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- Instagram takes on Linktree and others with support for up to 5 ‘links in bio’
- MKBHD released his first sneakers with Atoms
- The Future Of Influencer Marketing With UGC Digital Creator Nikki Neisler
- TikTok hauls are helping dollar stores win with Gen Z
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Great Reads
***Correction*** WPP Double Deal Shows Influencer Agencies Are Top
Editors Note: In last week's newsletter we mistakenly listed the two agencies acquired by WPP as "Whalar and Takumi". The correct agencies are "Obviously and Goat."
WPP’s double deal highlights the increasing significance of influencer marketing, which has become a key part of many brands’ marketing strategies. In recent years, the influencer marketing industry has experienced significant growth, with brands recognizing the value of partnering with social media personalities to reach younger audiences.
Instagram takes on Linktree and others with support for up to 5 ‘links in bio’
Instagram's new feature allowing users to add up to five links to their profile bios is set to disrupt the "link in bio" space currently dominated by companies like Linktree and Beacons. The move addresses a long-standing demand among creators and businesses who want to direct their followers to multiple content and websites, including profiles on competing social platforms.
In the past, platforms like Instagram and TikTok limited the number of links to external sites that users could add to their bios. This created an opening for companies like Linktree and Beacons to offer their services and allow users to add multiple links through a single URL.
Instagram's decision to now offer this feature to all accounts is seen as a potential competitive advantage that could lure creators back to its app. The move is also a reflection of how the platform's failure to adapt to the needs of its community has allowed alternative solutions to thrive.
While Instagram's support for multiple links could disrupt the "link in bio" space, it's worth noting that external links still don't include any special customizations, like small icons, and will open inside the Instagram app. Users who want to move to their built-in browser will have to tap the three-dot menu at the top of the page and choose "open in system browser."
Samsung influencers unveiled during Fashion Week
A team of three Israeli influencers, Or Yaakov, Shir Popovich, and Alice Zano, who have all been victims of cyberbullying, joined the FAC Tel Aviv 2023 Kornit Fashion Week to raise awareness about the issue. The fashion show, held in cooperation with Samsung, was aimed at promoting social and environmental agendas. Samsung's participation in the Tel Aviv Fashion Week marked its first in the event.
During the show, the three influencers walked the catwalk along with other influencers to promote the important issue of cyberbullying. They shared their experiences of online bullying and gave tips on how to deal with it. Or Yaakov suggested reaching out to a trusted adult and calling the 105 hotline. Shir Popovich advised understanding that negative comments can indicate a strength, and Alice Zano emphasized the importance of staying positive and moving on.
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Learn how the top consumer brands are 5x’ing their conversion rate thanks to influencer-made UGC.
It’s no question that UGC is one of the highest-converting forms of media, but you may not be utilizing UGC to its fullest potential. Our friends over at minisocial put together a FREE guide showcasing the top 5 ways consumer brands are leveraging UGC and the success they are seeing. Some results brands have seen from leveraging UGC assets:
Performance in the top 1% of ads on TikTok, in terms of conversions
A 92% increase in organic social engagement
Download the guide to see why creator UGC is taking over your screens and how your marketing strategies evolve simply to include more of it!
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Campaign Insights
Eliav Cohen, Founder Of Seattle Ballooning: Getting Real Value From Influencer Marketing
Eliav Cohen, the Founder of Seattle Ballooning, shared his insights into influencer marketing campaigns. While the luxury hot air balloon flight company regularly works with influencers, Cohen has a strict vetting process to ensure real value is received. He looks for influencers with at least 100,000 followers and a 10% or greater engagement rate. Influencers with high domain score blogs are also ideal as blog content is more evergreen than social media posts.
Cohen stresses that it's important to find influencers who act as professional marketers that benefit the companies they work with, rather than working with influencers solely trying to get a free vacation experience. The founder has never paid an influencer because Seattle Ballooning's product is "ridiculously awesome enough."
Seattle Ballooning's process for working with influencers typically starts when influencers contact the company looking for a free experience when they're traveling to Washington state. Cohen always begins by looking at their engagement rate and audience. After an influencer passes Cohen's vetting process, they schedule their hot air balloon flight.
Cohen's most critical KPIs are conversion and the money made from bookings. One of the most successful influencer campaigns for Seattle Ballooning was working with an influencer who was collaborating with Visit Seattle, a marketing organization for the city of Seattle. Cohen predicts that more sensible influencer partnerships will emerge, and he anticipates more brands only offering influencers half off their products or services.
MKBHD released his first sneakers with Atoms
Popular tech blogger Marques Brownlee, also known as MKBHD, has released his first sneaker collaboration with shoe manufacturer Atoms. The limited edition sneakers, called the M251, were in development for a couple of years and were designed in the Mid Top format with black and red colors, along with some white elements.
The shoes feature the MKBHD and Atoms logos, as well as Marquez's signature on the label and a separate NYC badge. The M251 is made from 100% vegan, recyclable materials and is comfortable in any season. However, the sneakers do not have any "smart" functions. Brownlee's online store, which now offers the M251, previously only sold T-shirts, hoodies, and other curiosities. MKBHD is known for his tech reviews and analysis, and has over 15 million subscribers on YouTube.
Tic Tac launches its digital campaign
Tic Tac, the confectionery brand of Ferrero India, has launched a new digital influencer campaign called #TicTacLife, in collaboration with music producer Yashraj Mukhate. The campaign aims to showcase Tic Tac as a refreshing transformation and an inspiration for fun and good vibes, particularly amongst India's youth. The collaboration between Tic Tac and Yashraj Mukhate highlights how the iconic rattle sound of Tic Tac's packaging can break the silence of boredom and create a refreshing symphony.
Zoher Kapuswala, Marketing Head, Pills and Gums, Ferrero India, stated that Tic Tac has always been a "youth-first" brand, and this campaign was created with Gen Z in mind. The campaign will be promoted across social and digital platforms. Yashraj Mukhate expressed his excitement about the collaboration and encouraged everyone to join him in living the Tic Tac life and breaking out of the dull day-to-day routine.
Coke features influencers in food-focused campaign
Coca-Cola has launched its largest influencer campaign ever, featuring global stars including Gigi Hadid and Mexican "chefluencer" Oscar Meza. The "Recipe for Magic" campaign promotes the connections people make over a home-cooked meal and a Coke, with an emphasis on local content. Coke has enlisted 750 micro-influencers, the largest number used in a single campaign, to create their own versions of the togetherness and food theme, primarily on TikTok.
Developed by Coke agency Open X and led by Cartwright, with support from Ogilvy, Momentum Worldwide, EssenceMediacom, United Talent Agency, VMLY&R and Zeno, the business goals of the campaign include strengthening Coca-Cola's position as a meal companion, and promoting Coke Zero Sugar. Early results suggest the campaign is working towards these goals, with combined views of the three main stars totalling 59 million.
ELOQUII Partners With Plus-Size Influencer Gabi Fresh On Swim Line
Plus-size influencer Gabi Fresh and fashion brand ELOQUII have released their second collaborative swimwear collection, available in sizes 14 to 32. The partnership continues to offer stylish swimwear options that debunk stereotypes and empower women of all sizes to feel confident in any swimsuit they want to wear. The Opulent Oasis collection features 14 styles, including three bikinis, three one-pieces, and five cover-ups, designed with minimalism in mind.
Neutral colors such as black, cream, brown and metallic feature throughout. Coco Limberakis, Director of Integrated Marketing and Social Media at ELOQUII, notes that this collaboration comes on the back of disappointment surrounding New York Fashion Week, where only 0.6% of models on the runway were size 14 or above. The collection aims to offer various silhouettes and styles in hopes of accommodating everyone, with ultra stretchy nylon and spandex fabric used to enhance fit.
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Interesting People
The Future Of Influencer Marketing With UGC Digital Creator Nikki Neisler
Nikki Neisler, a digital creator and marketer, believes that user-generated content (UGC) is the future of influencer marketing. Neisler, who started posting content on TikTok during the pandemic, had her first viral video with a joke about working out at home. Since then, she has been creating three to five videos daily for her TikTok account. She has experienced success with farm-related content, but acknowledges that being pigeonholed into a specific type of content can be a challenge.
As part of her growth strategy, Neisler has been focusing on YouTube Shorts and educational content that provides value to her audience. Rather than focusing on gross metrics, she is building an email list and expanding her reach beyond TikTok. Some of her recent viral content includes health hacks and her experience at Supermodel Coco Rocha's modeling camp.
Neisler runs a successful marketing agency called Studio Intake, which is focused on paid ads for app and tech startups driven by influencer creators. Her unique perspective as an influencer allows her to test out different creatives with the ads, which can help drive the cost per install low.
Neisler believes that more brands will turn to UGC influencers for their pages, resulting in less overproduced and more authentic content. She also expects to see more influencers creating their own personal brands. Neisler's plans for Studio Intake include onboarding more influencers so that they can become a part of the creator community and create the best ads possible for their clients.
Blane Bolus Talks About Castmagic And Its Impact On Podcasting Today And The Future
Castmagic, a podcast summation app that uses AI to generate various post-production assets, has been developed to address the challenge that podcasters face in creating content from their shows. The app, co-founded by podcaster Blaine Bolus, produces a transcript that is broken out by different speakers and automatically generates content such as keywords, bios, show introductions, questions, key topics and bullets, clip titles, LinkedIn posts, and tweet threads, among others. Castmagic can also create content on custom prompts and offers language support in 18 languages, including English, Dutch, French, German, and Spanish.
Unlike most AI-powered platforms, Castmagic extracts value from audio files with accuracy and speed, and it does not use AI to write a bunch of nonsense based on audio files. Pricing for the app is SaaS-based, and packages can be upgraded as required. Castmagic is built with best-in-class data privacy and is more focused on being a valuable workflow tool for podcasters rather than a proprietary data platform discussing confidential information.
According to Bolus, AI-powered tools such as ChatGPT are sparring partners that enable creators to work and create different workflows and assets. Castmagic has started exploring use cases for YouTubers, streamers, and webinars, and has added MP4 file support.
The duo behind SeatGeek's splashy creator campaigns just launched their own marketing company
Former Vice President of Influencer Marketing at SeatGeek, Ian Borthwick, and the company's Manager of Influencer Partnerships, Greg Hempenius, have announced the launch of their own marketing agency, Leveraged Media. The duo were behind many of SeatGeek's successful creator campaigns with more than 2,000 influencers, including Noel Miller, Casey Neistat, and Emma Chamberlain. These campaigns generated over 3.5 billion views collectively.
Borthwick and Hempenius have cited their desire to bring their unique approach to influencer marketing to other brands and help companies build long-term partnerships. Leveraged Media's first campaign was with TikTok star Alix Earle, who made a viral appearance at an NCAA basketball game. SeatGeek is joining Leveraged Media as a client, and the company aims to help brands scale their influencer programs. The new agency seeks to focus on consistent, long-term partnerships instead of the short-term, spray-and-pray approach often seen in the industry.
Meet these Connecticut real estate social media influencers
Real estate professionals in Connecticut are turning to social media to stand out from the crowd. Brokers and agents are using platforms like Instagram and TikTok to showcase properties and their personal brands. One example is Christian Perry, a broker who runs an Instagram account called “I Love Greenwich,” which promotes the affluent Fairfield County enclave as well as showcasing some of Perry’s antics, such as jumping fully clothed into a swimming pool or dancing in a local restaurant.
Another duo, Megan Foggitt and Mikell Germond, are known as the CT Property Sisters, and have a recognizable “Sold” sign that clients hold after a closing. The rise of social media in real estate is not limited to Connecticut. Other examples include Zillow Gone Wild on Twitter and Madeline Sutton on TikTok. While there may be significant opportunities for real estate professionals to promote their businesses through social media, it requires consistent effort to maintain a successful presence.
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Industry News
Spotify X Creative Juice
Spotify has partnered with creator partner, Creative Juice, to bring creators of all sizes to the platform. Creative Juice, a creator funding, banking, and automated business tools platform, aims to help creators grow and navigate through different platforms. The partnership enables Creative Juice creators to have white glove service access to Spotify's video podcasting program, including access to beta products, individualized support and guidance, and dedicated promotion on Spotify to help creators grow their audience and ultimately their monetization capacity.
Sima Gandhi, CEO and Co-Founder of Creative Juice, said that the more platforms they can partner with, the more beneficial it is for their creator community. For Spotify, the partnership helps promote Creative Juice creators on their platform and gives them access to beta products while providing individualized support and guidance. Oompaville, one of the creators who benefited from the partnership, was able to build an incredible production team, invest in design and merchandise, and rank in the top 50 comedy charts and break into the top 12 overall on Spotify.
LTK Creator-Guided Shopping Platform Adds New SVP of Creator Growth and Success
LTK, the creator-guided shopping platform, has appointed Allison Yazdian as its Senior Vice President of Creator Growth and Success. In this newly created role, Yazdian will be responsible for expanding the creator growth and success organization, developing strategies and programs designed to empower creators to grow their businesses on the LTK platform, as the creator economy experiences rapid growth and the number of creators turning to LTK continues to grow.
The number of creators applying to the LTK platform has increased by nearly 80% year-over-year. LTK’s mission is to drive creators' economic success and the company believes that it is a creator-first company. Yazdian joins LTK from the real estate platform Compass, where she previously led the department responsible for bringing real estate agents onto the platform and setting them up for long term success. Her experience in empowering solopreneurs and small businesses is expected to be valuable in her new role at LTK.
Boise State to Launch New Social Media Creator Certificate to Expand NIL Opportunities
Boise State University will be launching a new social media creator certificate program in fall 2023. The program is designed to help individuals define, develop, and engage their brand with an online audience. The courses were approved by the Idaho State Board of Education and the university’s Deans. The certificate is open to anyone, including student-athletes seeking to capitalize on the use of their name, image and likeness (NIL).
The program is composed of three courses offered fully online, with no prerequisites. Students can start classes at the beginning of any session and complete the certificate within two semesters. The social media creator certificate curriculum provides students with marketable workplace skills related to developing social media engagement and brand strategy, which can help improve their career readiness regardless of their career path. The program positions itself as the A.C.E. up the sleeve of Boise State student-athletes by providing Advocacy, Content, and Education.
Flush with $10M, One Impression looks to harness Middle East's creator economy
One Impression, an Indian influencer marketing startup, has raised $10m to expand its platform to content creators in the Middle East, beginning with the UAE. Of the seven million content creators registered on One Impression's platform, 7,000 are based in the Middle East, where the creator economy is expanding rapidly with platforms such as TikTok and Instagram.
One Impression CEO Apaksh Gupta says that whereas in India brands spend on Bollywood celebrities, in the Middle East, social media influencers are the focus of marketing. The region is seen as "a doorway to content creators from across the globe,” serving as the first leg of international expansion for many brands. One Impression helps brands discover influencers for their campaigns and draws payment contracts on their behalf.
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Pokimane, the Queen of Twitch, Wonders What Turns Teenage Fans Into Trolls - The New York Times
Imane Anys, also known as Pokimane, is the most-followed woman on Twitch, a popular livestreaming platform for gamers, with over nine million followers. However, with fame comes negative attention, and Anys has been a target of misogynistic comments and deepfake videos that have caused her immense emotional distress. She believes that online misogyny will become an increasingly prevalent issue for women and girls, and that young kids need to be taught how to treat others online. Anys has found solace in connecting with other female streamers who understand her experiences and validate her feelings.
Anys has also been making changes in her career, focusing more on making content for YouTube and TikTok instead of just livestreaming on Twitch. She wants to prioritize her natural interests and hobbies, and share them with her audience if she chooses to. However, she still draws a line between her personal and professional life, and keeps her relationships and family matters private. Anys believes that the best thing about the internet is its ability to connect like-minded people, and that this is something beautiful and validating.
TikTok hauls are helping dollar stores win with Gen Z - Ad Age
Discount retailers like Dollar Tree, Family Dollar, and Dollar General are gaining ground with Gen Z consumers through social media platforms like TikTok. The pandemic-related economic downturn has driven consumers to search out deals, and content creators are using dollar stores as a way to distinguish themselves on social media.
The stores themselves have also joined in on the trend, with Dollar Tree and Family Dollar joining TikTok last June, and Dollar General joining in November. The stores are able to connect with Gen Z and reach customers in a creative way, despite being traditionally more of an in-person destination. The newfound popularity has paid off for the stores, with Dollar General's fourth-quarter sales rising 17.9% to $10.2 billion, and Dollar Tree's net sales in the fourth quarter rising 9% to $7.7 billion.
Bud Light Brewer Puts Two Executives on Leave After Uproar Over Transgender Influencer - WSJ
Bud Light's VP of marketing, Alissa Heinerscheid, and her boss, Daniel Blake, have been put on leave after the company received backlash for sending a personalized Bud Light can to transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney. The move was part of a promotion for the beer brand's March Madness contest. Anheuser-Busch has faced a social media boycott after the promotion was seen by some as being too political.
As a result, the company is adjusting some of its marketing department functions to ensure senior staff are fully connected to decisions about brand activities. The company has said it will support Heinerscheid's decision to take a leave of absence. Todd Allen, global vice president of Budweiser, will replace her. The partnership with Mulvaney was defended by the company, which said it works with hundreds of influencers to help its brands connect with different demographics.
I'm an Influencer Who Founded a Tax Startup. Here's How I Did It - Insider
Duke Alexander Moore, a licensed tax expert and creator with almost 4 million followers on TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube, invested $500,000 he earned from brand deals into his startup, Duke Tax. The startup helps influencers and content creators organize and file their taxes, and offers white-glove tax support through iPhone texting. As a creator himself, Moore understands the unique tax situations of influencers, and he prioritizes iPhone texting as their main form of communication.
Duke Tax has become a seven-figure business with 14 employees, thousands of creators who rely on their services, and unique perks for influencers. Moore's viral videos on social media have helped promote and fund his business, and his startup fills a gap in the market by providing tax services exclusively for content creators and influencers.
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