Before influencers, there were mommy bloggers. The early aughts saw the rapid rise of the cohort, which blogged about the joys and tribulations of parenting. Some advertisers, looking to capitalize on all the hubbub, began to advertise on mommy blogs, placing banner ads and affiliate advertising on the sites.

A lot has changed since then. For starters, blogs have been mostly replaced by the likes of Instagram and TikTok as the apples of advertisers’ eyes. Influencer marketing, once a niche segment within advertising, is now a multibillion-dollar industry.

Influencers themselves are also playing a larger role in the marketing ecosystem, inking endorsement deals and, in some cases, appearing in Super Bowl ads. A recent study from influencer marketing platform Linqia, which surveyed over 250 brand and agency respondents, found that advertisers are diversifying how they work with influencers. Nearly all respondents said they are using influencer content beyond just organic posting, with paid and owned social leading the pack, followed by email, CTV, and out-of-home.

“About a third of our revenue this year will be from content creation with creators, as opposed to creators posting that content to their own accounts,” Mae Karwowski, founder and CEO of influencer marketing shop Obviously, told us. “That’s a sizable portion of our business, and it works incredibly well. We assume this trend will definitely continue, just given the amount of interest we’re seeing.”

Read the full story here.—JS

A seamless customer experience is a huge selling point for brands—one that can make a marketer’s job easier.

In the name of improving customer experiences, Amazon and Panera are turning to large language models and conversational AI to improve ordering. The success they’ve seen so far is undeniable, but is this really the future? Learn how this new phenomenon could change the game.

Marketers aren’t afraid of AI…for the most part.

That’s according to a recent survey of more than 4,000 marketing and creative leaders across nine countries conducted by graphic design platform Canva and research firm Morning Consult.

The majority of respondents said that AI is a useful tool that helps save time and enhance creativity. Still, many said they feel overwhelmed by AI and have concerns about the tech, like its impact on data privacy.

Lean in: You know what they say…What doesn’t kill you makes you more productive. Almost all (97%) of those surveyed said they are “comfortable” with generative AI because it “allows them to leave the busywork behind,” according to Canva.

• Marketers do seem to be leaning on AI for the more menial aspects of their days: 80% said it’s helpful to “reduce the minutiae of repetitive tasks” so they can concentrate on more overarching strategic work. Meanwhile, nearly 70% think it boosts creativity.
• AI is also saving marketers time, according to the survey, which found that 69% of respondents said it saved their teams at least two to three hours a week.
• Text-based and image-based AI tools seem equally popular, with 83% having used generative AI for written content, and 82% having used it for images.

Keep reading here.—AM

Meta is pitching ad-free subscription tiers for Facebook and Instagram to European regulators, the Wall Street Journal reported. In the business, they call this the reverse Netflix. (We kid, we kid.)

The proposal comes after EU regulators ruled last year that Meta couldn’t require users to opt into personalized ads through terms of service agreements. Under EU law, platforms have to provide their services even if users opt out of targeted advertising, the lifeblood of most free digital platforms.

In August, Meta proposed updates that would involve explicitly asking users for consent before collecting their data for customized ads.

The subscription proposal, which the Journal said was presented to regulators in September, could be rolled out “in coming months.” According to the Journal, pricing differs: Access to the ad-free tier would cost about €10 a month on desktop, plus approximately €6 for each linked account. The price of the subscription would be slightly higher on mobile—around €13—to account for app store fees.

It’s unclear if regulators will accept Meta’s pitch, the Journal reported.

Earlier this week, TikTok confirmed that it’s testing an ad-free subscription in Europe. Meanwhile, Reddit recently announced that it will no longer let users opt out of personalized ads in certain countries.—RB

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

Like and comment: New research examined whether Gen Z is still interested in becoming influencers.

Hungry for more: This report looks into how fast-food and dine-in restaurants in Canada protect children’s data on their apps.

Let’s get together: Tips for incorporating Instagram Collab posts into your brand’s social efforts.

Explore CTV advertising: Discover if TV is the right fit for your brand and learn about audience insights with the CMO of Freshpet and our sponsor, MNTN.*

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Could texting be the missing link in your marketing strategy? Today’s marketers are learning to utilize the underappreciated yet highly effective SMS marketing tool.

What makes SMS marketing so great? With near-instant delivery plus a whopping 98% read rate, SMS takes your marketing messages to a new level of speed and effectiveness. If you’re wondering how this speedy channel works, check out this handy Marketing Brew resource. Find it here.