The events of this week truly show the power of social media, and how it continues to adapt to the current climate of our world, from voter registration and virtual events to micro-influencers
In an effort to keep the Halloween spirit alive, platforms such as Facebook Messenger are including fun stickers features for users to interact with. Social campaigns are helping businesses reach an all-time high, like David Dobrik’s Tesla giveaway with HeadCount to encourage voter registration before the upcoming Presidential election, which generated over 400,000 newly registered voters. Large live music venues will be put on hold for the foreseeable future, and popular musicians like Billie Eilish are joining the trend of live streaming concerts. Aside from being exciting and entertaining, these movements continue to show the importance and impact of engagement, and how celebrities and influencers continuously drive this so successfully.
Celebrity & Entertainment
Lily Collin’s Netflix series ‘Emily in Paris’
The fall season usually means new releases of movies and TV shows, but due to COVID-19 filming has mostly been put on hold this year. The good news is that series’ filmed prior to the world-wide shutdown are still being released. In a time where everything has gone digital, streaming platforms are constantly trying to find new ways to reach a wider audience. This can be seen first-hand in the recent release of Netflix series Emily in Paris, starring Lily Collins. The streaming giant has seen major success by tapping TikTok influencers to promote the show. Influencers such as Chriselle Lim, Janina, and Caroline Ricke participated in the campaign by creating a TikTok showcasing their best Emily in Paris work from home look using the sponsored hashtag #EmilyinParis. After just one week of the release date, the hashtag has accumulated 2 billion views.
Billie Eilish’s Live Streams “Where Do We Go?”
Billie Eilish is the newest musician to hop on this trend. Like other performers, her 2020 ‘Where Do We Go’ tour was postponed indefinitely, but on October 7th the singer announced a Livestream performance of the tour setlist on Instagram. This announcement directed fans to the Billie Eilish Livestream website where they have the ability to purchase tickets for the virtual show on October 24th, as well as purchase exclusive merchandise. Transitioning concerts to an online format is the new normal in 2020, and Eilish has definitely embraced this as she has been a part of multiple virtual concerts in the past few months. Not only is Eilish providing a safe outlet to connect with her fans, but is also allowing for a larger audience to engage with the performances, compared to traditional live touring.
Brands & Industry
Instagram’s 10th birthday Feature
In honor of its 10th birthday on October 6th, Instagram implemented a wide range of new features. These include the ability to choose your Instagram icon, which coincides with the iOS 14 update allowing iPhone users to fully customize their home screen. Additionally, Instagram has implemented a Stories Map which is designed to map out your stories based on the location that they were taken, stemming from the location sticker already within the app. They’re also taking action to encourage brands and influencers to use Reels and IGTV more frequently by enhancing their eCommerce feature. A shopping bag icon appears at the bottom of the video-sharing pages, allowing brands and influencers to market their products and themselves in new and creative ways. Streamlining ways to buy products also allows for maximizing the platform’s revenue potential.
Facebook Messenger New Halloween Features
Halloween is quickly approaching, and with the holiday comes questions and concerns about how people can celebrate safely. Now more than ever, social media platforms have been increasing the duality of their features as users are spending more time on the apps. Facebook Messenger has stepped up this spooky season by adding new Halloween features including AR filters, stickers, and 360 backgrounds. From skeletons to monsters, Facebook is bringing the costume to you this year. Depending on how much user engagement it gets, we can also plan to see Thanksgiving, Winter Holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, etc.), and New Years Eve themed features as well.
Fleetwood Mac x Ocean Spray
We know TikTok is one of the most engaging social media platforms available right now, and because of this many brands are starting to implement the app into their advertising campaigns. While many are planned, Ocean Spray is one of the lucky brands that had an organic product placement at the right place at the right time.TikTok influencer Nathan Apodaca posted a video of him drinking Ocean Spray cranberry juice while riding on a skateboard listening to Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Dreams’, which now has over 34 million views. This video led to the #FleetwoodMacChallenge going viral, with users posting their own version of Apodaca’s video. The hashtag now has 7.5 million views on TikTok. Other celebrities, such as Dr. Phil and even Mick Fleetwood joined in on the challenge. Combined, these two have accumulated over 18 million views on their videos. Ocean Spray was quick to jump on this trend and gifted Apodaca with a truck filled with their products.
Campaigns
Moleskine Foundation “Where is South” Campaign
The Moleskine Foundation is presenting a virtual exhibit on their Instagram, @moleskinefoundation, for the month of October. The exhibit, titled “Where is South,” is the idea that “no matter where we are, there is always a South. Therefore, we hold the power to define its meaning: South begins with us,” according to Atwork Advisor Simon Njami. The foundation gave Moleskine notebooks to over 90 young artists from around the world, and the artists then use the notebooks as the center of their work. According to the Moleskine Foundation website, they hope to redefine “the word “South” for a new generation.” The exhibition is live on their page now, we highly recommend checking it out!
Influencers
David Dobrik Sets Record-Breaking Voter Registration Push
As voter registration begins to close for the upcoming election in November, influencers and brands are going full force in promoting voter registration. Last week, the popular content creator David Dobrik teamed up with HeadCount, a nonprofit organization that encourages simple voter registration. Geared to the Gen Z demographic, HeadCount partners with major celebrities to increase political knowledge and young voter traffic. Dobrik teamed up with the organization to give away five Teslas, widely known as his favorite car. The post currently sits at over 3.5 million likes and has broken HeadCount’s voter registration record. According to Forbes, this campaign is likely the largest U.S. voter registration drive yet. As of now, HeadCount has reported 400,000 people have registered since the campaign with Dobrik.
Motorola & Micro-Influencers
Motorola is another one of many brands hopping on the TikTok train with their recent release of The Motorola Razr 2. Using a variety of micro-influencers on the app such as Drew Baker, the Mian twins, and Mikey Tua, Motorola challenged them to show off their fall fashion and how they incorporate the Razr 2 into their look using the hashtag #razrfit. With over 1.8 billion views, the campaign also involves a giveaway for TikTok users in which using the hashtag gives you a chance to win a new Razr. This is a big step for Motorola, as their previous release of the Razr last year did not live up to expectations.
Tayler Holder creates “Triller Compound”
Tayler Holder, a TikTok star with 15.7 million followers, has left the famous TikTok Hype House. He now joins other influencers, such as the D’Amelio sisters and Daisy Keech, in leaving one of the first TikTok content houses. However, Holder is taking a different approach in his leaving, deciding to create a house specifically for TikTok’s rival app, Triller. Holder announced on Instagram on Monday that he is creating the “Triller Compound.” This is the first content house we’ve seen that is focusing on Triller, and we’re excited to see more of what’s to come out of this content house.