The space invites users that lack coding experience to create virtual realities

The brand is teaming up with NIL players to bring a modern edge to the game

UTA Next Gen's two-day event broke down Gen Z's values, consumptions habits and pain points.

How a global bike brand courts Olympians, creators and casual riders

This creator program allows talent to post content without the fear of copyright infringement

Here's this month's roundup of industry news

Founded by the former COO of Facebook, the foundation is using social platforms to give doomscrolling some direction

Creators like Zak Heath are introducing new narratives for men in beauty

This year’s programming covered YouTuber meet-and-greets, tips for aspiring creators and best practices in influencer marketing

As Pol talks disability inclusion on TikTok, brands like Hilton are backing her work

EA’s skateboarding game partners with Tim Robinson and creators to build release momentum

The partnership highlights the less glamorous side of a business boom

After investing in educational content, TikTok’s “friendship expert” approaches brands with creative control

Investing in local creators and live events, Cheesecake Factory’s North Italia looks to nurture community ties

The newfound meditation coach joins forces with Clorox brand Natural Vitality

As discovering dupes becomes a point of pride, here’s how marketers are chiming in

The brand is splitting this year’s conference into community, creator and industry tracks

For this growing market, considering every consumer touch point is key

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

The brand is promoting its Z8 camera by requesting personal narratives

Creators and advocates take to social platforms to share their frustrations

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

As younger audiences eye anti-aging products, creators and brands are trying a different approach

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

Marketers consider the impact of emerging tech on both creative output and staff fulfilment

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

Athletes look to diversify their digital presence while upholding fanbase engagement

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

The global brand is building its local presence to build distinction and loyalty

Why the company behind Hard Rock and Nobu Hotels still swears by the gifting model

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

As social platforms test new features, users consider their impact on accessibility and reach

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

Panelists stress that while Black creators drive online culture, they fall behind in opportunity

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

Here's this week's roundup of industry news

Industry execs talk creator partnerships as the key to invested audiences

While social platforms drive instant gratification, they’ve also peaked Gen Z's interest in longterm results.

As consumers rethink their consumption habits, marketers are giving talent the spotlight in new spaces.

How competitors are recruiting creators to burst Apple’s blue bubble

Coffee is coming home in 2024

In this edition, we explore Pinterest as the go-to platform for luxury brands, the disparity in pay between BIPOC and non-BIPOC creators, and the relationship between fans and creators. We also explore some influencer trends to look out for in 2024, and share a creator spotlight about an inspiring adventurous creator.

In this edition, we explore TikTok's current ad landscape, the ways the FTC is tightening regulations for creators in the nutrition space, and much more.

With the way the social media landscape constantly changes (we see you Threads and X), brands need a bit more predictability when working with creators that are on these platforms. In a recent conversation with Ashley Riske, #paid’s Head of Creator Partnerships, she shed light on the key aspects of working with creators and debunked several misconceptions associated with the process.

It's 2023, and everyone wants more. As a marketer, you know that a star-studded collaboration should yield more than a few viral Instagram posts. To open hearts (and wallets), you need a strategic approach. Enterprise companies know this to be true, and as such, they’re getting strategic with celebrity and influencer partnerships.

More emphasis on Twitter videos could potentially create a whole new space for Twitter creator marketing—and launch Twitter as a bona fide video platform on par with YouTube and TikTok. Here’s how.

What do Ryan Reynolds, Martini, Nestle, and McDonald’s have in common? They’ve all used the latest and greatest technology trends to create, support, or distribute campaigns.The technology? Artificial Intelligence (AI).

TikTok is the fastest-growing social media platform thus far, reaching the coveted one billion monthly active users just four years after its international release. (For context, it took Facebook nearly nine years and Instagram nearly eight years to hit that milestone.)

TikTok is the champion of entertainment marketing. This is mainly because TikTok viewers are clinging to short video content as a primary form of entertainment, especially in the face of inflation.

A modern digital campaign for a TV show comes with a familiar checklist. Using trending songs or sounds on TikTok? Check. Diced-together compilations of the show’s greatest moments? Check. Same old, same old? Check, check.Yet the biggest name in TV this year—HBO’s “The Last of Us”—is raising eyebrows because of what it didn’t do. Some of their best social media marketing has bucked the trends. Instead, they’re starting with a new premise:

Big brands come with big-time leverage. That’s an advantage with creator marketing, where large companies can throw hefty budgets at creators with plenty of followers. Take the History Channel, which launched a “Stay Curious” campaign with NeoReach. The result? A campaign with 12.2 million views, growing the History Channel’s TikTok account to 50,000 followers shortly after launch.

Tumblr, a social network with a unique microblogging platform, was unveiled by David Karp in 2007. For anyone who signed up, creating a distinctive space on Tumblr was (and still is) easy, thanks to the platform's user-friendly interface and customizable templates. 

Breaking news: an app with 1.22 billion active users ... is apparently dead.Okay, technically Instagram is still up and running. But there are many who don’t see Instagram as the app of the future. As The Atlantic notes, “everyone’s over Instagram.” 

It’s not always easy to be a woman in today’s creator economy. Sometimes, it can feel a bit…crowded. After all, there are over 200 million creators in the world today, and according to ConvertKit, nearly two-thirds of them are women. It’s easy to look around at all of the creators and believe that all of the “good” niches have been gobbled up by now. Of those creators who have already monetized their business, the numbers go up: about 77% are women. 

In recent weeks, the trending #deinfluencing hashtag garnered millions of views on TikTok. But what is deinfluencing, and do brands need to be worried about it?

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.

You’d be surprised. Influencer marketing isn’t always a strategy for borrowing name recognition from celebrities. Legacy brands have big budgets and decades of goodwill already working for them. 

According to Google SVP Prabhakar Raghavan, “something like almost 40% of young people, when they’re looking for a place for lunch, they don’t go to Google Maps or Search.” Instead, said Raghavan, they turn to “TikTok or Instagram.”

Before you decide if you agree to disagree with avoiding “ugly content” for your brand, we want to introduce you to a friend specializing in ad campaigns for ecommerce brands.

As more brands aim to gain attention from Gen Z consumers, cosmetic brands are branching out and finally tapping into the appeal and audience of male beauty creators.

The “5x rule” is a beloved stat, tracing its roots to sources at Bain Capital. But here’s the thing: the stat is…well, kind of old. We’re talking 2014. Possibly even earlier. 

Creator marketing can be a big investment for many eCommerce and DTC brands. It often begs the question, “is it worth it?” This new case study series will evaluate different campaigns to give you a better idea of just how successful creator marketing campaigns can be. Let’s kick off the series with an awesome campaign from Hyundai and Culture Brands.

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.

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.

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.It makes sense why authenticity resonates well with social media users—especially those actively searching for new products. People want to see how products help people who look like themselves and reflect a similar lifestyle.

A look at how creators are making the most of Amazon's influencer program

Black creators, despite their talent and often being the main drivers of social media trends, are often overlooked for partnership opportunities with brands. Naturally, this oversight has led to a gap in which Black creators have less access to paid opportunities or even visibility on social media and other creator platforms.

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.

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.

Combining niche marketing insights with powerful creators has been a boon to marketers. That’s why the creator economy reached over $100 billion in the middle of 2022. And now, 75% of marketers use it to one degree or another.

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. 

Since creator marketing is so successful in the DTC world, it follows that marketers would wonder if the B2B world also lends itself well to success with creator marketing.

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.

Regardless of whether or not fragrance advertising makes sense, they are successful in two notable factors:They get attention, and consumers talk about it. Plus, because celebrities are often the face of legacy perfumes, they offer consumers a point of reference when recalling a brand. It might be daunting for niche or indie brands to go head-to-head with an established brand. But there’s good news: consumers want products that fit their needs individually.

It is uncommon to find an AI-powered chat experience that is willing to negotiate with customers, and do so with ... well ... with some personality. That's exactly what Nibble provides. Rosier Bailey, Nibble's president and CEO, chatted with the DTC Growth Show about Nibble and its potential uses across eCommerce.

Influencer marketing has become a key part of many brands' marketing strategies over the past few years. With the rise of social media platforms and the ability for individuals to gain large followings, influencers have become a valuable tool for businesses looking to reach new audiences and promote their products or services. As we start 2023, it's important to stay up-to-date on the latest influencer trends to ensure that your brand is making the most of this marketing strategy.

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.

Content creators are worth their weight in gold when the relationship is authentic. And while you might get lucky reaching out to creators who are fans of the brand and willing to provide content for your different marketing channels, there’s a more effective way to get creators on board who will bring the excitement and authenticity you want (and need): getting them to opt-in.

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.

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.” 

Come launch time, brand and creator collaborations have a way of looking effortless. From product names to color palettes, it’s as if the brand and creator were made for each other. A look behind the scenes, however, shows that success is no accident.

Did you know that more than half of the world’s eCommerce transactions take place in China? Commerce trends largely have taken hold in Asia first and then slowly made their way west.

Well, TikTok is the “it girl,” right? And if there is anything an “it girl” knows, it’s trends. Brands that ride the wave of the TikTok trends get the most out of the platform and see positive results. Brands that don’t flounder in cyberspace.Lucky for you, I spend a healthy portion of my day researching TikTok trends, so you don’t have to. Here are the top 26 TikTok trends moving into 2023 from A to Z. (Let’s get cute about this…just like TikTok did.)

Since the pandemic, there seems to be a cultural shift in how the world views the overall idea of the full-time job. For many, there were water cooler chats, post-work team-building activities, meetings that really could have been an email, and many minutes spent commuting to and from the office. Now, time is more valuable than ever, and the desire to have a work-life balance, flexibility in schedule and environment, and the space to pursue creative passion projects outside of work is becoming more and more palatable.

China’s leading tech innovation is a top reason for its place as a global commerce leader. Many of the world’s most popular social media and commerce platforms started in China first and then moved westward.

This week, BANKNOTES caught up with Dr. Suhail Mohiuddin, who has built a growing dental franchise across the Chicago area, and is bringing in 25% of his new customers through TikTok referrals

While it might seem like pickleball is a come-and-go trend, more akin to cold bucket challenges and “is it real or cake?” videos, pickleball is a trend with staying power. In the world of viral hits and short-lived fads, that’s unique to both sports and TikTok.

TikTok is one of the most powerful tools to build a rapid audience online. Anyone who’s signed up has experienced the initial “boost” that comes with your first couple of posts. TikTok’s algorithm often sets you up for success, hoping to hook you to the platform.But what happens next? You start to find out how competitive TikTok can be. After all, we’re talking about the first non-Facebook app to reach 3 billion global downloads. That’s great news if you’re looking to build an audience. But it’s also a high bar if you’re trying to stand out and build an audience.

It’s not often you come across a dental office with a brand name. Usually, you’ll see “Dr. Mohiuddin Denistry,” “Queen Street Dentistry,” or “Chicago Dental.” There isn’t a lot of creativity, which was the first part of Dr. M’s plan to build a dental brand, not just another clinic. Hence the brand name, Dentologie.

This week we’ll dive into the cheat code for creating quality social media content that resonates with Gen Z (spoiler alert: it’s creators.)

As the eCommerce industry continues to grow, businesses are looking for ways to stay ahead of the competition. To do this, they need to employ the best eCommerce tactics. Here are some of the top eCommerce tactics that businesses should consider:

We asked ChatGPT to summarize the latest influencer marketing trends for BANKNOTES

If you want to reach these active Gen Z buyers, it’s essential to understand what messages resonate with them and what kind of content encourages their engagement. For Gen Z, that’s humorous and authentic content.

Sure, Black Friday saw an all-time high in eCommerce sales. But if you’ve been to any grocery, retail, or marketplace in the last year, you’ve likely felt the effects of inflation. Everything is more expensive right now. For example, prices for food increased by 10.4% in 2022 (the biggest increase since 1981), and energy prices have risen 41.6% over the last year (the largest since 1980).

Do brands lie? Of course they do! But you may be surprised how many brands used a deceptive and false email marketing tactic this past Black Friday weekend—and customers started to catch on.

Welcome to this week's BANKNOTES newsletter. We hope you enjoyed your holiday, and that this note finds its way through the clutter of endless sales emails. (No seriously the sale ends today!)Speaking of holiday shopping, this week we dive into how best for brands to gather user generated content that can be used across social media and other channels.

Well, social media is officially the new word of mouth. Social media allows consumers to share your brand, and it helps you connect with consumers, build trust, and develop a community. And, now there’s a way you can leverage the power of digital word of mouth marketing to also produce more impactful content at a reduced cost. Enter user generated content (UGC).

Fact: Everyone likes to wear hoodies. Fact: Everyone wore hoodies during the pandemic. Fact: We all love expressing ourselves in different ways. Fact: Everyone can do with a little positivity in their day-to-day lives. Combine all these attributes, put them into a wishing well, and what do you get? An optimistic brand that sells positivity-focused clothing, writes Monday motivation quotes, and sells really bright and happy hoodies.

Think back to the first time you decided to take your creator career seriously. You face a sea of decisions that can feel paralyzing. It’s no surprise then that one question keeps getting brought up when I talk to creators: How do you break through in a sea of distractions, choices and competition?