Creator and influencer trends brand marketers need to know about right now

Welcome to Ad Age’s influencer marketing news roundup. Each week, we’ll be highlighting the latest developments at the intersection between brands and the creator economy, including new partnerships between brands and creators, notable new features across social media platforms and the growth of creator-led businesses. Have tips or news to share about influencer marketing and the creator economy? Email Gillian Follett at gillian.follett@adage.com. New deals Anna Sitar and Pizza Hut: Pizza Hut’s influencer partnership with TikTok star Anna Sitar doubles as an effort to get in on the “girl math” TikTok trend, the hashtag for which currently sits at 1 billion views. In a video produced by RQ Agency, Sitar offers a series of increasingly nonsensical justifications for ordering off of Pizza Hut’s new menu where consumers can buy two items for $7 each. “Ordering in means not doing the dishes tonight, saving time. Time is money. Girl math,” she says in the video. More: Pizza Hut jumps on girl math trend with Anna Sitar campaign Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs RxCKSTxR and PetMeds: Ever wondered what your pet would say if they could respond to your baby talk or scolding? That’s the foundation of online pet pharmacy PetMeds’ TikTok campaign with voice over artist and creator RxCKSTxR, whose real name is Bobby Johnson. The campaign leans into Johnson’s ongoing video series in which he dubs over comedic videos of animals and pets, inviting TikTok and Instagram users to submit their own pet videos to Johnson for a chance to have them voiced over by the creator. The weekly social media contest has been running since Sept. 1. View this post on Instagram A post shared by RxCKSTxR (@therxckstxr) Google Pixel and Druski: Google is continuing its multi-year partnership with comedian and actor Drew Desbordes, better known as Druski, with a TV, digital and social campaign that will run throughout the NBA season. The campaign, from Robot Agency, documents Druski’s efforts to join the professional basketball league—of which Google’s Pixel smartphone is a sponsor—in multiple roles, including a player, photographer and commentator. More news: Google Pixel puts creators at forefront of its marketing View this post on Instagram A post shared by DRUSKI (@druski) Social media screenshot TikTok tests 15-minute videos: Though TikTok is best known for popularizing short-form video on social media, the platform is increasingly expanding into long-form content as well. A screenshot from social media consultant Matt Navarra revealed TikTok is testing 15-minute long videos among select users, up from the 10-minute maximum that the platform introduced in February 2022. It’s a massive jump from the original 15-second cap on TikTok videos. Post by @mattnavarra View on Threads Twitch allows for streaming on other platforms: Livestreaming platform Twitch announced a slew of new updates at its semi-annual TwitchCon event last weekend—most notably, an end to its ban on creators simulcasting on other livestreaming platforms, including TikTok and Instagram, while using Twitch. The policy reversal comes as a number of prominent Twitch streamers have left the platform for rival streaming sites such as Kick. We’ve announced that you can simulcast on ANY live streaming service! Check out our new guidelines and FAQ here: https://t.co/TBjulaqshY#TwitchConVegas 💜 pic.twitter.com/dE4XJEtdAw— Twitch (@Twitch) October 20, 2023 Instagram tests a verified-only feed: Like TikTok, Instagram seems to be pivoting its established formula with the pilot of a new feed containing only content from creators and brands who are part of the “Meta Verified” paid subscription service, as shown in a screenshot from Lindsey Gamble, associate director of influencer innovation at influencer marketing platform Mavrck. This feature, coupled with the platform’s ongoing plans to begin charging European Instagrammers $14 for an ad-free subscription to the platform, would make the platform increasingly pay-to-play for many users. 🚨NEW🚨 Instagram is testing the ability for users to sort their feed by Meta Verified, in addition to current options in the Following and Favorites feed.This option would allow you to see only posts and Reels by verified creators and brands. pic.twitter.com/9Ztg4PoHO0— Lindsey Gamble (@LindseyGamble_) October 23, 2023 Creating businesses John Shahidi breaks into retail: Shahidi, president and co-founder of the Shots Podcast Network and part of the Nelk Boys YouTube channel, entered the beverage space back in 2021 with the launch of his Happy Dad Hard Seltzer brand. Now, the brand is available at Walmart. It’s part of a larger push among creator-led brands to expand from digital storefronts to retail locations—Emma Chamberlain’s Chamberlain Coffee is now sold at Target, and MrBeast’s Feastables chocolate brand is available at both Walmart and Target. Rolling out @happydad at all @Walmart locations that sell alcohol. Congrats to our entire team. 🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/2KLoC1AALK— John Shahidi (@john) October 13, 2023 Ad Age World’s Largest Advertisers 2023 Ad spending, rankings and analysis for the top 100 advertisers Click here TikTok of the week @herpaperroute Crazy pesto story! Susi stich. #susipesto #susistitch #susistory #crazypesto #crazystory #storytime #bartenderstories #storeboughtpesto #homemadepesto ♬ original sound - Chelsea | HerPaperRoute When cooking creator Susi Vidal shared a recipe for homemade pesto in a TikTok video last month, she likely never envisioned the video becoming a springboard for people to describe their wildest life experiences. But over the past week, TikTokers have been stitching Vidal’s video and using its opening line of, “Call me crazy if you want, but I never liked store-bought pesto,” to share their own much crazier stories. My personal favorite, above, comes from a bartender who talks about how she accidentally helped a customer realize he had an illegitimate daughter. But I’ve honestly been glued to my screen for nearly every one of these videos I’ve come across. Threadspotting Post by @mosseri View on Threads During Meta’s third-quarter conference call yesterday, CEO Mark Zuckerberg revealed Threads currently has just under 100 million monthly active users. For context, Elon Musk announced in July that monthly active users of Threads’ rival platform X, formerly Twitter, had hit a “new high” of 541 million. Follow us on social media X Bluesky Instagram LinkedIn YouTube

Creator and influencer trends brand marketers need to know about right now

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