Inside the Creator Economy

The Content Trends & Tactics We’ve Seen on Social Media in 2022

Creating engaging social media content comes down to more than just viral dance trends or repurposing popular memes. Instead you need to strike a tricky balance between the content different platforms’ algorithms are prioritising, the messages you need to communicate, and the material your audience actually wants to see.

And just when you think you’ve got it sussed, it can all change on a dime.

So we’re taking a look at the lay of the land in 2022 to try to help brands work out what different content will help them shine on different platforms, and how they can make that work for them. 

We’re covering:

• What Instagram’s shift to video-first tells us about the future of social content
• Whether Facebook still fits into the modern SoMe mix
• And how you can adapt your strategy to different platforms

Influencer Marketing and AI; The Perfect Match?

In a marketplace as crowded as the fashion sector, you need every campaign to land. So while catchy copy and compelling graphics might be the things that your audience remembers, it should be data that tells you what copy will work, which graphics will fit, and even who your audience will be.

And influencer marketing should be no exception. Data-driven influencer marketing can make sure your activations get seen in the right place and by the right people; it can redirect your campaigns to maximise your results; and it can take your strategy to the next level.

To hear how influencer marketing, machine learning and AI can be the perfect match, we invited our in-house Data Scientist Bernard Rosencrantz to the podcast studio.

Tune in to find out: 

• What AI is and how it’s used in influencer marketing 
• What AI features make the must-have list for fashion brands 
• The advantages AI can offer for influencer marketing campaigns

L’Oreal GM on How Beauty Can Build Inclusivity

L’Oreal is on a mission to ‘create the beauty that moves the world’.

With 36 global brands and four different divisions, most, if not all of us, will have enjoyed a L’Oreal product at some point. From high street beauty faves to luxury fragrances and salon-level hair products, the L’Oreal family encompasses a staggeringly wide range of products with something to suit everyone. And it's this inclusiveness that drives their wider marketing and business goals.

As inclusivity and diversity become critical purchasing motivators for consumers as well as ethical musts for brands, we turned to L’Oreal to discover how a world-leading beauty brand is incorporating these values into their strategy. 

To hear how L’Oreal has reinterpreted the traditionally exclusionary beauty industry into something broader (and more beautiful for it), we spoke to Erica Culpepper, General Manager for Multi-Cultural Beauty at L’Oréal. All together, Erica has an impressive 20 years of experience in the beauty industry, experience that has taken her to some of the biggest and most iconic brands in the industry. In this episode, you’ll learn from Erica how beauty and fashion brands can build a more inclusive future - and why they must. 

Tune in to find out: 

• L’Oreal’s approach to diversity and inclusivity in influencer marketing
• What actions beauty brands should commit to to build a more representative industry
• How L’Oreal adjusts their marketing to respond to consumer demands 

 

The State of Influencer Marketing 2022: The Marketer’s Edition

Earlier this spring we surveyed over 200 marketing decision-makers and 1,000 consumers to find out what influencer marketing really looks like in 2022…and whether it’s what your audiences actually want.

Long story short: not always.

Throughout our research we found clear evidence that brands and marketers aren’t always in sync with their target audience, employing tactics that run contrary to what consumers want. 

But it’s not all bad news! In some areas, marketers were adopting savvy influencer marketing strategies to foster preference within their target audience and nurture their relationships online. 

So where are they getting it right and where are they going wrong?

Tune in to find out…

• Just how many brands feel confident in their grasp on Gen Z
• Why many brands need to reassess how they approach influencer content
• What influencer marketing budgets will look over the year to come

3 Regional Experts on Localising Your Influencer Marketing

As with any other industry or channel, influencer marketing manifests differently around the world. Cultural nuances or behaviors can vary wildly between markets, and your influencer marketing has to bend with them in order to be effective and avoid committing any cultural faux pas.

To help you get it right, we invited not one, but three of our colleagues from across our offices to join us for this multinational masterclass. Experts in three different markets, these influencer marketing pros are ready to share the trade secrets behind what it takes to run successful influencer marketing in the Nordics, Germany and the UK. Tune in to learn what these different markets have in common, and what makes them very, very different.

We’ll be discussing:

• The social media trends and formats popular in each market 
• Why authenticity matters more than ever  
• How market maturity impacts how brands approach influencer marketing

 

Keeping up with 1,008 Shoppers on Social Media - Here’s What We Found

Consumer preferences are a moving target - you really have to work to make sure you’re staying up to date with the latest developments from them. And that’s particularly true for shoppers in the Gen Z and millennial age groups.

We know keeping up with consumers isn’t easy, so Cure Media decided to survey over 1,000 consumers across the UK, focusing on the behaviours and attitudes of Gen Z and millennials to better understand how these groups engage with and relate to social media, and more specifically, influencer marketing. 

We’ll be discussing:

• Purchase motivators in the modern marketplace
• Most popular social media platforms among Millennials and Gen Z 
• How millennials and Gen Z perceive influencer marketing

Winning Over Gen Z: Taco Bell’s Secret Sauce

With a popular wedding package and a fan list that includes the likes of Doja Cat and Lil Nas X, Taco Bell is a name beloved of all generations but unlike many longstanding brands, they’ve found particular success with the Gen Z-ers. So we wanted to know their secret…

Riding on the high of the return of the Mexican pizza, we spoke to Matt Prince, Senior Manager of Public Relations and Brand Experience at Taco Bell, about how this fast food brand keeps whipping up a social media frenzy for all the right reasons.

We’ll be discussing:

• Why Gen Z are such a powerful audience
• How to cultivate cult loyalty for your brand
• And where user-generated content should factor into your marketing

Influencer Marketing: A Branding or Performance Channel?

A lot has happened with influencer marketing over the last few years. Not only has the industry gained bigger budgets and more respect from marketers, but time has also developed the way in which we work within the channel. 

In this episode, we’re talking to Emma Lundsten, Head of Operations & Client Success at Cure Media, about the two approaches to influencer marketing that set marketers and brands apart, all to answer the ultimate question: is influencer marketing a branding or performance channel? We’ll also cover what challenges and opportunities each approach comes with as well as why brands and marketers need to avoid focusing on last-click. 

We’re talking:

• How brands are using influencer marketing for branding vs performance purposes 
• Which approach is the future of influencer marketing and why 
• Why marketers need to have a holistic view of influencer marketing

Influencer Marketing Success: The Zalando Perspective

Influencer marketing has changed dramatically since the early days of bloggers and YouTube stars. As calls for diversity and representation increase across channels and mediums, the cookie-cutter image of an influencer is giving way to something broader and more reflective of the world we live in. 

Speaking to Natalie Wills, Global Director of Marketing at Zalando, we’re taking a pragmatic look at the challenges brands face in the channel, especially as its scope increases, as well as unpacking some of the biggest issues in the industry right now.

We’re talking:

• How brands can avoid bandwagoning
• What Zalando are doing to ensure fair pay for creators 
• The consumer backlash against influencers

Age Inclusion: Is Fashion Missing a Valuable Market?

In a more progressive marketplace, much valuable discourse is being had around the right to and necessity of broader representation in fashion and its marketing.

So why are so many brands still skipping over models, influencers and even consumers who happen to be 40 or above?

Speaking to fashion stylist and trend-setting influencer Anna Cascarina, Influencer Marketing Talks is unpacking what age inclusion needs to look like for fashion brands, and why it needs to happen now. 

Hear about:

• The role influencers can play in broadening brand appeal to 40+ consumers
• How this age bracket compares to their Gen Z counterparts
• What’s holding fashion brands back from being more age-inclusive