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- Influence Weekly #341 - Gatorade, Coffee Meets Bagel Turned To This Under-The-Radar Agency For Influencer Campaigns
Influence Weekly #341 - Gatorade, Coffee Meets Bagel Turned To This Under-The-Radar Agency For Influencer Campaigns
TikTok’s Bold Move: Using Image Search To Compete With Amazon And Google For Online Shopping Supremacy
Nii Ahene
June 14, 2024
Spotlight Stories
TikTok’s Bold Move: Using Image Search To Compete With Amazon And Google For Online Shopping Supremacy
Mobile Gaming Giant Voodoo Snaps Up Gen Z App BeReal For €500 Million
Gatorade, Coffee Meets Bagel Turned To This Under-The-Radar Agency For Influencer Campaigns
Meet the #BlueCollar Gen Z Influencers Making Plumbing, Construction Cool - WSJ
Great Reads
TikTok is testing a new image search feature for shopping on its platform. The feature, first spotted by X user Jonah Manzano, allows TikTok users in the United States and Southeast Asia to take or upload photos to find visually similar products available for purchase on TikTok Shop.
Users with access see a camera icon in the TikTok Shop search bar. They can snap a photo, such as of a restaurant plate they like, to surface lookalike items for sale on TikTok. They can also upload any image, enabling visual search for affordable alternatives to pricey items found elsewhere online.
Mobile gaming giant Voodoo is expanding into social apps by acquiring BeReal, the Gen Z-popular photo sharing platform promoting authenticity, for €500 million. BeReal became a viral phenomenon in 2022 by prompting users to capture and share unfiltered moments of their day within a 2-minute window before photos disappear after 24 hours.
While gaining over 40 million active users, BeReal's growth had stabilized as it built out infrastructure. Voodoo plans to leverage its expertise in product strategy, marketing and tech to unlock BeReal's full potential. The acquisition allows Voodoo to diversify beyond its core gaming portfolio of over 7 billion downloads worldwide.
Voodoo states the companies are highly complementary, with BeReal offering a sticky consumer app experience perfectly aligned with Gen Z's cravings for transparency and real-life sharing. As influencers and consumer brands increasingly prioritize authenticity, owning a platform like BeReal provides Voodoo a powerful engagement channel for the creator economy.
VidCon, the premier convention celebrating the creator economy, returns to Baltimore in 2024 with an expanded format after a successful East Coast debut. New this year is the "Creator Track" providing education for aspiring influencers alongside existing Community and Industry tracks.
The Baltimore location offers easy access from major East Coast cities and aligns with VidCon's diversity values. Organizers strive to feature a wide range of creators across backgrounds, content genres and platforms to cater to VidCon's multigenerational attendees.
A renewed YouTube sponsorship validates the event's regional importance amid VidCon's goal of empowering creators worldwide. While focused on establishing its current Anaheim, Mexico City and Baltimore presences, organizers eye further market expansions in coming years to meet global creator passion.
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Campaign Insights
MGM Resorts International, the Las Vegas-based global hospitality and entertainment giant, has named Viral Nation as its official influencer marketing agency of record. According to a statement from the companies on Thursday, the partnership aims to amplify MGM’s brand presence across social media and drive engagement with its diverse customer base.
Viral Nation, a prominent player in social-first marketing strategies, will handle influencer marketing initiatives across MGM’s portfolio of resorts, including Bellagio, ARIA, and MGM Grand Las Vegas.
“Leveraging influencers allows us to connect with audiences in new ways authentically,” said Sarah Moore, MGM’s Senior Vice President of Marketing. “Viral Nation’s expertise will be critical as we evolve our marketing approach.”
As announced, landing MGM as a client for Viral Nation marks a major win. The agency’s CEO, Joe Gagliese, highlighted the companies’ aligned focus on cutting-edge digital strategies to generate tangible business results.
Political parties in the UK are pouring money into social media advertising, especially short-form videos on TikTok and memes, to reach young voters ahead of the July 4th general election. Labour has spent around £1.4 million on digital ads since early May, while the Conservatives have spent £750,000, dwarfing spending by smaller parties. Experts say the snappy content is key to attracting voters under 30 who spend hours per day on apps like TikTok and Instagram.
However, BBC research also found instances of misinformation and manipulated videos targeting young users in key battlegrounds. While raising awareness, some students worry the meme-ified messaging trivializes the election's importance. As one pundit noted, social media campaigning may now be more vital than traditional door-knocking given its precision targeting capabilities. But concerns remain over the lack of context and potential for misleading young voters inundated with ephemeral content.
Kenya is partnering with popular social media influencers and media outlets from across East Africa to boost visibility and drive tourism demand. The Kenya Tourism Board has arranged exclusive countrywide itineraries for influencers like Norah Daniel, Belinda Wanyana and Micahel Felleke who have massive followings. By chronicling their experiences at attractions from the Maasai Mara to the Kenyan coast through captivating content, Kenya aims to ignite travel interest among the influencers' audiences.
The innovative influencer marketing push aligns with recent regional agreements to collaboratively promote East Africa as a unified tourism destination through an integrated strategy. Officials believe tapping influencers' authentic storytelling can unlock new visitor markets, especially from other EAC nations which comprised 4 of Kenya's top 10 source countries last year. With competition intensifying, leveraging influencers' viral power represents a cost-effective way for destination marketing bodies to inspire travellers through compelling, shareable content.
Nigerian actress and influencer Temi Otedola has been named L'Oréal Paris' new African Digital Brand Ambassador for Makeup. The deal makes Otedola the first Nigerian ambassador for the global cosmetics giant, joining celebrities like Kendall Jenner and Viola Davis.
In her new role, Otedola will front marketing campaigns for L'Oréal's Infallible makeup line, spotlighting African beauty aesthetics. The partnership signifies a major leap for L'Oréal in highlighting diverse African beauty and promoting empowerment across the continent.
Last year, L'Oréal appointed South African actress Thusi Mbedu as a regional ambassador. Executives cited Otedola's confidence and passion aligning with the brand's ethos. For the influential actress and entrepreneur, the deal fulfills a lifelong dream after growing up using L'Oréal products.
Uncharted Agency, a talent startup launched in 2023, is making waves with its creator-centric approach to influencer marketing. The selective boutique prioritizes quality over quantity, providing hands-on support to each creator client throughout the creative process. This strategy has powered standout brand activations for companies like Gatorade and Coffee Meets Bagel.
Co-founders Victor Wong and Edward Kwag emphasize strong creator partnerships, transparent operations, and addressing industry pricing challenges. Notable campaigns included Gatorade Zero promotions and an AAPI community empowerment initiative aligning with the founders' values.
For the creator economy, Uncharted's advice centers on niching down passions, providing audience value, and prioritizing authentic content over metrics. With measured growth plans focused on cultivating an empowering culture, the agency exemplifies how personalized attention and aligning brand purpose can drive influencer marketing impact.
Interesting People
The British YouTube group Sidemen, comprised of 7 internet stars with over 130 million combined subscribers, launched a new reality competition show called “Inside.” The show debuted its first episode on Sunday, attracting over 4 million views within 24 hours.
Inside pits 10 social media influencers against each other in challenges inside a house. The winner receives a prize pot starting at £1 million. However, the prize money is reduced based on purchases contestants make for luxuries like hot showers, tea bags, and snacks.
Sidemen member Vik Barn told the BBC that Inside is “a bit more raw” than typical reality shows. The format centers around the group hitting record and observing the ensuing “chaos.” Unlike traditional shows, Inside does not restrict profanity.
Social media star Jake Paul is entering the men's personal care market with the launch of his new brand "W". Paul revealed the idea stemmed from being disappointed by the limited, outdated options while shopping at CVS. W's initial lineup includes body wash, deodorant and body spray priced under $10 featuring vitamin-infused, paraben-free formulas made in the U.S.
The 27-year-old boxer cited his active lifestyle and struggle with sweating as motivating factors in developing effective but affordable grooming products for a health-conscious generation. Beyond personal care, Paul has grand ambitions for W to become a broader lifestyle brand representing confidence and a "winning spirit".
Paul secured an exclusive retail partnership with Walmart, which quickly bought into his passion for disrupting the male grooming aisle. As an influencer businessman, the brand marks Paul's latest venture alongside boxing, content creation and venture capital investing.
As co-founder of talent agency Stride Social, Alex Hendy is focused on providing creators a superior experience to build enduring businesses around their online brands. Drawing from his own background as a creator with over 5.5 million TikTok followers, Hendy aims to give talent networking opportunities and help them branch into new verticals like product lines.
Stride Social assists creators in negotiating brand deals, but also setting up their own independent businesses and revenue streams beyond just influencer marketing. The agency specializes in product review and tech creators, connecting them with relevant brand partners.
For companies, Stride develops influencer marketing strategies tailored to their needs, including regional cultural nuances when targeting global audiences.
Looking ahead, Hendy predicts more creator saturation, requiring differentiation through highly original content to stand out. His advice to entrepreneurs is identifying untapped creator needs and developing supportive solutions.
In a shocking result from Spain's European Parliament elections, influencer and online activist Alvise Pérez's new populist party called "The Party is Over" won 4.6% of the vote and three seats. The 34-year-old campaigned on an anti-corruption, anti-elite platform similar to Donald Trump's rhetoric despite having no formal party structure or published policies.
Pérez has hundreds of thousands of social media followers and has faced lawsuits over controversial exposés on mainstream politicians. While short on concrete policy details, the party appeared to resonate with some young male voters previously supporting the far-right Vox party.
The surprise outcome reflects rising skepticism toward traditional parties, with upstart populist movements occasionally gaining traction through influencers' ability to rapidly build audiences and galvanize anti-establishment sentiment online. For the creator economy, Pérez's electoral success despite his lack of experience showcases influencers' potential to wield political influence, for better or worse.
YouTuber Dhar Mann Studios, which has nearly 22 million subscribers, announced a new advertising partnership with global media company Studio71, The Hollywood Reporter (THR) confirmed. Under the pact, Mann will work with Studio71 to further monetize his popular inspirational videos, leveraging the company’s relationships with major brands and ad buyers worldwide.
Mann’s YouTube channel features scripted videos promoting values like love, forgiveness, and helping others. With a production team rivaling top TV broadcasters, he launches seven new videos per week, averaging 5-10 million views each. In total, his channel generates over 300 million monthly views on YouTube alone.
“Our partnership brings brands a combination of premium content, passionate audiences, brand-safe environments, and creative integration opportunities,” Mann told THR. Studio71 co-CEO Matt Crowley cites Mann’s “polished, scripted videos” and “incredible fanbase” as major draws for advertisers.
Industry News
Meta's Threads app is experimenting with reviving traditional hashtag formatting after initially moving away from the '#' symbol when launching its tags feature last year. According to app researcher findings, Threads is testing reminders prompting users to use hashtags when posting, as well as prefixing tags with the '#' symbol.
The shift suggests Threads is looking to leverage hashtags to better categorize content and align conversations with users' specific interests. While tags aimed to reduce spam, the real-time nature of Threads may require more contextual signals like hashtags for effective content filtering.
For creator economy professionals, the hashtag revival could impact how they optimize posts for improved discoverability and engagement on Threads. Strategic hashtag usage allows content to surface for relevant communities and trending topics. However, Threads will likely monitor hashtag misuse to curb misinformation.
Twitch is the latest streaming platform to raise prices, announcing higher subscription costs in over 30 countries starting July 11th. The move sees Tier 1 monthly subscriptions jump from $4.99 to $5.99, while Tier 2 and 3 rates remain at $9.99 and $24.99 respectively.
Twitch cites driving more revenue to creators and improving streaming's financial sustainability as the rationale. However, the revenue split for streamers is unchanged, with the same 50-70% of subscription fees flowing through based on their Plus program tier.
The increase follows an earlier round of hikes in February for Canada, Turkey and the UK. It caps a tumultuous year for the Amazon-owned platform including layoffs, safety council restructuring and the CEO openly questioning profitability.
Outshine Talent is taking a 360-degree approach to help creators boost earnings sustainably while staying true to themselves. Founded by influencer marketing veteran Barbara Jones, the management firm provides personalized strategy, growth, and entrepreneurial guidance beyond just booking brand deals.
Key focuses include diversifying income across passive revenue streams like platform incentives and subscriptions, cultivating multi-platform presence, and using data-driven insights to optimize brand partnerships. Jones emphasizes authenticity over chasing algorithms.
She notes differences in audience-building between short-form video apps and long-form platforms like YouTube. Her advice: explore creating owned IP, focus on genuine community-building over metrics, and let creativity drive success.
As the creator economy rapidly evolves, Outshine positions itself as a supportive partner allowing talent to maximize monetization opportunities across revenue models - all while maintaining their authentic voices and visions as businesses and brands.
Twitch announced landmark licensing deals with Universal Music Group, Warner Music Group, Sony Music, and hundreds of independent music rightsholders. The agreements enable DJs to legally play copyrighted songs during their live streams on the platform.
The deals establish the new “Twitch DJ Program,” where the Amazon-owned company will pay royalties to artists and record labels. However, DJs must opt into a new agreement that covers all streaming on their channel. DJs who only stream part-time must create a separate channel dedicated solely to live streaming.
To cover the costs of music licensing, Twitch will allocate a portion of DJ revenue to rightsholders. For most streamers, Twitch will split this artists’ share 50/50 with DJs, though costs vary based on how a channel monetizes.
YouTube is introducing a new "Test and Compare" feature for video thumbnails, allowing creators to A/B test thumbnail images and optimize for increased watch time.
The feature, available to creators with access to YouTube's "Advanced Features," allows channel managers to upload and compare the performance of up to three thumbnail images per video. The platform will select a winning thumbnail based on which variant generates the highest share of watch time.
X has rolled out an update making all likes private within the app, stated to be aimed at addressing concerns that public likes "are incentivizing the wrong behavior".
According to X engineer Haofei Wang, the change aims to give users more freedom to engage with a wider range of content without fearing public backlash. The update could also potentially facilitate revenue opportunities related to explicit adult content, as X updates its policy to allow consensual adult nudity and sexual behavior.
Registration Required
A former YouTube creator has launched Roster, a job site focused on hiring behind-the-scenes talent for the creator economy. Founder and CEO Sherry Wong says creators struggle to find specialized short-term help like video editors and writers through traditional means. Roster uses algorithms to analyze creators' content and recommend suitable candidates based on their style and skills. Job seekers can showcase their work on past creator videos.
The site charges $150 per job listing. In a growing field, competitors include Gondola providing portfolios for creatives and recently a jobs tool, as well as CreatorLand's professional network. Roster raised an undisclosed pre-seed round last year from angels like Jesse Zhang of Beacons. With under 10 employees, recent hires include former Nas Company engineer Mark Vu as head of engineering and Alex Mostafavi from Karat handling creator partnerships. Wong previously led creator partnerships at Next 10 Ventures' $50 million creator economy fund.
The moving company Piece of Cake is leveraging influencer marketing to drive explosive growth since its 2017 launch. Known for bright pink trucks, Piece of Cake now makes 100,000 moves yearly across the U.S. with 800 employees and 350 trucks. Chief Marketing Officer Najah Ayoub says the brand's aggressive influencer program acts as a marketing engine, with influencers posting content posing with Piece of Cake's trucks.
Ayoub targets fitness influencers like Equinox instructors, cooking creators like chefs, and niche influencers over broad lifestyle or beauty influencers for better ROI. The brand treats influencer marketing for awareness, then uses paid ads on Google, Meta, TikTok and more to drive business. It offers free or discounted moves for influencers based on factors like follower count. An affiliate program tracks conversions using influencer discount codes. Piece of Cake complements this with a New York Knicks sponsorship announced in 2022. The scrappy startup expanded rapidly by tapping influencer marketing's power.
Influencer agencies are deploying a multi-faceted approach to verify the authenticity of influencers and their following, amid growing concerns over fake followers and engagement metrics. Agencies are combining quantitative tools with qualitative research, manual verification, and third-party data to assess influencers' credibility.
While agencies acknowledge the lack of a single, reliable tool to detect fake followers, they emphasize the importance of human experience and online knowledge in navigating the influencer marketing landscape. By employing a range of methods, including analyzing engagement metrics, tracking follower growth, and manually reviewing content, agencies aim to ensure the health of influencer-brand relationships and the integrity of the influencer marketing industry.
Young plumbers, electricians and construction workers are gaining massive followings on TikTok, Instagram and YouTube by showcasing their skilled trades. Gen Z influencers like electrician Lexis Czumak-Abreu, who has 2.2 million followers across platforms, are raking in over $200,000 annually from brand deals and monetization - sometimes more than their day jobs. Their engaging videos debunk stereotypes about "blue collar" work while inspiring interest in vocational careers that don't require college degrees.
Post views are soaring, with the #bluecollar TikTok hashtag up 64% this year. The content is even driving new skilled trade recruits who discover the earning potential and entrepreneurial freedom. While influencing has downsides like portraying an unrealistic glamour, companies are paying millions to leverage the trend. Seeing relatable young tradespeople thriving online is making skilled vocations newly aspirational for Gen Z, who increasingly prioritize well-paying jobs over university paths.