BANKNOTES minted by #paid

Have you ever come across an ad while scrolling through TikTok that feels just like any other video on the platform—so much so that it hardly feels like you’re watching an ad? Do you know what makes these ads work so well? They’re engaging, follow popular trends, and, most importantly, feel as authentic as other online videos we see from our favorite creators. Unfortunately, many marketers avoid creating this type of content because it “appears ugly,” discounting the ad’s effectiveness. ... (LISTEN TO THIS ARTICLE)

Luxury fashion has a problem. According to McKinsey, the industry is responsible for over $2 billion in greenhouse gas emissions every year. That’s roughly 4% of the world’s total output. For added context, luxury fashion puts out the same amount of greenhouse gasses as France, Germany, and the UK. Combined. While these stats are horrifying, this issue isn’t only about the survival of the environment. It’s also a threat to the survival of luxury fashion brands. ... (READ MORE)

Relationships, whether romantic, platonic, or familial, are essential for any human being to thrive. Even when these relationships are complicated or situational (see: situationships), they allow us to learn new things about ourselves, explore the parts of life outside our comfort zone, and ultimately help us evolve as individuals. Back in my day, when it was time to announce a new relationship, we would take to Facebook to change our single status. Something about that “in a relationship with” update really felt like a major life achievement. Nowadays, we’re seeing Instagram girlies soft launch their significant others by teasing Story posts of someone’s left shoulder or a Diddy-cropped photo with just their person’s eyebrow visible. Only the official couples get to revel in the celebratory relationship hard launch. ... (READ MORE)

Fun fact: “Adidas” does not stand for “All Day I Dream About Sports.” It’s short for Adi Dassler, the company’s founder. Yet, if you repeat a factoid often enough, it has a way of entering the zeitgeist. That’s especially true for statistics ringing with truth. Case in point: everyone knows it costs 5x more to acquire customers than to get customers to return. This factoid (this time in “10x” form) even appeared in “The Office,” when an intern attending business school at night quizzed hapless boss Michael Scott. The joke was that the branch manager didn’t understand a basic business fact. ... (READ MORE)

“Google it.” It used to be one of the most ubiquitous phrases in search. Like Kleenex for tissues, Google is the brand nomenclature for an entire action. But now it may be one of new media’s next casualties. TikTok, Twitter, and other social media platforms are becoming the new search engine stars. This is partially by design. “Search it with TikTok,” says a recent TikTok ad in the UK. “Learn it with TikTok.” You can practically hear steam coming out of the ears (er, servers) over at Google and Bing. ... (READ MORE)

Who knew something as simple as fresh dough could attract video views? It’s not a trick question. In applying surgical precision to its creator campaigns, KitchenAid nailed it. KitchenAid had access to first-party data from Trusted Media Brands. Two-thirds of TMB’s reader panel, for example, owned stand mixers. TMB’s readers were four times more likely than average to categorize themselves as a “holiday enthusiast.” And 55% of a Taste of Home kitchen survey respondents were looking for helpful kitchen appliance content. Enter the Mixing and Mingling holiday campaign, which combined all of this data with the power of the creator economy. Taste of Home’s influencers offered recipes and recorded video stories sharing their favorite KitchenAid stories. For Elena Besser, that was the pasta-maker extension, which she tied into a story of using food as her love language. ... (READ MORE)

With millions of dedicated followers who religiously watch their favorite content creator as soon as a new video drops (or heavily engaged in whatever drama the creator is embroiled in at any given time), it makes sense that the beauty industry as a whole is finally catching on to the idea that viewers love watching creators, regardless of gender, showcase personality and creativity in an entertaining format. Add in TikTok or Instagram, and male beauty creators worldwide are growing audiences and partnering with emerging and legacy cosmetics brands for product launches or partnerships, too. ... (READ MORE)

Brands choosing to partner with America’s favorite celebrities is almost a bigger tradition than the Super Bowl itself. In the past, we’ve seen ads from Dolly Parton, Timothée Chalamet, and Will Ferrell. This year, like in previous years, there was no shortage of A-list celebrities placed front and center of the most coveted advertising slots. Celebrities ranged from Serena Williams, Alicia Silverstone, Melissa McCarthy, Bradley Cooper, and John Travolta. But—here’s the thing. Do you remember any of the brands these celebrities were advertising? ... (READ MORE)

The relationship between fragrance and advertising has been long. As a category that relies on olfactory receptors first and foremost to attract and persuade, emerging brands must get creative with how they market to consumers. From packaging to media, fragrance brands can’t rely on some of the more traditional elements of beauty marketing: before and after pictures or product benefits, just to name a couple. ... (READ MORE)

The average attention span is shrinking. In fact, a recent Microsoft study found that our attention span is down to about eight seconds or less. This extends to attention spans while browsing the web. And in the creator economy, those eight seconds are precious currency. There’s no doubt that in recent years, short-form video has either created this trend or capitalized on it. And it’s officially a trend creators can’t afford to ignore. ... (READ MORE)

“My content was viewed over 75 million times this year.” If we asked you to guess who said that, who would come to mind? A TV star? An artist talking about their 2022 Spotify downloads? A Kardashian? It was, in fact, Tobi Oluwole. And rather than knowing him from Spotify or your favorite Netflix series, you might have seen him doling out advice to underpaid and unfulfilled employees on LinkedIn. Most people might not group LinkedIn with mega-creator platforms like YouTube and TikTok. TikTok is the exciting new kid on the block, rocket-blasting from $82 million in revenue in the third quarter of 2019 to $1,567 billion three years later. YouTube has been around longer, but its status as the world’s top video-sharing network makes it a titanic platform for any influencer. ... (READ MORE)

We’re used to seeing it in the DTC world. When you pull up TikTok, Instagram, or Snapchat, you’ll see unique creator-made videos promoting sponsored content. And, if you’re like other TikTok users contributing to #TikTokMadeMeBuyIt’s 36.7B views, you’ll probably make a fun new purchase. Creator marketing (especially influencer-generated content) works wonders in the DTC world. Influencer Marketing Hub reports that 60% of marketers said influencer-generated content performs better and drives more engagement than branded posts. ... (READ MORE)

Leonardo DiCaprio may prefer young models, but that doesn’t mean the rest of the world does (Zing!). This rings especially true regarding which creators represent brands on social media platforms. Over the past couple of years, social media users have been explicit in asking for content from brands and creators that’s authentic, diverse, and inclusive. In short, social media users are begging for real. ... (READ MORE)

“I’m rooting for everybody Black.” ✊🏾 This statement has been echoed by Black creators both on the internet and in our everyday conversations since it was infamously spit like a bar by Issa Rae at the 2017 Emmy Awards. Since then, it has become a slogan for the culture, and it feels like a motto rooted in community and provides a sense of home for Black creators who haven’t always felt seen. ... (READ MORE)

You’ve seen it a million times in the DTC and B2B worlds. A company will take the same piece of content and plaster it across the brand’s various social media channels. The results? Lackluster. Maybe it will get engagement from the social media manager (SMM) who posted it—and, if they’re lucky, the SMM’s mom. (Provided they’re on Twitter, of course.) What’s wrong with this strategy? Aside from the fact that it never works, it’s rare to see brands—especially B2B companies—dive deep into every social media platform’s unique quirks. As a result, they rarely post creative content that engages their target audience. ... (READ MORE)

“It's just crazy how Amazon has all these little sneaky things that you would never know about.” When 24-year-old Emma Lorrae started her UGC creator business in May 2022, she knew her passion was to be an entrepreneur and create content for brands. But it can be scary to start your own business–let alone walk away from a corporate job to run your business full-time. However, less than a year into her endeavors, Lorrae is already making over $8K per month as a UGC creator and through influencer programs with channels like Amazon. Her earnings keep growing month after month. ... (READ MORE)

Striking a balance between creativity and appealing to customers is often a tenuous one for marketing teams. Add in the massive competition for traffic and sales, and you might find a brand or two swinging for the fences only to end up striking out spectacularly. There’s also the fact that brands are constantly looking for new ways to stand out and achieve goals. As customers, we often praise brands taking daring approaches. We’re more apt to see brands making waves than observing the status quo. ... (READ MORE)

There’s been talk about ‘Quiet Quitting’ and the ‘Great Resignation’ over the last two years, which means brands wanting to fill positions and needing employees have to take a good, hard look at what they’re offering how they’re reaching potential candidates.

It’s known as “algospeak,” and its premise is simple. Some online platforms use algorithms to censor or ban content by seeking out key phrases. Creators find sneaky ways of not saying those phrases while still getting their basic meaning across to their audience. Algorithms becomes Al Gore Rhythms. Dead becomes unalive. Sex becomes seggs. It’s not just a snarky way to avoid TikTok or Twitter dinging your content and sending you to the digital equivalent of a timeout. For some, it’s a necessity. One study examined how “social media work is not just materially concealed, but rendered socially invisible through its lack of … marginal status.”

2022 was a successful year for influencer marketers, and things are looking up in 2023 as well. While influencer marketing and creator partnerships will help brands grow and capture more sales, it’s also essential to keep a pulse on marketing, influencer, and industry trends.