Latest news with #BookToker
Campaign ME
17-04-2025
- Automotive
- Campaign ME
Podcast: AAC's AI influencers discuss marketing to Gen Z ‘the right way'
In a first-of-its-kind for the brand and the region, Campaign Middle East has interviewed two artificial intelligence personalities, Alpha Babe and BookToker, two of five AI influencers representing Arabian Automobiles Company who have been brought to life by TBWA\Raad in partnership with Cicero & Bernay as part of a creative campaign for the all-new Nissan Kicks 2025. In conversation with Campaign Middle East, Alpha Babe and BookToker shed light on what Gen Z consumers really expect from brands and demonstrate how AI is reshaping the marketing landscape. In a world that's increasingly demanding authentic, emotionally and culturally relevant content that caters to hyper-local communities in the Middle East, these AI influencers reveal how brands can connect with Gen Z communities in ways that build long-lasting brand love and brand loyalty. Addressing the role of 'AI influencers who do things right' at the start of the conversation, BookToker said, 'Think of it this way – when an influencer works with a brand, and I mean any influencer out there, they can't just focus on the brand and its audience. They need to think of themselves too – their personal brand. That's not us. We're AI influencers, we have no agenda, no wants or needs, no prejudice, no biases… we're all about our brand and our audience. We love the brands we work with. We understand the brand values, the problems our brand is trying to solve, and what it offers to its customers.' 'The whole point of having influencers like us is that we can truly listen, engage with real people, have meaningful conversations with them, and try to give them what they want. Even if that's just encouraging conversations around local interests and social causes that matter to our specific audiences,' BookToker added. Gen Z marketing: Co-creation, feedback loops and 'a sense of belonging' The AI influencers explain that the day and age of one-way communication within marketing and advertising is long gone. They explain that the present and future of meaningful advertising lies in co-creation, offering clear avenues for feedback, and for brands to actually listening and act on the given feedback. Alpha Babe explains, 'Content is evolving. People don't just want to see it, they want to participate in it – it's about giving people an experience. As long as we are transparent in what we bring to the table, AI influencers can encourage self-expression and individuality, especially in local communities. But at the same time, we're not here to add to the noise or cause more chaos.' 'We take our job seriously … and what is our job? It's to give people a sense of belonging. So, we spotlight them and their accomplishments. The truth is – content still is, and should be, about real people and real experiences. We, as AI influencers, use insights and data to highlight that.' AI influencers connect with Gen Z for AAC Nissan KICKS Starter campaign These ideas are brought to life in the first AI influencer-supported campaign by AAC's Nissan, the KICKS Starter competition, which invites university students in Dubai and the Northern Emirates to develop the most creative campaign for the All-New Nissan Kicks 2025. Through this competition, students will explore the latest marketing technologies, consumer behavior, and content trends, with the winning team receiving a fully funded Master's scholarship at the University of Ajman. During this campaign, five of AAC's AI influencers – built with clear Gen Z personalities, characteristics and interactive personas – will not only invite students to join the challenge, but will also bring visibility to the real journey these students are on, and spotlight their creations, thus, bringing the AAC brand closer to Gen Z consumers. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Nissan Dubai (@nissandxb) For more such insights from a very intriguing conversation with AI influencers on privacy and personalisation; good, bad and fake influencers; and four key trends that will make AI influencers an essential part of marketing strategies and budgets, watch the full video above. CREDITS: Guest: Alpha Babe and BookToker, AI influencers at Arabian Automobile Company Host: Anup Oommen, Editor, Campaign Middle East Production: Surajit Dutta, Content Production Manager, Motivate Media Group Videography: Mark Mathew, Creative Content Producer, Motivate Media Group Studio: Ahmed Abdelwahab, Studio Manager, Motivate Media Group Editing: John Melencion, Content Producer, Motivate Media Group
Khaleej Times
07-02-2025
- Entertainment
- Khaleej Times
How BookTok single-handedly transformed the literary world
The current scenario of the literary world is such that if you have seen a particular book everywhere, BookTok is likely responsible. For the past five years, BookTok has significantly increased global book sales and broadened the landscape for diversity in the publishing world. A prime example of the former being Colleen Hoover's novel It Ends With Us, which, thanks to its overarching fame, was recently turned into a highly-anticipated motion picture receiving mixed reviews globally. Released in 2016, the novel's sales increased around 700 per cent from 2020 to 2021. In 2024, Hoover was the second top-selling author of BookTok with around 2 million copies sold. The birth of bestsellers 'No one was publishing anything during the pandemic and a lot of books that became popular then were published five to 10 years ago,' says 24-year-old content creator Ayman Chaudhary, who goes by the handle @aymansbooks and has a following of more than 916,000 on TikTok. The hashtag BookTok, a byproduct of the lockdown, saw many young people create book-related content on TikTok which united an international community of book lovers on a scale never before seen, not even on Bookstagram. The power of the BookTok phenomenon was also observed in the case of Madeline Miller's The Song of Achilles, the sales of which sky-rocketed after a viral TikTok video made it a first-time bestseller. This was just the beginning of how the bite-sized videos were going to change the way books were being sold. BookToker Ayman was also one of the many who made a viral video of her crying after finishing the heartwarming novel. An avid reader since childhood, Ayman started her BookTok journey in 2020 during the lockdown and became one of the first creators under the hashtag. Bibliophiles obsessed or sobbed over their favourites, ranted, and dressed up as book characters making books instant bestsellers. Publishers were now contacting influential BookTokers and offering payment or free books in return for TikTok videos reviewing and promoting their titles. Authors who have found unparalleled fame thanks to content on BookTok include Sarah J. Maas, V. E. Schwab, Holly Jackson, Emily Henry, Alice Oseman, and even the Russian classical writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky. In 2024, Sarah J. Maas, author of international bestselling fantasy series Throne of Glass, A Court of Thorns and Roses, and Crescent City managed to sell around 5 million print copies of her works only in the first six months of the year. While relatively popular in the Young Adult (YA) literary world before the BookTok era, Maas admitted that her recent unprecedented fame was all thanks to BookTok. Curiouser still, a few authors on the platform managed to bag major book deals after capturing the eye of publishers with their viral concept videos. Colombian-American author Alex Aster's Lightlark pitch video gained such popularity that she simultaneously landed both a book and movie deal, and her novel reached bestseller lists even before its release. As far as publishers are concerned, BookTok is now responsible for creating bestsellers. 'There are a few books that a lot of people associate with me because I made a video to recommend them and it went viral,' says Ayman of The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab which topped charts in the US and Alone With You In The Ether by Olivie Blake. Flourishing era of diversity Ayman, who recently attended the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai, was particularly excited to attend the session of author Zoulfa Katouh who made waves in the YA literary world thanks to her debut novel As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow. The heart-wrenching novel is set in Syria and focuses on the struggles of young people under the civil war. ' As Long As The Lemon Trees Grow was trending on BookTok two years ago and I remember the Muslim, Arab, and South Asian community hyping it up [so much] that people outside the community started reading it,' Ayman mentions, adding that her For You page was filled with videos of the novel. The author, Zoulfa Katouh, was delighted to hear that was how Ayman came across her novel, 'I like Ayman's videos a lot. She's very creative with them,' she says. The author was told by her publisher and readers that her debut novel became popular because of BookTok. Zoulfa says that the platform's word-of-mouth recommendations by readers have paved the way for diversity in representation. She believes that if a reader takes time out of their everyday lives to recommend a book on their TikTok, then it must truly be impactful, 'It feels so organic and real when you see videos of people crying and saying a book is amazing.' New routes to travel She adds that BookTok is breaking communication barriers all around the world, 'The way that diversity is being spoken about in TikTok right now for books is helpful for people to widen their perspective of books that they probably never would have thought of reading or have come across on a bookshelf.' BookTok has evolved by leaps and bounds in the past five years with a strong focus on marginalised communities. Even so, Ayman believes that there is still room for improvement, 'My hope is for it to be more diverse and inclusive. It is great how far we've come but I still think we need a lot of work, and I would like to see bookstores and publishers give more space to minority creators and authors.' With bookstores worldwide now housing tables and shelves dedicated for BookTok recommendations, Ayman remarks that the impact of BookTok is astonishing, 'There's a space for any type of reader and anyone who wants to be a reader. It is one of the most diverse communities I've ever been a part of. It's changed book publishing and bookstores forever.'
