Your Weekly Influencer Marketing Update 🚀
30.11.2020 / #56
☀️ Happy Monday! ☀️
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🤿 This week’s Deep Dives🤿
🤔 The Pandemic Didn’t Kill Influencer Marketing After All
For those of you who were worried; it appears that the pandemic has not in fact “killed” influencer marketing. Morning Brew had a short piece on the topic this week that we wanted to share.
Visible’s (owned by Verizon, USA) “Unlimited Eyebrowsing” campaign featuring celebrity Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek) got people talking about the brand this week. This in turn reminded the author of Morning Brew of Hype Auditor’s influencer marketing survey that was published last month.
Influencer Side66% of influencers reported feeling more pressure to create content in the current climate.
64% experienced feeling this way due to the thought that more influencers have “popped up” since the pandemic started.
Brand Side69% of agencies have reported that they have more influencers to choose from since the pandemic started.
62% noted that sales increased when they opted to collaborate with influencers vs traditional online advertising campaigns.
The article concludes that whether it’s fresh talent on TikTok or celebrities, advertisers have more creators to choose from, and more of an incentive to tap into influencer marketing as social media usage has increased during the pandemic.
They’ve also added that “lesser known” talent may be the way to go, as 50% of agencies surveyed by Hype Auditor said that the “best” influencers on Instagram have between 5,000 and 20,000 followers.
💡 Our Opinion
I think it has to be said: a Dan & Eugene Levy combo would have made so much more sense in relation to iconic eyebrows.
Regardless (and more on topic) there’s some interesting data in the Hype Auditor survey that shows that as most industries have slowed down, the influencer space seems to have become more crowded on the creator side. More creators are now competing for a largely unchanged amount of advertising dollars (the majority of those that have increased their budgets have only done so by <10%). We’re very curious to see how/whether this will affect influencer activations going into the Christmas period and into 2021.
💅🏼 E.l.f. Cosmetics taps into overlooked gamer market with Twitch star Loserfruit
e.l.f cosmetics has partnered with Kathleen Belsten (also known as Loserfruit / Lufu) to firm up its position among Gen Z gamers
A social survey conducted by the cosmetics company revealed that 70% of its follower play video games + 65% enjoy watching streams that feature gaming content. Lufu has the second largest audience for a female gamer on Twitch.
The idea is to launch the e.l.f U (university) that focuses on supporting female gamers in a male-dominated gaming landscape.
"Just as we jumped into the world of TikTok with original messaging and engagement with Gen Z, we are proud to be one of the first cosmetic and skincare companies to establish a unique presence on Twitch," Kory Marchisotto, chief marketing officer at E.l.f. Beauty, said in a statement. "We are excited that our presence on Twitch is designed to uplift, empower, and grow a community of beauty enthusiasts.
💡 Our Opinion
By now, I think it’s fairly safe to conclude that e.l.f cosmetics can be considered one of the leading examples for brands when it comes to utilising emerging platforms.
First their focus was on TikTok, and their presence has successfully caught Gen Z’s eye, with the #eyeslipsface hashtag racking up an incredible 6.7 billion views (case study)
Now it seems, they are slowly shifting towards Twitch in a clever move to appeal to a specific audience segment on the platform. The idea of supporting female gamers within a male-dominated landscape could resonate well, and the fact that it’s done based on survey data is even more impressive. We’re incredibly excited to see where this will go.
📰 Headlines
Apple enlists influencers to promote iPhone 12 mini on TikTok
“Apple is now using its previously dormant TikTok account and recruiting popular influencers on the platform to promote the iPhone 12 mini.
The new marketing campaign comes about seven months after Apple first established its verified account in April. Until now, the TikTok account has remained unused.
In November, Apple published four video clips featuring TikTok influencers Jessica Wang, Kevin B Parry, Zach King, and Julian Bass.”
The rise of Instagram shopping, reels and guides
“Instagram is going in a brand-new direction, and one that is totally different from any other social media platform around.
Brands and influencers are always looking for new ways to collaborate together or seeking fresh ways to promote an influencer marketing campaign, and Instagram is continuing to shape new trends with the industry, providing just that.”
The Life and Death of the Instagram Influencer Who Never Was
“Instagram is full of wannabes, but there was only one Sylvia. Describing herself as a “coffee-operated robot living her best life,” Sylvia was born in May 2020, made her online debut on July 4 at the age of 30, and passed away last week at the grand old age of 80.”
ByteDance gets another extension from US government for TikTok sal
“The Trump administration has once again extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell video sharing platform TikTok’s business in the US, Reuters reported. The Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) has given China-based ByteDance until December 4th to either sell or spin out its US business, according to a court filing. CFIUS reportedly granted the extension “to allow time to review a revised submission” that it recently received.”
Once Again, AOC Utilizes The Power Of ‘Among Us’ On Twitch
“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York once again invited viewers to watch her play Among Us on Twitch, accompanied by popular streamers and YouTubers, including HasanAbi, Jacksepticeye, TSM Myth, Contrapoints, and progressive Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh, using the stream to raise a whopping $200,000 for charities.”