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  • Influence Weekly #346 - Daily TikTok Usage Dips To 51 Minutes – What’s Causing Users To Step Back?

Influence Weekly #346 - Daily TikTok Usage Dips To 51 Minutes – What’s Causing Users To Step Back?

Chris Harrington Appointed CEO Of CreatorIQ: What The SaaS Veteran Brings To Creator Marketing

Author

Nii Ahene
July 19, 2024

Spotlight Stories

  • Daily TikTok Usage Dips To 51 Minutes – What’s Causing Users To Step Back?

  • Southwest Airlines Unveils New 14-Week Program Featuring 10 TikTok Creators, Endless Travel Possibilities

  • Nearly 40% Of Surveyed Americans Demand Transparency From AI Influencers - How Brands Are Responding

  • Chris Harrington Appointed CEO Of CreatorIQ: What The SaaS Veteran Brings To Creator Marketing

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Great Reads

TikTok is experiencing a slight decline in daily usage, with average time spent on the platform dropping from 52 minutes to 51 minutes per day in 2024. This marks the first time the platform has seen its user growth stagnate. Concurrently, the percentage of weekly TikTok users aged 18-24 has fallen from 35% in 2022 to 25% in 2024, while the 35-44 age group has increased from 16% to 19%.

Despite these shifts, TikTok continues to attract significant ad spend, exceeding $1.5 billion from January through May 2024, an 11% year-over-year increase. However, the ad spend growth rate has cooled since the announcement of a potential U.S. ban in March.

TelevisaUnivision, the Spanish-language media giant, is making a significant push into the creator economy, focusing on Hispanic audiences in the United States. Under the leadership of James Heath, recently promoted to VP of Creator Marketing, the company is rolling out initiatives to deeply integrate digital creators into its content and marketing strategies.

This includes introducing creator awards at Premios Juventud, planning a "Casa Creator" activation for 2025, and pursuing opportunities like first-look deals with creators like Juanpa. By aligning with Hispanic cultural trends and consumer preferences, TelevisaUnivision aims to empower and connect with Gen Z and millennial Hispanic audiences through authentic creator voices and collaborations across its platforms.

VidCon, the leading event for digital creators and fans, has canceled its Baltimore 2024 event to focus resources on its flagship Anaheim conference. Founded by YouTube creators and acquired by Paramount Global in 2018, VidCon serves as a hub connecting creators, fans, and brands.

The Anaheim event in 2023 drew 55,000 attendees. Attendees who purchased tickets for the canceled Baltimore event will receive full refunds by July 19th. VidCon expresses gratitude to Baltimore and the creators and fans who participated in the inaugural East Coast event last year.

Campaign Insights

The video is based on a TikTok trend known as “Boots and Slick Back Bun,” which originated from user @maisieisobel_ in late June 2024. In the original trend, participants describe their outfits in a chant-like manner, often with humorous or quirky phrases.

While the original trend has gained popularity among individual users and celebrities like Amy Poehler, TBH Skincare’s corporate adaptation has faced significant backlash.

Southwest Airlines announced a 14-week shoppable flights program featuring 10 TikTok creators to inspire travel and streamline booking. The initiative, running through mid-October, involves creators from major U.S. travel destinations like Hawaii and Las Vegas. It integrates a "book now" button into TikTok content, allowing users to purchase flights directly through the platform.

Southwest aims to reach younger audiences on their preferred social channels with this influencer marketing strategy highlighting the airline's brand personality and policies. Concurrent promotions include a "Summer of Go" sweepstakes offering destination prize packages.

TikTok has named SHOUT by UniTaskr as its first 'TikTok Agency Marketing Partner' in the UK, recognizing the agency's excellence in delivering campaigns on the platform. Despite competition from larger agencies, SHOUT secured this partnership due to its impressive client roster including Spotify, Adobe, Amazon, Uber, and Red Bull. The partnership aligns with TikTok's strategy to enhance its business offerings, providing marketers with tools to create, measure, and optimize TikTok ad campaigns. By collaborating with strategic partners, TikTok aims to bring a creative and joyful experience to brand partners and its community.

The Republican National Convention is hosting over 70 influencers as part of a content creator program to engage younger voters. Creators will have full convention credentials and access to film TikTok videos in a dedicated workspace, interacting with Trump campaign officials and delegates. Participants include conservative comedians, reality TV stars, and social media personalities. It aligns with trends like one-third of adults ages 18-29 regularly getting news on TikTok. The DNC announced similar plans last month. The RNC's strategy builds on inviting 16 influencers to the 2022 primary debate in Milwaukee.

TikTok and Eventbrite have partnered to allow event creators to promote and sell tickets directly through the social media platform. This collaboration enables any TikTok user or Eventbrite creator to add event links to their videos, facilitating ticket purchases without leaving the app.

The feature offers multiple benefits, including location-based event suggestions and the ability to add multiple event links to a single video. It aims to boost visibility for smaller, independent events and foster a more diverse event landscape.

Available in all countries where both platforms operate, eligible events must be in-person, publicly listed on Eventbrite, have paid tickets, and occur within the next 90 days (180 for music events).

The creator economy has given rise to a new breed of 'empty billboard' influencers like Nara Smith and Emily Mariko, who strategically avoid controversial topics to maintain broad appeal and marketability for brands. This 'strategic neutrality' allows them to be versatile marketing tools, seamlessly integrating brand endorsements without alienating audiences. While authenticity is valued, these mega-influencers capitalize on themes like motherhood, leveraging their massive reach to boost engagement across all influencer tiers.

Brands prioritize them for wide audiences, providing a boost to their overall influencer mix. However, micro-influencers still rely on authenticity and relatability. The 'empty billboard' status is a privilege for VIPs/mega-influencers, thriving on aspirational content, while lower tiers sustain through niche expertise.

TikTok's raw, unfiltered content fueled early virality and product sales for beauty brands. However, the platform is now saturated with ads and sponsored posts, eroding authenticity. Consumers are becoming ad-savvy, prompting brands to adapt strategies.

They emphasize organic user-generated content alongside paid influencer campaigns and TikTok Shop for e-commerce. Striking the right balance between sponsored and organic content will be crucial to maintain user engagement as TikTok evolves from an experimental sideline to a central marketing platform for beauty companies.

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Hank Green, a pioneering YouTube creator and entrepreneur, reflects on the power and limitations of the booming creator economy. While creators like Green have harnessed social media to drive positive change, he acknowledges the isolating nature of infinite scrolling and the lack of control creators have over platforms. Green expresses uncertainty about AI's role but believes human connection will endure.

As the creator economy matures, with increased VC interest and monetization tools, Green underscores the need for recourse when platforms revoke accounts and the challenge of unified advocacy given creators' diverse needs. His insights from founding companies like Complexly and DFTBA shed light on the Creator economy's evolution and complexities creators navigate as cultural influencers and small business owners.

Graduate students are finding success as "PhD influencers" by building large followings on social media sites like TikTok and Instagram. They post about the day-to-day realities of lab life, share research tips, and challenge stereotypes about who pursues science careers. Some influencers have gained tens of thousands of followers and earn hundreds of dollars per sponsored post through brand partnerships.

While being an influencer takes time and effort and can draw criticism, these students see it as a way to expand public perceptions about scientists, connect with others facing similar challenges, and potentially shape future career opportunities in science communication.

China's Qu Qu, who calls herself the 'McKinsey of relationships', has sparked controversy as a relationship influencer earning 142 million yuan ($19 million) annually. She gained attention through a livestream where she advised a woman to choose her wealthy boyfriend over an older, wealthier admirer. Qu Qu openly promotes securing financial prosperity through relationships, using coded language to bypass censorship.

She charges substantial fees for personal consultations and courses teaching women to leverage their relationships for monetary gain. While some followers praise her pragmatic approach, critics condemn her for encouraging the objectification of men and fostering unhealthy dynamics between women. Despite official censorship attempts, Qu Qu continues building her lucrative business empowering women's financial ambitions through controversial relationship advice.

MrBeast's latest viral challenge pitted 50 top YouTubers against each other in a million-dollar competition. Contestants were confined to a cube, facing various elimination challenges including basketball shots, sugar cookie carving, Jenga, and cooking contests. The competition showcased the collaborative and competitive nature of the creator economy, with well-known figures like KSI, Pokimane, and Logan Paul participating.

JaidenAnimations emerged victorious, winning $1 million to distribute among her subscribers. She plans to use the funds to send some followers to art school, potentially jumpstarting their careers. This challenge demonstrates MrBeast's continued innovation in creator-driven content and his ability to leverage cross-channel collaborations for massive viewership.

The event highlights the evolving landscape of influencer marketing and content creation, showing how high-stakes challenges can drive engagement across multiple creator fanbases while providing substantial value to audiences.

"Loren Gray, a 22-year-old social media influencer with over 80 million followers, shared insights into the creator economy. As an early TikTok star, Gray attributes her success to authenticity and consistency rather than chasing trends. She discusses the challenges of oversharing, managing audience expectations, and promoting music organically on social platforms.

Gray also revealed Taylor Swift's advice on staying true to her art. With her debut acting role in the Netflix film "Incoming" and new music in the works, Gray exemplifies the multi-faceted opportunities available to creators today while navigating the evolving digital landscape with transparency and passion for her community.

Industry News

Instagram and TikTok are taking opposing approaches to video content length, setting up a new battleground for social media engagement. Instagram is doubling down on short-form videos, with its chief Adam Mosseri stating the platform will not pursue long-form content to maintain its core function of connecting users with friends and enabling sharing of short, entertaining videos.

In contrast, TikTok is testing the ability for users to upload 60-minute videos, challenging YouTube's dominance in long-form content. This expanded time limit could allow full TV episodes to be posted on TikTok, opening new avenues for traditional media on the platform. The contrasting strategies mark a divide in how the two platforms aim to capture user attention and engagement.

Influxer, a tech-forward company, aims to be a comprehensive solution for these athletes to capitalize on their personal brands. The company's Head of Marketplace, Kendra Eidam, shares insights into Influxer's mission of standardizing NIL opportunities for all college athletes, regardless of their playing time or fame. Influxer provides a centralized platform for education, brand partnerships, and merchandise sales, allowing athletes to gain practical experience in e-commerce.

With over 14,000 signed athletes and ambitious plans to reach all 100,000 collegiate competitors nationwide, Influxer is positioning itself for the market's expected explosive growth. Kendra emphasizes the company's inclusive approach, technological prowess, and commitment to authentic, high-quality partnerships that benefit both brands and athletes.

The Widening Gap Between Influencers and Creators

There is a growing divide between "influencers" who drive product sales through their ability to sway audiences, and "creators" focused more on entertainment. As brands get selective with marketing budgets, leveraging influencers' purchasing influence over just audience size is becoming crucial. Influencers cultivate personal connections enabling monetization like brand deals and affiliate marketing.

Meanwhile, creators provide value through unique content production skills desired by brands for social ads. While both are valuable, understanding their distinct roles allows brands to strategically partner for different goals - influencers for conversion, creators for visibility. The line between the two is blurring as success increasingly hinges on an ability to not just amass followers but influence them.

CreatorDB marketing director Alfonso Ramirez shares the company's mission to democratize access to high-quality influencer data and empower both brands and creators in the booming creator economy.

The platform offers self-service tools for influencer discovery, campaign management and detailed analytics on creator performance. A key advantage is providing a year's worth of historical data to analyze trends over time.

CreatorDB is tapping into the rise of micro-influencers, creators with 10,000-50,000 followers who offer niche, hyper-engaged audiences. The company uses "influencer listening" to spot emerging trends before they go mainstream.

Looking ahead, CreatorDB plans new features like integrated mail and payment systems to streamline the campaign process. The startup also hints at forthcoming services like a creator talent agency to further shape the influencer ecosystem. Ramirez boldly states CreatorDB's vision is to transform influencers into brands' primary advertising channel.

Amazon’s Wondery podcast division has secured an exclusive distribution and ad-sales deal with comedian-podcaster Dax Shepard for his “Armchair Expert” podcast, valued at approximately $80 million, The Wall Street Journal reports. After the end of Shepard’s exclusive distribution deal with Spotify, the new agreement encompasses new shows, merchandise, and expanded distribution rights.

Under the new arrangement, Wondery and Shepard’s team will codevelop and produce two new podcasts and one annual live stream. Wondery also gains a first-look option for any additional podcasts created by Shepard.

The deal, negotiated by WME on behalf of “Armchair Expert” and the Armchair Umbrella Network, grants Wondery rights to “Armchair Expert’s” full back catalog starting September 1 and distribution rights to the RSS feed. For the first time, Wondery will be able to launch video episodes of the podcast and create translated versions for a global audience.

Influencer-founded activewear brand TALA has secured £5 million in funding, defying venture capital odds for female founders. Founded by influencer Grace Beverley in 2019, TALA plans to use the funds for U.S. expansion and potentially its first standalone retail presence. With 45 employees and a strong social media following, the brand has experienced rapid growth, with monthly revenues increasing tenfold since its last funding round three years ago.

The athleisure market is booming, projected to reach $880 billion in sales by 2033. TALA's women-led structure is statistically rare, as only 2% of VC funding in the UK goes to female-founded businesses. The investment from prominent shareholders highlights how influencer-driven brands are building consumer bases and attracting investors.

Nearly 40% of surveyed Americans demand transparency from AI influencers, according to a new report by The Influencer Marketing Factory. The survey found 79% of respondents are familiar with virtual influencers, with 53% following at least one. While curiosity and entertainment drive followings, lack of interest and skepticism prevent others from engaging. YouTube and TikTok are the preferred platforms.

Though virtual influencers effectively promote tech and gaming products, only 15% highly trust their recommendations. Importantly, 36% believe AI influencers should disclose their artificial nature, underscoring the need for transparency as this marketing tactic gains traction. Brands are advised to balance control with authentic human connections.

CreatorIQ, a creator marketing software provider, has appointed Chris Harrington as its new CEO. Harrington brings over 30 years of SaaS experience, including driving significant revenue growth at companies like Omniture and Domo.

His appointment comes as the creator economy's market nears $500 billion, with 72% of young Americans following creators and over half purchasing products from them. Industry leaders credit creators for brand success, calling creator marketing critical for all marketers. Harrington succeeds CreatorIQ's founder Igor Vaks, who transitions to a board role.

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LTK is positioning itself as a platform-agnostic solution to fend off rivals like YouTube and TikTok. Allison Yazdian, SVP of creator growth at LTK, argues that the company's greatest advantage is its ability to showcase a creator's entire lifestyle across multiple platforms, rather than being limited to a single ecosystem.

While tech giants like YouTube and TikTok are ramping up built-in shopping tools, LTK believes its comprehensive approach gives creators more flexibility and reach. The platform offers features such as customizable storefronts, shoppable posts, and cross-platform integration tools.

LTK, valued at $2 billion in 2021, is betting on creators' desire for a centralized hub for their product recommendations. As social media platforms continue to experiment with e-commerce features, LTK aims to remain a go-to destination for influencers and their followers in the creator economy.

Influencer marketing is thriving, with US marketer spending on sponsored social media content projected to surge 16% to $8 billion in 2024. Emmy Petit, a former marketer turned full-time influencer, is capitalizing on this boom as a midsize creator with over 100,000 followers across platforms. Despite having a smaller audience than mega influencers, Petit has already earned $210,000 this year by offering cross-platform content syndication.

Brands now prioritize partnering with midsize creators like Petit, who can achieve significant reach through consistent posting across Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. With improved content quality and direct audience engagement, these creators are earning between $3,000 to $5,000 per video, filling the sweet spot for brands seeking measurable returns on influencer marketing investments.