TAKUMI TRENDS LETTER #23 📈
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If you’re looking for the inside scoop on influencer marketing 📱, social media updates ⚙️, creator culture 🤳, and Gen Z insights 📈, then look no further. TAKUMI’s insights team is curating the most impactful industry news and weekly developments right here 👇.
Pinterest Announces 'Pinterest TV' Shoppable Live-Stream Series | 1st Nov 2021
“The new series of shopping-focused live-streams, beginning on November 8th, will give Pinners the opportunity to take up exclusive deals in the app, via engaging, immediate live-stream broadcasts.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Pinterest has been at the forefront of the eCommerce landscape for some time, but its latest initiative 'Pinterest TV' leans even further into the interactive online shopping experience that is becoming increasingly popular with social platforms. Pinterest TV is a series of live, shoppable episodes that users can save and watch on-demand, or tune in and interact with hosts in live Q+A's, thus cultivating an immersive experience for Pinners and potential shoppers. Live-shopping initiatives such as Pinterest TV open up a swathe of potential monetisation opportunities for brands and creators but, more importantly, they are hugely effective for driving product discovery and transforming the online shopping experience for consumers.
TikTok is Testing a New Tipping Feature for Some Creators | 29th October 2021
“According to a video of the tips feature shared this week by TikTok creator Jera Bean, who noticed the feature in-app and applied for approval, any money tipped to creators will go directly to that individual (meaning TikTok won’t take a cut).”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: TikTok is currently testing its own virtual tip jar tool, following in the footsteps of Twitter and Twitch. The feature is only being offered to a few creators on a limited basis for the time being, but could be a game-changer for those on the platform that rely, at least partially, on content creation as a source of income 💰. Not to mention, self-monetisation features such as this have huge appeal for creators, encouraging them to stay active on one platform over another 📈. This of course is TikTok's game plan here; to incentivise creators to produce the videos and trends that keep users engaged. Ultimately, wherever creators are sharing their content is where you'll find the most engaged audiences, which should compel brands to stay ahead of the competition and incorporate TikTok into their marketing strategies and ad budget.
Snap, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube Lose Nearly $10bn After iPhone Privacy Changes | 31st Oct 2021
‘‘Lotame, an advertising technology company whose clients include The Weather Company and McClatchy, estimated that the four tech platforms lost 12 per cent of revenue in the third and fourth quarters, or $9.85bn.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Apple's privacy update earlier this year has had a huge impact on advertisers and major social platforms. 🔒 The update meant that apps had to request permission from iPhone users, to use their data for things such as personalised ads. While the update hit Facebook the worst, "for Twitter, ad sales rose 41 per cent last quarter. The company said it was less affected by Apple’s policies because its ads rely more on context and branding than on tracking consumers’ mobile habits". One way that advertisers can reroute their marketing spend and rely less heavily on personal data is to invest in influencer marketing 💸, since creator-led campaigns do not involve targeting ads by tracking users' behaviours. Instead, they target audiences organically through tailored campaigns that leverage a creator's niche, and their well-established, engaged audiences, across multiple channels. This allows brands to reach their key demographics and potential consumers right where they spend most of their time, through creators whom they trust and already engage with 🙌.
Instagram Launches 'Add Yours' Sticker to Facilitate More Engagement in Stories | 1st Nov 2021
‘‘Now, users can add the new ‘Add Yours’ sticker to their Stories frame, with the example using an ‘outfit of the day’ prompt, calling for followers to respond with their own #OOTD image.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Once again, Facebook is clawing to stay relevant with younger demographics by taking inspiration from TikTok; in this case, it's the Duet feature that's being closely imitated. 📸 Instagram's 'Add Yours' sticker, now available to all users globally, can be added to Stories to prompt others to respond with their own take on the Story. Responders are added to a profile listing on the Add Yours sticker, which lets users see a chain of other responses to the Stories. It's clear this kind of interactive engagement works, because it’s already seen such success on TikTok; short-form video was a proven hit when Reels emerged on Instagram. Nevertheless, for brands and creators, the sticker can be used as another outlet for sparking trends and boosting engagement with audiences. Beauty or food brands, for example, could use the sticker to drum up chatter about their products, calling on users to share their makeup looks or how they use a particular ingredient in a recipe 👏🏻.
Black Friday: How Influencers Can Help your Brand this Holiday Season | 29th Nov 2021
‘‘Last year, online shopping on Black Friday accounted for 4.8% of total holiday season sales, with spending set to hit $10.96 billion in the US this year. Unsurprisingly, Cyber Monday sales were unprecedented in 2020 and marked the biggest day for eCommerce in US history.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: With less than a month to go until Black Friday, brands are gearing up for retail's busiest season. More people than ever will be spending online, but drawing them to the right places will be the biggest challenge 🤯. There are plenty of ways that brands can use creators to build noise-cutting, stand-out campaigns, and our latest blog piece has everything you need to know 📑.
‘‘It may well be that by sharing one-on-one interviews and discussions within the app, that could open up new possibilities to reach a larger audience with such, and maximize response to your Facebook posts and discussions.”
TAKEAWAY 🔥: Facebook is taking a leaf out of Twitter's book with its testing of Spotlight Conversations, a new feature which will enable users to invite specific users to respond to their post, with the contribution appearing in a dedicated 'Spotlight' section of the comments. 🗣 The aim is to streamline chat threads on the app, opening up the possibilities for 'Q and A, celebrity interviews, product info sessions, etc', and invite specific people we want to hear from to comment. It will be interesting to see the possibilities that could unfold for creators and brands, especially with regard to Q&A’s and product discovery. Opening up conversations is what social media is all about, but Facebook may have to be careful to monitor the spread of misinformation that could arise from certain groups within the app 👀.
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