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- Cumulus Podcast Network Gets 'BiggerPockets'
- TikTok Innkeeper Influencers Occupy a Cottagecore World
- Sapporo Invites Foreign Influencers to Promote Scallops
- Influencer Capital: Pioneering Equity Deals In The Creator Economy
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Great Reads
Influencer Capital: Pioneering Equity Deals In The Creator Economy
Amsterdam-based Influencer Capital, founded in late 2021, pioneers equity deals between startups and influencers. Rather than one-off payments, influencers gain stakes in brands they promote. Founder Scott Van den Berg migrated from investment banking, where he saw missed upside potential in early-stage companies. Observing celebrities scoring rare equity payouts, he launched Influencer Capital to open this path for creators. The model diversifies unstable incomes, securing creators' financial futures alongside founders and investors.
Startups also benefit, affordingably accessing influencers' vast reach and authentic advocacy. As both confront 2023's harsh economy, lasting partnerships hedge volatile sponsorships. Amid booming entrepreneurship from mega-stars like Emma Chamberlain and MrBeast, Scott expects more influencers will shift from promotion to ownership. With $350,000 raised and sights on international expansion, Influencer Capital champions the convergence of business and influence. Long confined to surface-level transactions, brands and creators now ally as equitable partners for mutual growth.
Kai Cenat’s Twitch and YouTube fame, explained - Polygon
Kai Cenat skyrocketed to become 2023's breakout streaming star, gaining over 100 million Twitch hours watched this year. The 22-year-old started posting prank videos before switching to Just Chatting streams from his basement. There, his rambunctious persona and celebrity guests like 21 Savage and Nicki Minaj fueled major growth. Cenat now holds the world record for most Twitch subscribers. His cultural influence expanded as he popularized viral terms like "gyatt" and inspired memes. But fame brought turmoil when thousands rioted at his NYC event.
Cenat faces charges for inciting violence. He's also drawn fire for inmate roleplay, ogling women, and transphobic conduct on stream. Most disturbingly, a TikToker accused Cenat's friend of rape at his NYE party. While Cenat denies wrongdoing, he didn't publicly address letting her stay upstairs drunk. As Cenat sits atop streaming, his unpredictable impact shows how overnight online fame, growth-chasing, and controversy often intertwine.g industry.
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Campaign Insights
Sapporo Invites Foreign Influencers to Promote Scallops
The city of Sapporo, hit by China's ban on Japanese seafood imports, is promoting Hokkaido scallops to boost the struggling industry. A French restaurant hosted an event for 50 international travel and media influencers. Serving dishes like grilled scallops and scallop chawanmushi, the aim was getting social posts from the influencer's combined 100,000+ followers. A French influencer with 32,000 followers called the scallops the best he's had. Meanwhile, convenience store chain Seicomart released a new Hokkaido scallop curry product.
Priced at ¥626, the spicy roux contains three fresh scallops from a local bay. The Hokkaido governor, who tasted the new item, was surprised by the scallop size and voiced support for overcoming difficulties. As Sapporo looks to stimulate demand, the scallop promotions and convenient new offering represent efforts to resurrect an industry economically damaged by lost exports. Hoping scallops' delicious appeal sways international diners and domestic shoppers, Japan is working to re-establish Hokkaido's seafood esteem.
700 mom influencers endorse Kinder Creamy as a perfect mini-snack
Kinder Creamy, the latest product from Ferrero, collaborated with over 700 mom influencers on Instagram in one of the most extensive recent influencer campaigns.
The promotion generated astounding engagement, with over 11 million users reached and 12 million views of mom's stories showcasing Kinder Creamy shared moments. The creamy, crunchy snack aims to satisfy kids' tastes while meeting moms' health standards.
Little-known 'theme park for influencers' - with £2.50 entry, photoshoot dresses for hire and flower swings
Bali's picture-perfect Tegalalang Rice Terrace has become a magnet for influencers and wannabe social media stars. The UNESCO World Heritage site allows visitors to pose amid vibrant green paddies tiered along a hillside, with swings, ziplines, and photo backdrop dresses available for hire. Entry costs just £2.50, but tourists flock for the Instagrammable views that spawn hundreds of thousands of posts yearly. While showcasing Bali's agricultural traditions, the spot has shifted focus from landscape to selfies.
Guides now snap tourists for up to 20 minutes to get the perfect shot. A local says early joggers and late-day influencers pour in daily, far more fixated on photos than appreciating the scenery. Officials hope visitors respect traditions, as Bali cracks down on disrespectful tourist behavior. But for many, the flooded feeds have cemented the rice terrace's status as a theme park for wanna-be online stars.
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Interesting People
TikTok Innkeeper Influencers Occupy a Cottagecore World
A growing community of innkeepers is capturing attention on TikTok, depicting an enticing work-life contrast to dreary office jobs. Videos offer enchanting glimpses running quaint lodgings - preparing breakfast soufflés, lighting fireplaces, and yes, the drudgery of changing sheets. Part cozy cottage fantasy, part small business hustle, accounts rack up views and yearning comments about escaping corporate grind. The allure? Swapping rat race frustration for hygge hospitality, like a Hallmark heroine.
But there's still reality behind the romantic sheen. Physical demands abound, with 12+ hour days and bad backs from moving fridges solo. Though some transitioned from urban work, owning inns isn't as idyllic as portrayed. Still, in an unforgiving economy, the influencer inns offer followers an alternate path, kindling dreams of finding fulfilment by switching fields. Even if more fantasy than feasibility for most, a visit to these accounts provides a momentary sojourn - a mental getaway to glimpse greener grass on the other side.
Meet the Twitch streamers tackling Christmas loneliness
This Christmas, thousands of Twitch and YouTube streamers plan to go live to tackle loneliness and bring holiday cheer to their followers. While some question broadcasting on family time, streamers see it as giving back to supportive communities, some of whom may not have anyone else to spend the day with. Beyond goodwill, the holidays prove more lucrative for creators. Streamer En_Djinn hopes connecting with fans, including those in Ukraine, provides comfort. Others like Celestina aim to offer a judgment-free space for marginalized groups and raise money for local charities.
With many feeling vulnerable this time of year, streamers can provide a lifeline. Sam Eklls has previously partnered with suicide prevention organizations and helped raise over £2 million this holiday season. While he can’t stream Christmas, he asked others to let his community know they’ll be on. As the creator economy balloons, Christmas Day streams tackle isolation and bring dollars and purpose for thousands.
The Old Gays' of TikTok publish their first book, a guide to life and living for all
The Old Gays, a group of senior friends with a significant following on TikTok, recently published a book, "The Old Gays' Guide To The Good Life." Part memoir and part self-help, the book is a candid reflection of their lives, touching on themes of sexuality, aging, and embracing life's later stages. With their social media fame, they share humorous and often revealing content, challenging stereotypes about aging and sexuality.
The book is intended for a broad audience, emphasizing that life doesn't wane with age and that one's sex life doesn't have an expiration. The members share personal stories, including battles with illness and societal acceptance, offering a mix of humor, honesty, and life lessons. Their story is not just about entertainment but also about finding rejuvenation and purpose in later years, providing influencer marketing professionals with a case study in authenticity, audience engagement, and the power of storytelling in building a brand and community.
China influencer faces lifelong ban from Thailand after calling Bangkok Nana red light district ‘unsafe’
A Chinese influencer with 3 million Douyin followers faces deportation and a potential lifelong ban from Thailand after posting a video criticizing Bangkok's famous Nana red light district. Wang Ziyu, who operates the Thailand travel account "Thailand 77Seven," filmed herself wandering Nana late at night, calling it unsafe and saying 99% of visitors were "sleazy." The controversial remarks brought government backlash.
Despite deleting the video and apologizing in three languages, legal action was still taken against Wang for violating her tourist visa by working without a permit. While some Chinese netizens felt she'd done nothing wrong in telling the truth, others accused her of risking trouble for more traffic. The deputy commissioner of the Immigration Bureau said Wang could face over $1,400 in fines plus blacklisting. As social media gives influencers growing sway, their perceived behavioral missteps often spark heated debate. Just this month, a Chinese woman's "vulgar" yoga at a heritage site also went viral. Attention and income for creators now come with heightened public scrutiny.
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Industry News
Cumulus Podcast Network Gets 'BiggerPockets'
Cumulus Media has expanded its offerings by incorporating BiggerPockets, a prominent real estate investing podcast network, into the Cumulus Podcast Network. This move allows Cumulus to oversee the marketing and monetization of BiggerPockets' six diverse podcasts. The BiggerPockets Real Estate Podcast, the flagship show, is renowned as the top podcast in its genre, delivering varied real estate investment strategies thrice weekly.
The network also features Real Estate Rookie for beginners, BiggerPockets Money for personal finance advice, The Real Estate InvestHER Show targeting female investors, On the Market for broader real estate insights, and the BiggerPockets Daily Real Estate Podcast offering blog article adaptations. This acquisition is particularly noteworthy for influencer marketing professionals, showcasing a strategic expansion in niche content and highlighting the growing significance of podcasts in disseminating specialized knowledge and building dedicated audiences.
FTC Warns Trade Associations and Influencers of Not-So-Sweet Penalties for Failing to Sufficiently Disclose Sponsorship of Aspartame and Sugar Products
The Federal Trade Commission recently warned two trade associations, the American Beverage Association and The Canadian Sugar Institute, as well as 12 influencers affiliated with those groups, about inadequately disclosing sponsored social media posts promoting aspartame safety and sugar consumption.
FTC guidelines require clear disclosure of "material connections" between endorsers and brands that could affect the credibility of endorsements. Disclosures must be conspicuous, such as superimposed on images or within video frames, and unambiguous terms like "paid partnership" or "sponsored" should be used. The FTC took issue with posts lacking disclosures, having disclosures only in descriptions, using unclear terms like "#client," and failing to clearly identify sponsors. The letters reminded recipients of potential $50,120 per violation penalties and requested they detail compliance plans. This serves as a reminder to all brands that clear social media disclosures are mandatory and that the FTC is monitoring health-related influencer marketing for violations.
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Great Paywalled Content
How much do influencers make? How Youtubers, TikTokers make money - The Washington Post
A Washington Post examination of 10 influencers' finances illustrates the breadth of potential earnings in the $250 billion creator economy. Monthly incomes ranged from $3,500 to over $43,000, mainly from brand deals, creator funds, and ad revenue. Expenses encompassed equipment, editing software, travel for content, and teams to help manage partnerships. While top earners can make over $100k annually, one struggling creator lost $68 a month on video production costs.
A microinfluencer with under 100k followers pulls in $600 monthly, keeping costs low with free products instead of pay. For mid-tier creators, income relies on scoring viral videos. Whether getting rich or just getting by, these snapshots depict an industry with unequal spoils, particularly across platforms. With success often hinging on catchy algorithms, even popular creators face precarity. Still, many are plunging in - gambling that their online charm can convert to dollars in the bank.
How a Bay Area librarian became an Instagram star - San Francisco Chronicle
Mychal Threets, a librarian from Solano County, has become an Instagram sensation, amassing nearly 450,000 followers by sharing heartwarming stories from the Fairfield Library. Known for his engaging storytelling, Threets shares encounters from the library, resonating with audiences through tales of kindness, acceptance, and the simple joys of library life. His popularity has earned him comparisons to cultural icons like Mister Rogers and Bob Ross, and even caught the attention of celebrities like Jennifer Garner.
Threets’ authentic approach to social media, often discussing his own mental health struggles and the inclusive nature of libraries, has not only garnered him a significant online following but also increased physical visits to the library. His impact extends beyond the digital realm, with tangible community contributions like blanket donations for the unhoused. Recognized for his positive influence, Threets is set to receive the "I Love My Librarian" award, highlighting the essential role librarians play in today's society and the power of social media to amplify their reach and message.
Calif. Sen. Steve Padilla pushes bill protecting child creator earnings - The Washington Post
California State Senator Steve Padilla has announced plans to introduce a bill aimed at protecting child social media influencers from financial exploitation by their parents or managers. The proposed Child Content Creator Rights Act would require that a portion of earnings from any monetized account featuring minors in at least 30% of its content be set aside in a trust, becoming available once the child turns 18.
This takes inspiration from 1939's Coogan Act about protecting child actor earnings. As influencers get younger and calls grow to address labor issues in the unregulated creator economy, some see this as a first step toward wider protections. The bill would not cover child-run accounts or address other concerns like privacy and overwork, but focuses on preventing financial abuse. Advocates welcome momentum around regulating the massive creator industry, which Goldman Sachs estimates could be a $480 billion market by 2027. With child influencers becoming more common, more states are eyeing proposals, though approaches vary.
These Bay Area food influencers are not in it for the money or fame - San Francisco Chronicle
Bay Area food influencers are reshaping the narrative around influencer marketing by prioritizing cultural representation and community support over financial gain. Diverging from the transactional nature typically associated with the industry, influencers like Diana Aracely Davila and Adonis Marcelino are spotlighting lesser-known local eateries and traditional dishes through their social media platforms. Their content, rich in cultural heritage and personal storytelling, offers an alternative to the aesthetic-driven posts that dominate the industry.
This shift, particularly noted during the pandemic, has not only helped boost local businesses but also fostered a deeper connection with their audiences. These influencers often refuse payment, choosing instead to pay for their meals, maintaining the authenticity of their endorsements. Their approach, focusing on genuine representation and community impact, offers valuable insights for influencer marketing professionals, emphasizing the importance of authenticity and cultural connection in building a loyal and engaged audience.
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