Influencer marketing is something creators from all over the world have been trying to nail down since the beginning of brand sponsorships. If done correctly, influencer marketing can drive views and purchases to a much wider audience then just traditional advertising campaigns. Lately, companies have been striving to incorporate ROI’s into their influencer marketing campaign. When looking at the success of influencer marketing and the influx it has on the marketing community, a few big factors play a role in making the content relatable to those that are viewing it. A few of these factors are relatability to those you are trying to market to, as well as sharing personal experiences and the reason the influencer is try to work with the brand. Successful influencer marketing campaigns focus on the golden trifecta which is essentially creating a mix of highs and lows throughout the video to create engagement. Infleuner marketing is the new way to reach audiences, ROI can help it be effective.
GenZ is taking over the job market and using Linkedin to do so. In the past year Linkedin has critically analyzed data from 78 million GenZ users on their platform regarding how they interact with not only the platform but how to lead to matches in the job market. Some interesting facts from the findings, are that 80% of the GenZ users feel as though they can truly connect with and trust Linkedin. To go a step further 70% of all users on the platform believe that content they are viewing is directly related to them and can see the relevance. Another interesting finding from their reports is that GenZ is actually much more interested in the long term furthering of their careers. GenZ also knows how to do fact checking and research on the company before agreeing to an interview with a rate of 13x more likely than their peers to be prepared by researching the company.
Facebook launched a new tool yesterday for creators on their platform to take full control of maximizing the winter break. Some of the new features, feature in comment broadcast reactions that allows the creator to have more interactions amongst their fan base. One of the main new features of the update is a better design on both their desktop as well as mobile app version. Facebook has gone as far to simplify the navigation tools making things such as insight and tools, all while still staying on live. The strategic planning of this timely role out of such design comes right before the winter break for many colleges across the country. Facebook is well aware of this peak time that allows many to spend more time browsing and creating content for social media apps. One of my personal favorite features of this new role out is the ability for creators to share multiple links on the screen without ever having to stop the live stream.
Rapper Kanye West and singer/rapper Drake have had a 12-year feud that surprisingly ended last night at a benefit concert for former “Gangster Disciple’s” leader Larry Hoover. Hoover is currently serving a lifetime sentence in federal prison where he spends most of his time in solitary confinement.
Organized by rap executive Prince J the concert was ended to free Hoover and raise money for non-profits focusing on prison reform. Although it’s unlikely Hoover will be released, the concert’s primary goal was to expose the injustice that occurs within the prison system.
Prince J comments, “This system for sentencing, this prison system rooted in racism, it’s time for change”. It’s not just to shine a light on Larry Hoover, but other victims of this system. We feel strongly that it’s time for redemption.”
Hoover’s case is complex and unique. Hoover is in prison for murder and running a criminal enterprise in Chicago. These are state and federal charges and unfortunately, Hoover has exhausted all his appeals. With the narrow parameters of the First Step Act, Hoover’s only chance for freedom is through state or presidential pardon which are both extremely rare.
Prosecutors and judges believe releasing Hoover would be unjust and claim his leadership was responsible for the high murder rate during the 70s and 80s in Chicago. This claim could be true but many people believe Hoover’s appeals have been denied due to his high level of influence.
In 1987, Hoover rebranded the former “Gangster Disciples” as “GD” for “Growth and Development. He declared the new organization would focus on community empowerment. He even founded another organization called, “21st Century Vote” which quickly earned Hoover political recognition and power. Hoover’s only chance for freedom is through state or presidential pardon which are both extremely rare.
Hoover hopes this concert will build enough awareness and momentum for a pardon. The concert had roughly 70,000 attendees and was talked about all night on social media. I respect Drake and Kanye for putting their beef aside to highlight an important cause.
You can rewatch the concert with Amazon Prime, however, you must have an account!
TikTok has been the app to watch since its increased popularity in 2018. Earlier this week App Annie released its annual review of the top-performing acts measured by downloads and revenue. The results placed TikTok in the first place, confirming the app’s dominance in the social media world. In the picture below you can see data from last year’s review placed TikTok in second place in terms of breakout downloads. You can view the full report here.
From the data above it’s clear that TikToks competitors were CapCut, YouTube, and Telegram.
The App Ann review from this year told a different story. Below is the performance review with TikTok as number one in terms of overall spending.
This data proves that TikTok is in a strong position for growth specifically towards the apps eCommerce ambitions, however, this growth will rely on TikTok’s ability to pay its content creators. This payment is what will motivate the content creators to keep posting on TikTok and not another platform. Brand deals with content creators are in high demand. Content creators know this which is why they won’t hesitate to use a different platform if the pay is better.
TikTok has become a threat to many social media apps. With the potential to surpass 1.5 billion users in 2022 they could easily become the biggest social media platform. I believe brands, media companies, and content creators should all be paying attention to the company’s rise.
Brands that haven’t yet incorporated the use of TikTok should start learning how to now. TikTok has a large audience reach. Brands’ failure to adapt will cause them to lose out on money and risk them being left out of or playing catch-up to the latest trends. This could open up more jobs for those who specialize in everything TikTok.
California singer/songwriter Olivia Rodrigo shook things up performing for NPR’s Tiny Desk (Home) Concert series at the Department for Motor Vehicles(DMV). The setting seemed fit due to the singer’s breakout hit “Drivers License”. Rodrigo performed the stripped-down version of four songs off her debut album Sour.
The 18-year-old singer opened with a moving solo act of “Drivers Licence”. Backed by her band, Rodrigo performed an acoustic version of “Good 4 U” next. She then slowed things down with a warm-hearted rendition of “Traitor”. Rodrigo ended her performance with a captivating performance of “Deja Vu”.
Rodrigo’s NPR appearance occurred just one day after her Sour Tour announcement. The Sour Tour is set for April 2, 2022, to July 7, 2022, including stops in North America and Europe. Concert tickets can be purchased on her official website: https://www.oliviarodrigo.com/tour. With seven Grammy nominations and her recent tour announcement, it’s safe to say that this is only the beginning for the budding star.
This story stood out to me because of NPR’s acceptance of Rodrigo’s unique performance setting. I’m sure it couldn’t have been convenient to use the DMV and yet NPR made it happen in an effort to support her creative vision.
OXFORD, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 01: People embrace as they visit a makeshift memorial outside of Oxford High School on December 01, 2021 in Oxford, Michigan. On Tuesday, three students were killed and eight injured when a gunman opened fire at the school. A fourth student died on Wednesday. The suspect, identified as 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley, has been charged as an adult with terrorism and first-degree murder. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
Michigan school shooting suspect Ethan Crumbley posted a Tweet saying “Now I am become Death, the destroyer of worlds. See you tomorrow Oxford,” on November 29. The next day, he shot and killed 4 people at Oxford High School, injuring 7 others.
The parents of shooting survivor Riley Franz are suing the Oxford, Michigan school district and officials for $100 million, after ignoring several warning signs leading up to the shooting, NPR reported.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Geoffrey Fieger, accuses school officials of failing to acknowledge direct threats from Crumbley within the weeks leading up to the tragedy, as well as ignoring the concerns from students and parents. The lawsuit states that the school had been notified of Crumbley’s social media threats since mid-November.
The lawsuit tells the account of the school’s response after a parent notified Oxford Principal Steven Wolf of their child’s fears on November 16, Wolf wrote back saying “I know I’m being redundant here, but there is absolutely no threat at the HS…large assumptions were made from a few social media posts, then the assumptions evolved into exaggerated rumors.”
According to the lawsuit, the district superintendent made an announcement over the loudspeaker to the student body, telling them to stop spreading information on social media and relying on it, and that there were no actual threats posed towards the school.
The suit detailed the days leading up to the shooting, stating that Crumbley was posting countdowns on his social media accounts, which were all public.
Crumbley’s parents also provided warning signs on their social media. According to the Washington Post, Ethan’s mother, Jennifer Crumbley, posted that she and Ethan were at the gun range just three days before the shooting, “testing out his new Christmas present.”
The school also failed to remove Crumbley from school the day of the shooting, despite a teacher finding a drawing he made that was so violent it prompted a call home to his parents, who refused to come to the school for a meeting. The Washington Post reported that his “rampage” started only three hours after this.
This is likely only the first of many lawsuits, as Fieger already plans on taking it to the state level.
Alec Baldwin sat down ABC News reporter George Stephanopoulos on Dec 2, his first interview since the fatal shooting of cinematographer Halyna Hutchins. He claims he never actually pulled the trigger.
Photographed: Halyna Hutchins Source: Sky News
42-year-old cinematographer Hutchins was shot and killed on Oct 21 after Baldwin fired a prop gun on the set of the western movie called “Rust.” According to Time, Baldwin fired the prop gun at the camera that Hutchins was holding while rehearsing a scene. The gun was given to Baldwin by assistant director Dave Halls, who shouted “cold-gun,” signifying that the gun was not loaded with live rounds. Halls’ lawyer Lisa Toracco told ABC News that Halls believes that Baldwin did not put his finger on the trigger.
Baldwin claims that he cocked the gun and released the hammer, never actually firing the gun. Halls backs this claim, according to ABC News.
CNN interviewed Steve Wolf, a theatrical firearms safety expert about Baldwin’s story, saying that it is “not plausible,” even demonstrating how the firearm Baldwin was using works during the interview.
This is actually a really helpful explanation of what Baldwin was trying to claim last night about the gun he used to shoot #HalynaHutchinspic.twitter.com/NlzM8e4VJX
“When you pull the hammer back, which is an intentional act — click, click, click, click — now the hammer is set,” said Wolf, demonstrating the use of a single-action revolver. “When you pull the hammer back and let go…the hammer doesn’t go anywhere. When you press the trigger…it takes very little to press the trigger there.”
Many wonder about the validity of Baldwin and Halls’ claim that the trigger was never pulled. According to the LA Times, there were already two misfires on set a week prior. The same morning of the shooting, 6 crew members walked off of the set due to the unsafe working conditions. Time reported that “long hours,” “withheld pay,” and gun safety issues were some of the conditions the crew members were protesting.
After Baldwin’s interview with his account of events, many wonder about the sincerity of his apology and the validity of his statement, as evidence points to the scenario being highly implausible.
Imagine you are invited to a work Zoom meeting a few weeks before Christmas. You take a pause from gift shopping for your children and spouse to log onto the meeting. Within three minutes of the meeting’s beginning, you are told that you are being laid off, effective immediately.
This was reality for 900 Better.com employees (9% of the company’s staff) on Wednesday, December 1. A recording of the shocking meeting went viral on TikTok, starting with Better.com CEO Vishal Garg saying “I come to you with not great news.”
Better.com is a digital mortgage start-up valued at $7 billion. Garg founded the company in 2014 with the hope to ease and lower the cost of homebuying. The layoffs came within days of a $750 million cash infusion. According to CNN, among the fired were Better.com’s diversity, equity, and inclusion team.
Garg attempted to show empathy to the “unlucky” employees by stating that the last time he cried the last time he laid off an astronomical amount of employees, hoping that he would be “stronger” this time around.
“If you’re on this call, you are part of the unlucky group that is being laid off,” Garg said in the video. “Your employment here is terminated effective immediately.”
Laid-off employees will receive one month’s pay and three months of benefits, NBC News reported.
The abrupt and unfortunate timing of this decision had many criticizing Garg and how he handled the situation, stating that this was cruel and unethical.
Shame on Vishal Garg of Better. My friends can’t speak out, but I can. Only a pathetic leader can lay off 900 employees over a 3min zoom call with no explanation or a proper farewell.This is why most startups will fail. Once the valuation frenzy fizzles out, you’ll all eat dirt.
Garg’s reputation has received a hit before, as Forbes obtained an agressive email from Garg to employees. “You are TOO DAMN SLOW. You are a bunch of DUMB DOLPHINS and…DUMB DOLPHINS get caught in nets and eaten by sharks. SO STOP IT. STOP IT. STOP IT RIGHT NOW. YOU ARE EMBARRASSING ME,” Garg wrote.
After the video went viral, Garg sent an apology to the laid-off employees. The letter was leaked by one of the fired employees online. “I failed to show the appropriate amount of respect and appreciation for the individuals who were affected and for their contributions to Better,” Garg wrote. “I own the decision to do the layoffs, but in communicating it I blundered the execution. In doing so, I embarrassed you.”
The controversy has led to several executive staff members resigning, like the VP of communications, head of marketing, and head of public relations, TechCrunch reported.
A Tesla driver discovered one day last year that he was able to play video games on his car’s dashboard as he was driving. The driver, Vince Patton, tested the limits of what he could do while in motion, playing solitaire, browsing the web, and playing a game called Sky Force Reloaded, AP reported.
Anxious that this feature will result in distracted driving, Patton filed a report to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). On Wednesday, the NHTSA stated that they have started to look into this issue, stating that they are in communication with the manufacturer.
“The Vehicle Safety Act prohibits manufacturers from selling vehicles with design defects posing unreasonable risks to safety,” wrote the NHTSA in an email to Bloomberg. According to AP, the agency has not opened a formal investigation yet, which would entail document requests.
According to Business Insider, the NHTSA stated that vehicle manufacturers are meant to create their in-device systems without the option to perform distracting tasks while driving. For many vehicles with touchscreen dashboards, this means a disabling of certain features when the car is in motion. The NHTSA stated that all visual-heavy secondary tasks are supposed to be tested to see they can be performed without distracting the driver. Anything too distracting must be disabled while driving.
Tesla’s video games require players to confirm that they are passengers before gameplay, but Tesla does not verify if this is true, allowing drivers to lie and play while on the road.
With the rise of car dashboards with Internet features, the NHTSA’s concerns about distracted driving have intensified. According to the agency’s car crash statistics, distracted drivers accounted for “3,142 or 8.7 percent of all fatalities in 2019.” With this in mind, the idea of drivers being able to play games while driving is even more concerning.
Though it is still early, Tesla has yet to comment on the situation.
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