win the game.
“We know how important audio is when it comes to staying on top and immersed, so we are proud to be Quadrant’s official headset partner and help the creators amplify their gaming experience.”
Deloitte Survey On The Creator Program
The survey was conducted with 400 creators within the United States. The audience levels of these creators ranged from what is known as micro-influencers to mega-influencers. The minimum audience was 5,000 followers as a micro-influencer, and some of those surveyed had over a million followers. In addition, the sample included influencers that covered numerous industries and subjects to get as wide a survey as possible. As a result, there wasn’t any key focus on any one industry.
THREE KEY TAKEAWAYS ON DELOITTE SURVEY
Creators are still having issues with their platforms
Creators, in general, are not satisfied with the performance of the platforms that they use. Over the seven criteria asked in this portion of the survey, it seems that the three biggest issues were the ability to resolve technical difficulties, how harassment or abuse was handled, and the dissonance in promoting values that are relevant to creators.
Deloitte Survey On The Creator Program
It also was discovered that most creators use at least two different platforms. Yet, these platforms are starting to look and feel identical. The mega influencers find this frustrating as they don’t seem to be able to have their expectations fulfilled. For those influencers just starting out, they are a bit more loyal to their initial primary platform. That shifts as the follower size goes beyond 100,000. It’ll also be interesting to note that these platforms will start to compete more against themselves and offer better features to maintain these influencers.
It’s hard for those to get brands that are just starting out
Brands have grown exponentially with the advent of social media, so they also need to keep finding new talent and growing those niche areas to always bring in a new flow of users and buyers. The three key issues that creators are finding to be the biggest challenges are keeping those brand sponsorships longer. There’s also a difficulty in contract negotiations, as this is a new topic for content creators. The final area is receiving timely payments from these brands.
Deloitte Survey On The Creator Program
There’s also an easy way to disconnect the content creator from the users, as brand-sponsored posts or even affiliate marketing can be a bit too sales-oriented. This can throw off users who follow that content. These are key issues that brands should be aware of and can easily resolve.
WEB3 is interesting
Influencers are at the forefront of what is trending, yet the biggest items in web3, the metaverse, and NFTs keep some influencers hesitant to pursue them. Nearly a third feel that the metaverse will be relevant to them in the coming year. It’s currently restrictive of what the options are, and those that would use the metaverse would primarily use it as a fashion channel or for pure entertainment and media. Many are also waiting to see where the current metaverse trend is going and what becomes available technology-wise down the line.
|
|
Interesting People
Akua Yamoah Opoku: Creating An Inclusive, Sustainable World
Akua shares, “I have been on this journey of serving community in different ways and one way that’s really touched my heart over the last, about five years now, is living sustainably and minimalistic. So, I’ve really been on this journey of how do I live a life I love that’s ultimately good for the planet is really the purpose and model that I lead my journey with and help other people do as well.”
As a means of accomplishing this mission, Akua founded A.Y.O. Business Finder.
A.Y.O. Business Finder helps users find BIPOC-owned sustainable businesses, uplifting the environment and BIPOC community in the process.
Akua Yamoah Opoku shares that after the events of 2020, such as George Floyd’s murder and the crimes against other Black individuals, she needed a constructive outlet.
“I really was beyond infuriated and frustrated, and I needed a constructive outlet to release this anger and really be about sharing love and really be about calling people in, instead of calling people out because that was really big during that time.”
In 2020, she began seeing people sharing about Black-owned businesses to show their support, which inspired her to consider ways to put all of these business recommendations together in one place.
Influencers cash in on Las Vegas, creating buzz
The man whispered to his friends, and one of them tapped the shoulder of Francine’s husband, Miran, who was standing several feet away from Francine, and asked: “Is that the girl from Instagram? Do I have to pay her to take a picture with her?”
The Marics are behind the YouTube channel Lady Luck HQ, where Francine films herself playing high-limit slots and reviews hotels. The pair, who live in Atlanta, started making content on Instagram in 2018, posting photos of their trips to Las Vegas and casino jackpots. Followers suggested she film herself playing slots, so she did, and the channel quickly took off.
Now, Lady Luck HQ commands an estimated one million daily views between YouTube and Facebook. She capitalizes on it, in part, with livestreams or videos promoting games from paid partnerships.
The Marics said they could sense from the beginning that their videos could turn into a business.
“I immediately knew we had something because the comments were coming in; the views were coming in; people were wanting more so we started posting more,” Francine Maric said. “The more and more I posted, the more people kept wanting more videos. They wanted to interact more. They wanted to engage, and it was like this domino effect.”
Kristel Andraos Of Kikiandraos: Creating Better Content
Kristel explains, “Since [joining Sintillate Talent], I evolved a lot more. I started to think about what I should be posting so people would be more drawn to me, not superficially, but in a body positivity way, and what people could relate more to me.”
Kristel shares, “Before, I thought that showing more skin would attract more people to my page. I thought that everything needed to be perfect before posting something. I used to think about it for hours. Now it’s more accepting, more supportive to others… I think that people, when they relate to you, it’s more interesting than just being this fake person.”
Before joining Sintillate Talent, Kristel explained that she didn’t interact with her followers because she felt like everything online was fake. However, since joining the agency, she has connected with a supportive group of people who constantly encourage one another, even when they work in the same space.
As a result, Kristel feels less afraid to post what she wants and is more unabashedly transparent online.
Jodie Filogomo Of Jodie’s Touch Of Style On Ageless Style
Jodie Filogomo shares, “When I sold my [dental] practice, I actually thought I’d be a personal shopper, and then I realized that it took some time to get that established, so my husband suggested I start a blog, and that was eight or nine years ago, and I’ve been doing it ever since.”
Initially, Jodie’s blog started as a passion project with hopes that she’d earn a bit of extra money for shoes. Her blog’s phrase, “It’s never too late to look great,” was developed as a way to convey her mission quickly.
Jodie’s mom and stepmom also live close to her, so she began incorporating them into her blog as a way to include different body shapes, ages, and styles.
Jodie Filogomo shares that marketing is something she could have done better initially. She began marketing her blog by sending postcards to her former patients hoping they would follow her on the blog. She has also given several talks in areas where she’s lived.
Eventually, she looked more into SEO, social media, and optimizing her blog.
Jodie explains, “My husband made me do that [social media] at first. I didn’t really want to. I went kicking and screaming. I guess I considered that part of influencers. I didn’t even consider that marketing – how funny, but I love it. I’ve met so many people. I consider it actually more of checking in with my friends as opposed to marketing.”
|
|
Registration Required
Great Paywalled Content
Why influencer marketing, still a small slice of digital budgets, seems recession-proof - Insider Intelligence Trends
"Why the resilience? “Well, there [are] a couple of reasons,” said Enberg. “Influencers, especially micro-influencers and nano-influencers, have really risen up over the past year, and they have been able to prove that they can drive real sales, especially from certain subsets of consumers like Gen Z and some millennials.”
Micro-influencers have between 10,000 and 50,000 followers, while nano-influencers have between 1,000 and 10,000 followers, according to Partnerize. What they lack in scale they make up for in engagement, as these communities can be deeply passionate.
“We're seeing brands fuel more money into micro- and nano-influencers, and that combined then is pushing up the amount of money that's being spent on influencer partnerships overall,” said Enberg.
|
|
💬 Become an Influence Insider
This is your link to share Influence Weekly with colleagues: https://sparklp.co/8323887e
If you refer 3 people to start reading this newsletter you'll get an invite to a Telegram group for Influence Insiders.
If you have the swipe up feature on IG stories, share this link
https://sparklp.co/8323887e
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
