We recently discussed whether or not consumers want brands to make social statements with our sister publication, The Hustle. The main consensus is instead of making broad social media statements, consumers want brands to make tangible changes to improve broader communities. Nike and Dove are doing just that with their recent partnership which is incredibly on-brand and has the potential to make a positive impact. Last month, Nike and Dove announced a new initiative called Body Confident Sport — a package of coaching tools and resources to build body confidence among 11 to 17-year-old girls through participation in sports. The […]

World events and economic conditions impact how each generation behaves as consumers and business owners. A decade ago, millennial consumers were constantly making headlines for “killing” certain products. From a business standpoint, millennial entrepreneurs in the 2010s saw notable success marked by increased access to venture capital and early adoption of social media to acquire customers. Now, as interest rates are higher, venture capital funds are harder to come by, and privacy laws have made paid customer acquisition on social media more challenging, Gen Z entrepreneurs are following a different playbook when it comes to building their businesses. Per The […]

When it comes to social justice, what role do brands play? As conflict around the globe continues, marketers are put in a challenging position when it comes to making brand statements. It’s nearly impossible to make a perfectly neutral statement that will satisfy all points of view, which is what many brands try to do in an effort to avoid alienating potential customers. Interestingly enough, consumer preferences on how involved brands should be in social justice movements are evolving in real time as world events unfold. In 2021, 54% of American consumers expressed companies should take a stance on social […]

She looks like Kendall Jenner and sounds like Kendall Jenner, but is introducing herself on Instagram as Billie. Who is she? Billie is an AI-powered bot managed by Meta using Jenner’s likeness. Meta has rolled out a group of bots played by familiar celebrity faces including Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, and Snoop Dogg. Image Source Each bot has its own niche, specializing in specific topics for conversation. Tom Brady’s character Bru is a sports debater, primed for discourse with sports fans. Snoop Dogg’s character is a dungeon master, ready for conversations with fans of Dungeons and Dragons. Jenner’s character Billie […]

Taylor Swift is one of the biggest stars in music with an incredibly engaged fan base. Over the years the singer has generated as much interest in her personal life as she has in her music, and her most recent relationship is no exception. News recently broke that Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been photographed attending some of Kelce’s games in his suite with family and friends, and the NFL immediately jumped on the opportunity to use her appearances as marketing moments. How the NFL Used Taylor Swift in Its Marketing The NFL […]

Success in the media space is a moving target. While prior media conglomerates focused heavily on amassing large audiences and monetizing through advertising, emerging media brands are finding success by creating their own lifestyle brands to generate growth and engagement. Media Companies That Are Spinning Success Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine is rewriting the playbook for how production companies can rise to the top. Hello Sunshine first started generating popularity with audiences through a modern book club model, reminiscent of Oprah’s book picks in the 90s. Witherspoon started a book club in 2017 offering a monthly book recommendation to her fans. […]

Celebrity brand partnerships are evolving beyond endorsements and #sponcon. A growing number of brands are finding new ways to work with celebrities and public figures including having them come on board as advisors or employees and exchanging equity as payment for collaborations. Celebrity New Hires Recently, Delta Air Lines announced Tom Brady would be brought on as a strategic adviser. Per Delta’s official statement, Brady would be involved in strategic initiatives involving Delta’s employees and customers. What does that mean exactly? Delta hopes some of Brady’s teamwork and leadership skills will rub off on their employees. According to Fast Company, […]

Sorority recruitment has transformed from a secretive process to big social media business. In the fall of 2021, sorority rush at the University of Alabama took TikTok by storm, effectively becoming RushTok. During that recruitment season, sorority hopefuls posted daily TikTok vlogs sharing everything from their outfits of the day, to what they’re carrying in their bags, documenting the entire process until the sororities made their final selections. Audiences worldwide quickly became captivated by the process, choosing their favorite recruits to follow and root for. To date, the hashtags #BamaRush and #RushTok have 4B and 2B views, respectively. Potential new […]

The 2023 US Open captured audiences’ attention with over 3.4 million viewers tuning in, up 27% from last year’s tournament. In addition to TV viewership, the tournament had its fair share of social media coverage that generated buzz. Here are a few notable social media moments from this year’s US Open. The US Open Goes All-In On TikTok The US Open might be 142 years old, but it established quite the TikTok presence. The institution’s official TikTok account delivered a steady stream of engaging content covering everything from the latest stats on the court, to relevant pop culture moments, to […]

In addition to chicken, KFC is frying up controversy. On August 24 Azim Akhtar, KFC Canada’s Director of Marketing, tweeted a few billboard images from the company’s new “It’s finger lickin’ good” campaign. Sorry Utensils, It’s Finger Lickin’ Good. Latest campaign, I couldn’t be more proud!! pic.twitter.com/ktmN5TrHOS — Azim A. (@AzimAkhtar_) August 24, 2023 While the ads are supposed to be playful, suggesting that utensils aren’t needed to enjoy KFC, X users quickly pointed out that all of the images featured Black people eating fried chicken and feed into harmful stereotypes. Upon receiving the pushback, Akhtar took to X to […]