Influence Weekly #223 - Rolling Stone x Meta Creator Festival

Influence Weekly #223
March 11th, 2022
Executive Summary
  • TikTok's original mega-influencer Loren Gray
  • Rolling Stone x Meta Creator Festival
  • How BookTok changed Book of the Month
  • TikTok launches a music distribution platform
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Great Reads

TikTok's original mega-influencer Loren Gray
As one of the original TikTok success stories, Gray has grown up on the platform. She left her home town in Pennsylvania and moved to Los Angeles at the age of 15, released her first single shortly afterwards, and has landed lucrative brand deals with the likes of Burger King and Revlon, to name but a few.

Now aged 19, Gray’s influence is being felt offline, too. In 2021, she was included in Forbes’s 30 Under 30 social media list, which brought her to the UAE this week to speak at the Forbes 30/50 Summit, held at Louvre Abu Dhabi.

She’s also forging a successful music career. With eight singles under her belt, Gray was initially signed with Virgin and Capitol Records, but recently became an independent artist.

“It’s really interesting because I didn’t have an overnight success, it was all really gradual, so I have sort of been figuring things out slowly,” she says. “Of course, signing my record deal was a big deal, and then going independent recently, I’ve realised I have the means to make music on my own and have creative control.”

While the impact TikTok has had on the music industry is undeniable, Gray says there is still a divide when it comes to bridging the gap between the two.



Rolling Stone x Meta Creator Festival
Rolling Stone inked a partnership with Meta — parent company of Facebook and Instagram — for an initiative to host creator experiences at festivals and custom events throughout 2022. The brands will join forces to host “Creator Houses” at some of the biggest music and cultural festivals, beginning with an installation at SXSW.

Variety and Rolling Stone are both owned by P-MRC, a joint venture between Penske Media Corp. and MRC. In April 2021, P-MRC announced a deal to become a partner and shareholder in SXSW.

Rolling Stone and Meta will develop “unique and engaging experiences” for festival attendees to “explore the creative products and tools that support creators’ storytelling ambitions,” including Reels, Meta Quest 2 VR headsets and Ray-Ban Stories smart glasses. The partners will bring together creators, artists, journalists and industry leaders at the creator spaces to participate in conversations about the future of content creation and the creator economy.
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Campaign Insights

How Bang Energy’s flashy, neon world of influencers conquered TikTok
JoJo Siwa, dancer, singer, and YouTuber, stands at a tile counter, listening to the sounds of a Bop-It run through its familiar prompts–“Bop it, twist it,” an electronic voice repeats. But the most prominent feature of the video isn’t the toy, nor is it Siwa, who wears her signature oversized bow, and a polka-dot blazer over a T-shirt emblazoned with her own face. Instead, it’s an electric blue, 16-ounce can of Birthday Cake Bash-flavored Bang Energy drink. The short TikTok video, which has over one million likes, is an ad for Bang Energy, a brand that suddenly seems omnipresent on social media. Clicking on the #BangEnergy hashtag in Siwa’s caption opens a page that shows the brand has over 17 billion views on TikTok alone.

Siwa is just one of many faces in a neon universe of influencers promoting an energy drink offered in flavors with names like Radical Skadattle and Frose Rose. Bang Energy belongs to a unique subsection of “performance beverages'' that taste like a melted popsicle mixed with the innards of a car battery with flavors that transcend conventional notions of taste.

Taste aside, the brightly colored cans appear in influencer videos without much mention of the product’s purpose or any purported benefits, just that it definitely exists. Take TikToker Q Park. His signature videos involve obnoxiously yelling popular songs while twerking in public places, often while holding a can of Bang Energy. He has 30 million followers. Bang is so enmeshed in the influencer world that the satirical website ClickHole published a story about the Vatican selling an NFT featuring Jesus Christ dressed as the Joker while drinking a Bang Energy drink. (Wrap your head around that sentence.)



How BookTok changed Book of the Month
Boures said Book of the Month has worked with BookTubers “for a long time” and has partnered with Instagram influencers as well. “We’re knowledgeable about these book communities online. And when we saw this new one springing up, we sort of were like, ‘This makes total sense,’” she continued.

So her team slowly tested using a handful of BookTokers as influencers. After tests went well, they decided to formalize and create an influencer program around BookTok in early 2021.

Since then, she said the program has continued to grow: TikTok is now the social media channel her team (which handles organic and influencer deals, not paid advertising) spends the most time and effort on.

While it varies from month to month, she told us that anywhere from a quarter to half of the influencers Book of the Month works with across all social media platforms are considered BookTokers.

Describing BookTokers as “very powerful marketers” who do a great job curating their pages to create fun, intelligent, and relatable content, Boures said some of her favorite accounts she’s collaborated with at Book of the Month include Kevin Norman, Kelsey Munson, The Roomie’s Digest, Ayman's Books, and Books Over Therapy.


State Department grant spends $500,000 on 'social media influencers' in Tajikistan
"The grant notice, which is dated Jan. 7, estimated that the U.S. Mission to Tajikistan would give out 25 awards of between $10,000 and $50,000. The application deadline was Feb. 20.

The grant reportedly aims to further "the development of Tajikistan's democratic institutions and civil society" by funding "local journalists and bloggers" and  "increas[ing the] professionalism of social media influencers on topics of public interest and inspir[ing] them to post more on such subjects."

These topics include spreading "messages of tolerance" to "counter violent extremism," supporting "women's empowerment," and promoting  "environmental awareness and action."

The latest State Department report indicates that there were ""no reported terrorist incidents in Tajikistan in 2020."

 
Interesting People

D’Amelio family launches VC fund 444 Capital to invest up to $25M in high-growth startups
The D’Amelio family, including TikTok stars and digital creators Charli D’Amelio and sister Dixie, are formalizing their investments in startups with the launch of a new VC fund, 444 Capital. The family is teaming up with Doug Renert of Tandem Capital and producer Jeff Beacher of Beacher Media Group on the fund, which aims to back high-growth companies with strong end-user brands, including those in the direct-to-consumer space, fintech, edtech, healthcare, insurtech and other B2B2C platforms.

The fund has a target of up to $25 million, some of which has already been raised and deployed.

The D’Amelio family said the fund will have a particular focus on women- and minority-led startups.

“Our family wants to help a new generation of female and minority entrepreneurs build great companies. We hope to play a growing role in leveling the startup playing field over time,” Dixie and Charli D’Amelio said in a joint statement.


Meet TikTok's Tell-All Beauty King Kevin Kodra
TikTok beauty influencers are a different breed of content creators. Unlike the olden days of YouTube's hyper-filtered, drama-ridden beauty community, content on TikTok prides itself on more productive, instructional content. Of course, controversy still bubbles to the surface every now and then, but on TikTok there’s a clear distinction: education first, entertainment second.

With Kevin Kodra, that’s very much the case. The Toronto-based makeup artist and content creator has amassed more than 580,000 followers combined on Instagram and TikTok by putting out informational beauty content from a technical point of view. (You might also remember him from his viral graduation photo in 2018).

At 21 years old, Kodra offers insightful tricks for beauty lovers online, stemming from his own professional experience. He prides himself on being able to share product reviews and tips for various skin tones or textures, having worked on many different models. Kodra creates thoughtful "no-filter" content — both literally and metaphorically — with how he speaks to his audience, and shows the facial treatments and hacks that go beyond just a product.


How Tinx went from 'unemployed' to TikTok star, overnight
Baited to a suite by the promise of tequila shots and shrimp, 31-year-old TikToker Christina Najjar — better known to her followers as Tinx — ended up befriending the owner of said voice, one of her 1.5 million fans on TikTok.

“I spent the entire game with her. I’d never met her before in my life. I took a date, and I literally barely spoke to him because I was just vibing with my follower so much,” Tinx told The Post. “We were still texting yesterday. That rapport people feel with me, that relationship I have with my followers — it’s all completely real.”

Tinx’s schtick is that she’s relatable. She downloaded TikTok for the first time during the first pandemic lockdown, out of “boredom-slash-depression-slash-despair,” just like millions of other people. At the time, she was “a writer — an out-of-work one, more specifically” in LA. Nine days later, a video of her trying out a Kardashian-favorite salad at Health Nut randomly amassed 2.2 million views.

While Tinx’s overnight success is certainly unique, it didn’t happen because she’s so much better than anyone else. According to Tinx, “The age of the perfect Instagram grid, not being vulnerable, only showing your rock-hard abs… it’s over. And it’s over because, firstly, it’s not real, so it’s not captivating. And secondly, people just don’t have the appetite for it anymore.


From beauty influencer to an entrepreneur, Shahnaz Shimul does it all
Shahnaz is a British-Bangladeshi influencer, who started her YouTube journey in 2014. Back then the Bangladeshi beauty industry was not on par to compete with international beauty standards.

Nonetheless, Shahnaz's easy makeup tutorials and affordable hacks garnered her millions of viewers. Currently, she has over 1.35 million subscribers on YouTube and 1.4 million followers on Facebook.

From creating content to video editing, everything is done by her. But despite Shahnaz's many identities, she is a makeup artist first and foremost.

"I prefer to introduce myself as a makeup artist first, then as a YouTuber and finally as a businesswoman," she said to The Business Standard. "I never thought I would receive so much support within a short span of time. But, as a passionate makeup enthusiast, I was determined to build a respectful position in the beauty industry."
Industry News

TikTok launches a music distribution platform, SoundOn
TikTok has already achieved massive influence in today’s music industry, sending songs that find popularity on the app to the top of the Billboard charts. Now the company is launching its own music marketing and distribution platform, SoundOn, to help more artists get their music heard. The new platform allows artists to upload their music directly to TikTok and to parent company ByteDance’s own music streaming service Resso, in addition to global streaming platforms including Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora, Deezer and Tencent’s Joox.

This distribution is provided free of charge and all transaction fees are being waived by the platform. TikTok says SoundOn will pay 100% of royalties to music creators for an unlimited time on ByteDance-owned platforms. This includes distribution to TikTok; plus Resso in Brazil, Indonesia, and India; and to ByteDance’s video editor app, CapCut.

For global streaming services, the payout is also 100% in the artist’s first year, but will drop to 90% in year two and beyond. By comparison, competitor DistroKid charges artists and labels on a subscription basis, while allowing artists to keep 100% of their earnings. TuneCore, meanwhile, charges for distribution on a per-song or per-album basis, but also promises artists keep 100% of streaming revenues.


Walmart moves further into livestream shopping
Walmart is delving further into livestreaming and social commerce with an extended partnership with Talkshoplive. 

"Walmart continues to be focused on meeting customers where they are while making it easier to shop," Casey Schlaybaugh, vice president of brand at Walmart, said in a December statement regarding Talkshoplive. 

The retailer hosted the first shoppable livestream on Twitter in November as the retailer bridged commerce with social media for the holidays. For that effort, the retailer teamed with Jason Derulo to broadcast a half-hour variety show to promote products in categories like electronics, home goods, apparel and seasonal decor. 

Walmart's new livestream shows with Talkshoplive began on Feb. 15 and will run through March 21, with programming featuring Black-founded brands, baby products and brands from women entrepreneurs.


Brandwatch Acquires Influencer Marketing Platform, Paladin
Brandwatch announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Paladin, a comprehensive influencer marketing platform. This latest move enables complete, end-to-end influencer marketing functionality within the Brandwatch suite, and more ways for brands to build meaningful connections with consumers.

“Influencer marketing and management is the next evolution of how marketers and communications professionals utilize digital and social media,” said Ulrik Bo Larsen, President of Brandwatch. “It’s the next and most important phase of the social landscape. Paladin has built an exciting company out of California that has grown into a successful global business, making influencer marketing easier for marketers. We’re excited to rapidly accelerate their reach and scale the hell out of this.”

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How Xiaohongshu Works, China's Rival to Instagram - Business Insider
Every month, an estimated 200 million users, mostly Gen Z women, open "the little red book" app seeking beauty tips, travel recommendations, or advice on what to have for dinner.

As they browse posts, they can buy featured items through WeChat Pay or Alipay.

The app — called Xiaohongshu in Chinese — is rewriting the rules of shopping in China.

Xiaohongshu's primarily young, affluent users have spent $23 million through the app to date, according to Sensor Tower data shared with Insider. As of end February, some $1.1 million was spent in the app, a 44% increase from a year ago. Sensor Tower pegged Xiaohongshu's global downloads at 167 million, though that doesn't include Android downloads in China.

It's "kind of like Instagram, Etsy, and Amazon all in one," Sarah Yam, co-founder of Red Digital China, a digital marketing agency, told Insider.


YouTube Offers Up to $300,000 to Get Podcasters to Make Videos - Bloomberg
YouTube is reaching out to podcasters and podcast networks, offering “grants” of up to $300,000 to entice them to create video versions of their shows, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

The company is extending offers of $50,000 to individual shows and $200,000 and $300,000 to podcast networks, according to the people, who asked not to be identified because the matter is private. The money could help producers create filmed versions of their episodes or make other kinds of videos.

The move could bring more substantial programming to the Alphabet Inc.-owned streaming service and bulk up its overall podcast lineup. YouTube has become a powerful podcasting platform without devoting much money to the format.

Major stars, like Joe Rogan and the H3 team, grew their followings on the service thanks to its discovery algorithm. They have gone on to become some of the most-popular podcasters in the U.S., according to Edison Research. However, the cost to build a studio, hire editors, and develop a fully functioning video publishing pipeline can deter networks and shows from adopting the platform. 

States Investigate TikTok Over Potential Harms to Younger Users - The New York Times
A bipartisan group of state attorneys general announced on Wednesday that it had opened an investigation into TikTok and potential harms that the popular social media app may pose to younger users.

At least eight states are investigating if the design and promotion of TikTok contribute to physical and mental health harms for teenagers and young adults and if the company has violated state consumer protection laws. The examination of TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is similar to an investigation into Facebook that the coalition of attorneys general began in November. (Facebook’s parent company has been renamed Meta.)

The states, led by Massachusetts, Nebraska and California, are investigating how TikTok may have tried to boost engagement and keep young users hooked to the app.

“As children and teens already grapple with issues of anxiety, social pressure and depression, we cannot allow social media to further harm their physical health and mental well-being,” Maura Healey, the attorney general of Massachusetts, said in a statement. “State attorneys general have an imperative to protect young people and seek more information about how companies like TikTok are influencing their daily lives.”
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