Latest news with #influencerMarketing
Forbes
3 days ago
- Business
- Forbes
How Brands Can Unlock The Creator Economy
Future of the creator economy. getty An estimated 150 million Americans watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon in 1969. Brands like Volkswagen, IBM, Sony, General Electric, General Motors and Panasonic capitalized on the spectacle through broadcast advertising. Many of the world's most recognized brands have been built on the back of TV advertising. Back then, attention was easy to buy if you had a hero campaign and a respectable media budget. Today, audience fragmentation makes it more challenging and more expensive to reach the same number of people. To unlock growth, marketing spend is shifting from traditional TV to influencer marketing. New WFA research shows that 54% of multinational brand marketers plan to boost influencer marketing spend in 2025. In a recent interview, Fernando Fernandez, the new Unilever CEO, highlighted the FMCG's ambition to build 'desirability at scale.' Unilever plans to spend half of its ad budget on social media and work with 20 times more influencers. Fernandez stated, 'Messages of brands coming from corporations are suspicious messages.' He added, 'Creating marketing activity systems in which others can speak for your brand at scale is very important.' The rationale is clear. People trust people more than they trust faceless corporations. However, if brands want to unlock the creator economy's value, they need to overcome three major challenges. Influencer Fatigue Becoming a TikToker or YouTuber is now officially the number one career aspiration for Gen Alpha. Since I first wrote about the creator economy, the market has doubled and is estimated to reach half a trillion dollars by 2027. As more money flows into the sector, the creator content space will become oversaturated and commodified. In summary, a higher proportion of creator content will be brand-sponsored. This is an inherent attribute of marketing. Where attention goes, money flows. However, most people don't follow their favorite creator to learn more about mustard, Marmite or mayonnaise. Unless managed carefully, people suffer from influencer fatigue as their feeds get inundated with inauthentic brand promotions. We are already seeing the rise of digital detox and the resurgence of real-life experiences amongst Gen-Z. Young people want to break free from social media and find human connections again. To avoid influencer fatigue, brands need to surrender control and give creators the creative freedom to communicate with their audience in their own unique way, instead of reading out a corporate message. Nonetheless, working with thousands of creators can dilute brand consistency and equity. Each creator will have a slightly different approach, messaging and audience. Brand managers can't control the narrative like in broadcast media. Therefore, making brands more susceptible to backlash. As seen with Poppi's vending machine controversy, Bud Light's boycott and Shein's influencer backlash after a factory tour. Brands should focus on relevant micro-communities with shared values, interests and passions. Creator-Owned Brands Brands are no longer competing with other brands for consumers. They are now in direct competition with a new generation of creators establishing and growing their own brands. Creators have a strong parasocial relationship with their audience, whereas brands must continuously pay to reach their desired audience. A recent survey shows that 88% of creators have already launched their own product. Moreover, 33% of Gen-Z have purchased a product from a creator-founded brand. Creators are not just distribution channels. They are brand builders. Though most creator-owned brands are small and medium-sized DTC operations, we are starting to see the emergence of global creator-owned brands. For example, Huda Beauty was ranked the number one beauty brand in Q1 2025, above NYX, Dior Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury. Hailey Bieber's skincare brand, Rhode, was recently acquired by E.L.F. Beauty for $1 billion. And Emma Chamberlain's coffee brand is projected to hit $33 billion in revenue this year. For brands, the relationship with creators has to expand beyond a transactional social post into a strategic partnership founded on shared values. Brands bring global scale and resources; creators have a highly engaged community. Building joint ventures and brand ambassador programs should be a top priority. Deinfluencing The deinfluencing hashtag has over a billion views across more than 75,000 posts on TikTok. Deinfluencing is when creators tell followers what not to buy and which brands to avoid. Young people are using social media to discourage needless consumption. The cost of living crisis, growing awareness of the climate emergency and micro-trend fatigue are motivating a growing number of creators to deter their friends and followers from buying more stuff. If the trend continues to gain momentum, it poses a serious risk to brand advertising and influencer-backed campaigns. Deinfluencers often offer hacks, DIY alternatives and better-quality options. The aim is to make people more conscious of their consumption habits. If people still need to buy, a deinfluencer usually signposts their audience to the most ethical and sustainable option. The movement will make creators more wary about the brands they collaborate with. For brand marketers, deinfluencing requires a shift to more honest communication, ethical products and circular business models. Otherwise, your brands and products will be at risk of being deinfluenced. Already, 64% of Gen-Z have decided not to spend with a brand as a direct result of engaging with deiinfluencer content. In the words of Jeff Bezos, founder of the world's biggest e-commerce company: 'Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.'
Globe and Mail
7 days ago
- Business
- Globe and Mail
QYOU Media India Completes Sale of "Q" Broadcast Channel in India
QYOU Media Accelerates its Strategic Shift towards a Creator Economy and Social Media Marketing-Focused Business Model MUMBAI, India and TORONTO , May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - QYOU Media Inc., (TSXV: QYOU) (OTCQB: QYOUF), via its subsidiary corporation, QYOU Media India Pvt. Ltd., has announced the completion of the sale of its India free-to-air broadcast channel, "Q TV", to Oscar Media Pvt. Ltd. Oscar Media operates multiple channels across India in a variety of local languages. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The sale of the broadcast channel asset marks another step forward by QYOU Media, Inc., to execute on its previously announced go forward strategy focusing its resources and strategic efforts on high-growth segments within the global digital creator economy and social media marketing. These efforts will be carried out via the current business units in both North America and India , with the goal for future expansion. The company also continues to move ahead on the process to publicly list Chatterbox Technologies (Chtrbox), its India based influencer marketing and creator economy driven business, on the BSE (formerly known as the Bombay Stock Exchange). This will create the first publicly listed social media and influencer marketing business in India and will be led by Raj Mishra, former Country Manager of TikTok India. QYOU Media CEO and Co-Founder Curt Marvis commented, "Parting ways with the television business that helped launch us in India is bittersweet, but this transition empowers us to concentrate fully on the future—driven by the explosive growth in social media , AI and Creator-led marketing. We believe this pivot will unlock greater long-term value for our shareholders. The television business has been marked by huge upheaval globally and it was simply time for us to move decisively into the areas of our business where we see the strongest positive growth opportunities for many years to come. We wish Oscar Media the best of luck with the channel and we thank all the people who helped build it with us along the way." About QYOU Media Among the fastest growing creator driven media companies, QYOU Media operates in India and the United States through its subsidiaries, producing, distributing and monetizing content created by social media influencers and digital content stars. Our influencer marketing business in India , Chtrbox, is an influencer and marketing platform and agency, connecting brands/products and social media influencers. In the United States , we power major film studios, game publishers and brands to create content and market via creators and influencers. Founded and managed by industry veterans from Lionsgate, MTV, Disney, Sony and TikTok. QYOU Media's millennial and Gen Z-focused content has reached more than one billion consumers. Experience our work at and Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
RNZ News
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- RNZ News
Millie Elder-Holmes fined $5000 for promoting online gambling
The internet personality Millie Elder-Holmes has been fined $5000 for promoting online gambling. It comes as part of a recent crackdown by the Department of Internal affairs on social media influencers using their platforms for that purpose. In a statement, a department spokesperson said Elder-Holmes was fined after ignoring an earlier warning in April. Elder-Holmes is the daughter of the late broadcaster Paul Holmes and Hinemoa Elder. Individuals can be fined up to $10,000 for promoting online gambling. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
