ICYMI: Alix Earle's Scholarship Is a Win for the Creator Economy

[Via University of Miami]

Thanks for helping me pass 10,000 newsletter subscribers this week! It took two years to hit 5,000 subscribers and then only six months to get to 10.5K. Next Friday I’ll write a recap about how I grew this newsletter, key milestones, lessons learned, and the ways it’s similar to growing an audience on social. 

Congratulations to Ritamarie Pepe and Demi Henderson who won the Influencer Marketing Factory VidCon swag bags!

⏰ 1-SECOND SUMMARY

• Alix Earle, McDonalds and Barbie are having the best week ever 

• Shein’s influencer trip marks a complicated turning point in brand-sponsored vacations

• TikTok expands its top secret Creative Challenge program to more creators 

• Instagram’s new text app gets pushed to July 

 💻 ROADMAP

📲 TikTok Updates:

• TikTok is discontinuing its BeReal clone TikTok Now.

• TikTok’s establishing a youth council of teens who will provide feedback on safety tools for the company.

• TikTok’s added a new perk to LIVE Subscriptions. The company just introduced Subscriber-Only Videos that encourage more community interactions beyond the LIVE room, enabling subscribers to like, comment, and reply to one another. 

• TikTok announced its Creative Challenge beta program this week — which looks a lot like the sneak peek I ran back in April! The program pairs creators with brands looking for UGC content to run as ads The new in-app feature allows creators to submit video ads in response to brand briefs and receive payment based on performance. While I don’t have any details around the new compensation model, it was super lucrative when the program secretly launched earlier this year. TikTok Creative Challenge is currently available in beta to all eligible US creators and select advertisers. 

📲 Meta Updates:

• Instagram’s new text app launch date has reportedly been pushed to mid July.

• Meta Verified is rolling out to Latin America this week and is expected to be available in all regions soon. Details  

📲 LinkedIn Updates:

• LinkedIn’s testing a way for users to use generative AI to produce a post based on a 30-word outline. 

• Creators can earn a Community Top Voice badge when members find them to be one of the most noteworthy contributors to collaborative articles for a particular skill.

📲 Shopify Update:

• Shopify just updated their creator Collabs Network. A new search feature lets influencers find products and brands more easily and generate immediate commission links. And there’s no more approvals waiting time for pre-approved creators and brands.

👆🏻 CLICK THRU

🎓Alix Earle Establishes a University of Miami Scholarship for Business Students

Marketers, if you’re looking for inspiration for your next campaign take a page from TikTok creator and 2023 It Girl Alix Earle.

Cause-based campaigns that create a long tail impact for your audience are one of my favorite 2023 influencer marketing trends.

In this case, the impact is all Earle’s. She just announced she’s establishing a scholarship to the University of Miami Herbert Business School to empower other students.

If you watched Earle the past couple of years, it’s a mystery how she made it to class between all the creator opportunities. But she did and now credits her time at UM for where she is today.

“There is no limit on what you can accomplish as long as you believe in yourself. I had professors, friends, and family believe in me, and now it’s my turn to help another student live out their dreams.”

The emphasis on education, business savvy and giving back are the kind of stories that benefit the industry overall! 

Scholarship applications: here. 

‼️ Shein sent American influencers to China. Social media users are furious

Fast fashion company Shein took a group of influencers to their Innovation Center in Guangzhou, China, and the Internet is in an uproar.

What Happened: The six influencers who visited the pristine factory in China are being labeled propaganda tools in an attempt to sanitize Shein’s image in the public eye. Shein has previously been accused of labor abuses and contributing to the climate crisis. Predictably, the influencers’ videos made the company look more like an haute couture atelier than a fast-fashion sweatshop.

So why is this different: There are plenty of influencers endorsing questionable products for companies accused of labor and environmental violations. What makes this trip different is the intent of the campaign. There’s a big difference between an influencer who endorses a single product versus being used to vouch for the corporate reputation of a $64 billion business. The influencers either failed to grasp the nuance or chose to ignore it.

People have also pointed out that Shein chose underrepresented influencers for the trip. Because BIPOC and plus size creators are not afforded the same opportunities as others, the company may have targeted creators it felt would be more receptive to their message and provide positive coverage of the four-day, first-class trip.

A big concern: The credibility of the influencers in question is going to take a hit. Without a doubt. But there are two other major concerns we’re not talking about enough:

1. The media and the influencer marketing industry are expressing concern. But it’s a small bubble. Shein consistently ranks at the top of teens shopping lists and generated $23 billion in revenue in 2022. The industry may not like it, but the message is not getting through to teens.

2. If the trip is effective in convincing its intended audience — young consumers, not industry peers —  it’s possible that we see Shein and other companies tap into influencer endorsements for corporate reputation versus company products. As I discussed with the CBC in this piece on how Shein’s influencer trip marks a turning point in the brand-sponsored vacation trend, online backlash means nothing if people are still spending money.

🌟 McDonalds and Barbie Are Having the Best Week Ever 

A couple of brands are having a very good week on social, intentionally or not.

McDonalds got lucky with the Grimace Shake taking over TikTok. Gen Z is the driving force behind this user generated meme where every video ends in a violent purple death. But it’s actually TikTok granny, Lynja, who has one of the most popular Grimace Shake videos with 23.5M views and 4.6M likes — if you’re a food creator, entertainer or even an artist with a sense of humor, this is one to jump on. 

I incorrectly predicted McDonalds wouldn’t touch this NSFW meme in an interview with Ad Age because it’s not remotely brand safe but glad to see the team is having some fun with it. It’s hard to manipulate this level of virality as a brand but it is a good opportunity to have internal discussions around how you’d react in similar circumstances. Where do you draw the line on amplifying or engaging with runaway UGC?    

Meanwhile, Barbie’s marketing team is absolutely crushing it in the lead up to the Barbie Movie launch July 21st with their mix of experiential activations and licensing collaborations. Moshe Isaacian even tried to track as many as he could find in this Twitter thread — dibs on the lunchbox if anyone wants to send me one? 

I’m not going to pretend there are a lot of transferable marketing takeaways on this one… beyond maybe an enviable and instantly recognizable brand aesthetic. To borrow from marketer Annie-Mai Hodge, you too can run a blockbuster campaign if you:

• have a beloved 60+ year legacy 

• have a Hollywood budget and leadership buy-in 

• have A-list stars you can leverage in your promos 

🎙️Podcasters are increasingly leaning into video for its social reach and revenue possibilities

Anyone launching a podcast today is likely to think beyond just audio. A Morning Consult survey shows 46% of podcast listeners said they prefer consuming them with video.

But there’s a backlash brewing toward the podcast video trend.

“Those who make narrative content that requires editing, sound design, or on-field reporting, or those who don't have the skills or budget to invest in splashy studios and video editing, may find themselves left behind,” writes Marta Biino. 

The video push is strong but if you’re a social media manager or creator who struggles to incorporate it, it may not be worth it. "It's sucking money out of my budget that hasn't shown me that it's worth it," creator Kristen Bousquet told Biino.

😳 “I’m not a groomer, just a loser”

Picking up a ukulele might be appropriate for many scenarios. As part of a musical number denying predatory behavior toward teenagers, that’s a hard pass. Colleen Ballinger’s non-apology might be a new low in creator videos.    

📣 QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“Remember that your subscribers want you to be successful. I think especially when creators are just getting started monetizing, we can feel pressure to deliver, and a constant concern of ‘am I doing enough?’ But subscribers are choosing to be there because they want to be there and they want you to succeed. Realizing this has freed up a lot of that anxiety and helped me develop something that is authentic, and that I can continue to do for subscribers.”

-Your subscribers want you to win, explained Aliza Kelly, astrologer and author of The Curiosity Report Substack (launched June 26!) on Instagram’s Creator acccount. 

Not sure who needed to hear this today. But it struck a chord. Whether you’re posting to social, hosting a community chat, stepping up on stage to speak or leading a webinar…remember that you’re starting from a strong place where people want to see you succeed.

📖 ON YOUR RADAR

• Walmart And Adobe Pay The Most For Social Posts, Creators And Influencers Reveal -AdAge

• A new type of creator is taking over Snapchat: Posting hundreds of times a day, and raking in cash -Insider

• What Does Gen Z Want From Brands? -Snapchat

• TikTok’s Fickle Algorithm Is Leading to Burnout for Content Creators -Bloomberg

• TikTok is opening its own online U.S. store -Semafor

• The company teaching influencers how to get rich without going viral -Rest of the World

• Gen Z may love luxury dupes, but can they really replace the real thing? -Retail Brew

• BuzzFeed expands creator network to produce more content while keeping fixed costs down -Digiday

• We've reached peak tech bro, with billionaires suggesting cage fights and bench-press contests -Business Insider

• Efforts to label AI content in influencer marketing are gaining steam, but industry insiders warn regulation will face hurdles -Insider

Thanks for reading! Please consider sharing with any friends or coworkers you think might enjoy it! And if you’re in the U.S., enjoy the long weekend.

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