As we wrap up 2020, we are seeing a rise of mainstream brands collaborating with social media platforms and influencers. From Vogue making their presence known on TikTok, to Maddie Ziegler becoming the face of Kate Spade’s newest fragrance, the influencer marketing industry is at an all time high. Additionally, traditional stars like Paul McCartney and Travis Scott are expanding their ventures with new collaborations and new ways to promote their music. Celebs & Entertainment Travis Scott Creates Tequila-Inspired Hard Seltzer Shortly after the major success of Travis Scott’s partnership with McDonald’s, which according to Ad Week led to national product shortages after the chain debuted his signature meal, Scott continues to expand his network. Staying in the same lane as food and beverage, the rapper has teamed up with Anheuser-Busch to launch his very own agave-based hard seltzer. Coming in March 2021, the new drink will be called Cacti and will be the first of its kind by launching with a celebrity partner. To align with Scott’s personal brand even more, the tagline for the campaign will be “Down-to-Earth ingredients. Out-of-this-world flavor” referencing Scott’s otherworldly themes in his music. Paul McCartney Dropping New Album Keeping up with the trend of surprise dropping albums like Taylor Swift did with ‘Evermore’, Beatles icon Paul McCartney is ending out 2020 with a bang by dropping his newest album “McCartney III” on December 18th. After being an anxiously-awaited sequel to the trilogy of his self titled albums, “McCartney” and “McCartney II”, which had gotten mixed reviews at the time, the singer is bringing a whole new sound to the new album. To promote the album, McCartney spoke with Howard Stern, as well as getting creative by having an exclusive video clip on the Talk Shop Live app for fans to interact with. Brands & Industry Instagram Adds New Tools to Reels and Stories In attempts to continue to be a forefront leader in the photo-sharing social media realm, Instagram has recently launched new tools to enhance their Reels and Stories features. These new tools include having the ability to add additional voice or music clips to Reels clips, a watermark that will be added to each Reels video, and a more accessible ‘edit’ option to Reels. As for Instagram Stories, a Camera Booth mode was added that allows for multiple photos to be taken in sequence, a Multi-capture mode, and a Color Filter mode that enables users to customize the intensity of filters. These enhancements seem to be a combination of what competitor social media platforms already have, a notable example is TikTok. Facebook Looks to Take on Cameo by Implementing a Competitor After major success that the celebrity streaming app Cameo sees every year, Facebook is in the works of creating their own. Cameo allows for people to pay for celebrity shout outs for yourself and to give to others. From Caitlyn Jenner to Sarah Jessica Parker, Cameo has a variety of celebrities and influencers to choose from, and with Facebook’s massive influence, it will be interesting to see what celebrities would partner with the social media app. According to Social Media Today, the app is reportedly being developed by Facebook's NPE team, which would likely see Facebook build a separate app to compete with Cameo directly. That would reduce Facebook's scale advantage, but even so, being integrated with both Facebook and Instagram could still be a major lure, and could help Facebook establish an immediate competitor for Cameo's business. Campaigns E.l.f. Cosmetics Become First Beauty Brand on Triller It is no secret that beauty brands are making their way onto social media and using their platforms to promote their products. With the rise of video sharing apps, cosmetics brand e.l.f. has teamed up with Triller becoming the first beauty brand to be on the platform. This collaboration comes shortly after e.l.f. launched a challenge on TikTok incorporating an original song that ended up going viral. Because of this success, e.l.f. released a five-track holiday album, ‘e.l.f. the Hauls’, accompanied by a mini-music video series for each song exclusively for Triller. To gain more traction, popular influencers including the Bad Wiggies, Loren Gray, and Michael Le are all seen in the music videos. #MakeItVogue Campaign Celebrating Fashion History with The Met Now more than ever, luxury brands are noticing the importance of social media, and more specifically TikTok. Currently being the hottest social media app, brands like Vogue are making their presence known on the platform. With the new fashion challenge #MakeItVogue, inspired by the Met’s new exhibit, they are encouraging users to take inspiration from styles that defined the centuries. The hashtag currently has 1.6 billion views including content from notable influencers like Emma Chamberlain, Jasmine Chiswell, and China Anne McClain. Vogue also encouraged viewers to duet their original audio and use the hashtag for a chance to be featured on Vogue’s TikTok page. Influencers Influencers Used to Help Promote COVID-19 Safety In efforts to keep pushing safety measures due to COVID-19, state governments are looking at every way to increase social distancing and mask use. Some states like New Jersey are integrating the use of influencer marketing to support the cause. Creating the #MaskUpNJ campaign is New Jersey’s way of emphasizing the importance of staying safe during these times, while having social media influencers active on social media. Influencers have implemented posts with the captions “wear your mask” and “download the contact tracer app”. According to the Influencer News, these efforts have produced positive results so far. Sumaira J. Khan, a nano-influencer with over 16,300 followers, stated that almost every response to a photo she posted of her child and herself wearing a mask was positive. Maddie Ziegler X Kate Spade NY From being a dancer to becoming one of the most popular social media influencers, Maddie Ziegler has been seen expanding her talents by collaborating and partnering with different brands. Aside from her recent collaboration with the cosmetics brand Morphe, Ziegler has most recently become the face of the new Kate Spade fragrance. Introducing the fragrance and partnership, Kate Spade released a video via Youtube with Ziegler dancing in New York. Ziegler told Allure, “The dance was very 'do your own thing, let your body express however you're feeling, I already relate New York with joy and energy, and that's how I also feel about the perfume.’" Combining Ziegler’s dance skills and her positive persona she showcases online with the fragrance makes for a successful collaboration.

Influencer marketing, a hybrid of old and new marketing tools, is evolving by the day. Celebrity endorsements with unique content are positively booming across all social media platforms, helping companies reach their desired goals. Influencer marketing on Instagram only stands at $1 billion. Research shows that the global influencer market is well-poised to become a thriving $5-10 billion market in the next few years. The influencer market industry is evolving as brands are coming up with new strategies every day. This modern-day content-driven marketing campaign is now an established form of online marketing. The most notable part of this is that established brands like McDonald’s are also gaining traction from this form of marketing. It is not just limited to start-ups. It is becoming a basic part of successful marketing campaigns, thus leading to new opportunities every day. The sky is surely the limit! However, it should also be noted that well-performing influencer marketing campaigns are not easy to create – they require hard work, including campaign structuring and optimization, content review, and more. It is impossible to reach the desired audience without in-depth knowledge and experience in this field. Influencer marketing agencies help you achieve your goals with the right kinds of tools and strategies. What is the role of an influencer marketing agency? In the influencer marketing landscape, these agencies play a huge role in coordinating and executing with brands and social media stars to create excellent content. The most established influencer marketing agencies start from scratch and manage to come up with engaging campaigns with different variables. Moreover, they have a wide network of marketers and resources, which enable them to carry out interesting campaigns. If you want to boost your business, you must get in touch with influencer marketing agencies to create amazing content, such as cross-platform campaigns, sponsored Instagram influencer posts, etc. What is the job of an influencer marketing agency? This is an important piece of the influencer marketing puzzle, which is taken care of by the influencer marketing agency – they help in forming solid relationships with brands and influencers to make and execute content that produces maximum results for both. A good agency will ensure that your brand stands out in the crowd of so many companies by creating a tailored plan that will let the audience know about your brand story and growth. In this context, you need to understand an influencer marketing agency’s relationship with influencers too. The most effective influencers with the highest number of followers and engagement are in demand – people are interested in listening to them. A good agency will have robust partnerships with such influencers, thus making it easy for its clients to work with them. They will have the responsibility of vetting influencers and social media stars to reach the target audience and establish publishing schedules and guidelines. Why do these agencies exist? To help you create and tell your story in an eye-catching way. Agencies help you with every minor detail, such as tagging, hashtags, the timing of a post, and more. Here are some of the main things they do: Influencer discovery — An agency makes sure that they connect the right influencer to a brand. The influencer should have a good reach and authentic connection. Campaign Structuring — These agencies help companies to determine their audience, select the right social media channels, and establish publishing schedules. Campaign Briefs — Briefs help influencers become a part of the procedure by providing guidance and outlining key messaging and goals. Optimization, Documentation, and Review — A huge part of their job role includes rates negotiation, contracts, and review of the created content for quality compliance. Influencer marketing agencies help you drive effective campaigns through targeted, scalable, and measurable content.

This week, we have seen influencers and celebrities branching out and venturing to new opportunities. From Jake Paul exploring his newfound boxing career, to Miley Cyrus partnering with Chipotle, stars are constantly seeking new ways to engage their fans and followers. In addition, industries like real estate and Broadway are utilizing influencers and social media creators to increase their own sales as well as benefit people in need. Lastly, president-elect and vice-president elect Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were named as Time Person of the Year. Celebs & Entertainment Taylor Swift Drops Unexpected Album Following up her massively successful album ‘Folklore', Taylor Swift is back again, surprise dropping another album. The new album titled ‘Evermore’ is said to be a sister album to ‘Folklore’ as it has the same indie-inspired sound to it. On December 10th, the singer took to Instagram to announce the album would be released midnight the next day. According to CNN Entertainment, the 15-song effort was praised by several critics and hailed by fans on its release, with plenty noting the seamless continuation of the stripped-back style Swift delved into in "Folklore." Ratatouille Musical Created by TikTok Users Despite Broadway still facing closures, TikTok users collectively created a musical for the popular Disney movie Ratatouille. ‘Ratatouille: The TikTok Musical’ will be debuting as an actual show for a one-night only concert on January 1st. With no set details about the show, what is certain is that it’ll be produced by Seaview Productions while being presented in association with TikTok. The show will also be benefitting the Actors Fund as many are struggling to find work during the pandemic. This is a great representation of the power that social media has, as Disney commented on the matter, “Although we do not have development plans for the title, we love when our fans engage with Disney stories. We applaud and thank all of the online theatre makers for helping to benefit The Actors Fund in this unprecedented time of need”, according to the Verge. Brands & Industry Google Shares Top Search Inquiries The year coming to a close leads to a lot of people reflecting on a challenging year. Every December, Google captures what the most search queries were for the entire year and compiles them in a video showing the good and bad. The YouTube video currently has well over 14 million views while showcasing clips of major happenings this year. In terms of the global search volume, Coronavirus leads the list of searches, followed by the election, Kobe Bryant, and Zoom. According to Social Media Today, Google has also provided a Year in Search key events overview, which enables you to skim over various big trends by tapping on one of two options beneath each event. Coca-Cola Crowned as this Year’s Most Effective Ad As the Holidays are approaching, the festive advertisements are in full swing. During this time of year, brands like to get creative by incorporating the holiday season into effective ad campaigns. Coca-Cola was the forefronting leader this year, as according to Marketing Week they were crowned as this year’s most effective ad with their two Christmas ads. The ads titled ‘Holidays are Coming’ and ‘The Letter’ scored 96 out of 100 in terms of long-term return potential, 100 in terms of remembering the brand and 96 in terms of creating branded memories according to Kantar data. With Aldi and Disney+ closely following their success, it can be noted that themes of nostalgia and humor is what worked best this season. Campaigns Miley Cyrus X Chipotle Chipotle is not shy when it comes to incorporating celebrities and influencers into their brand. Their recent TikTok campaign with YouTube creator David Dobrik incorporated his own burrito to the menu as well as three other TikTok users who showcased their order on the app. In light of this, Chipotle shared a TikTok on Tuesday with text saying “if Miley Cyrus comments we'll make a Miley burrito in our app”. Due to the power of social media, Miley Cyrus quickly commented on the video "only if you name it 'the Guac is extra but so is miley burrito'”. Sure enough, the singer and fast-food chain secured a collaboration with one another from something as simple as a TikTok video. Developers Hire Influencers to Sell Homes in New York As the effects of COVID-19 continue to hurt many industries like real estate, developers are venturing out to new marketing outlets. There is no surprise when it comes to the power influencers have when they attach their name to a brand. Because of this, developers are now incorporating influencers into their selling strategy utilizing their platform to benefit their sales. According to Crain’s New York Business, “Through an Instagram post or a YouTube channel, buyers can picture a typical day in their aspirational space: working from home in a chic living room, doing yoga on their new terrace, and enjoying skyline views while eating dinner. Beyond the dull look of ads with an existing tenant’s shambolic bedroom, or the sterility of a staged, Ikea-filled studio, using influencers can make the usually painful endeavor feel more like being in your own magazine ad”. In the efforts to transform their advertising to be more appealing, developers are pushing influencers to display the essence of a new lifestyle rather than just a new home. Influencers Jake Paul’s Blooming Boxing Career From starting out on Disney Channel, to becoming a top YouTuber, to now taking over the professional boxing industry, Jake Paul seems to be able to do it all. After knocking out former NBA player Nate Robinson this past Saturday, Paul seems to be just beginning his boxing career. According to Insider, Paul stated, “I wake up every day with fire in my belly, that's just where the passion, hard work, and dedication comes from." Paul said that the "entertainment in LA is great," pointing to his other opportunities with YouTube, acting, and music, but said "boxing just sits differently with me." After being very active on social media immediately after, it was clear that the match increased Paul’s engagement as his Instagram post uploaded shortly after currently has over 600 thousand likes. Dixie D’Amelio Releases Song with Wiz Khalifa It is not abnormal for influencers to expand their market and dabble in other aspects of the entertainment industry. TikTok star Dixie D’Amelio is a great example of this with her recent music career launch back in June. Her debut hit “Be Happy” currently has 94 million views and quickly  went on to collaborate with Liam Payne dropping a Christmas song, “Naughty List”. After the quick success she had achieved, her most recent music move was collaborating with rapper Wiz Khalifa to produce the song and music video “One Whole Day”. The video currently has over 9 million views after debuting on December 4th.

In the height of awards season, last Sunday, the American Influencer Awards recognized the top influencers and beauty creators. The show featured top influencers and personalities including Tyra Banks, Kris Jenner, 360Jeezy, Chris Appleton, Chrishell Stause, Guy Tang, Kristen Hancher, Rebecca Zamalo, and more, where 23 awards were presented throughout the night. Hosted by Frankie Grande and Kandee Johnson, influencers and creators were honored for their inspiring work across makeup, hair, skincare, nails, and more on social media platforms, according to Business Wire. Despite tough competition, YouTube creator and makeup artist Patrick Starrr ended up taking home the top prize as Makeup Influencer of the Year. Starrr beat out notable competitors like fellow YouTube creators like Jaclyn Hill and James Charles. While accepting the award, Starrr left by giving inspiring words of advice, “Cheers to moving on from 2020 and stepping into 2021. I hope you all remember, and don't forget, that make-up is a 'one size fits all.’' In addition to Starrr’s award, James Charles had also gotten heavily recognized and honored. After becoming the first male ambassador for CoverGirl in 2016, he was given the Smize Award (meaning to smile with your eyes) by Tyra Banks. Other notable winners include Jenny Bui, Amanda Cerny, Brad Mondo, Rob Ferrel, and Caitlin Ford. Similar to most award shows that premiered this year, the American Influencer Awards had to transform and adapt their show due to COVID. According to Business Wire, Christopher Crellin, President of the American Influencer Association stated, “Since we couldn’t host a live event, we wanted to produce the show to continue bringing this community together to celebrate the extraordinary creativity and inspiration they give their fans.” Livestreaming the show on AIAawards.com and YouTube was their attempt to continue the excitement without being in person. This tactic seemed to deliver as they saw a record of votes with 4.5 million votes casted towards the nominees.

2020 Thanksgiving and Cyber Week have come to an end, and after concerns of how COVID would affect the holiday’s, it turned out to be record-breaking. To close out the weekend, Giving Tuesday was bigger than ever with brands like Facebook and Twitter teaming up with them to support charitable organizations. As we enter December, we are beginning to see a rise of influencer marketing expanding to college campuses as well as content creators expanding their name and venturing out by creating their own products. Celebs & Entertainment Beyoncé Leads Grammy Nomination List It’s awards season and with that comes the anxiously awaited Grammy nominations. From surprises to disappointments, leading the list with the most nominations is Beyoncé. Receiving nine nominations, Beyoncé currently holds the title for the most-nominated female of all time with a total of 79 nominations throughout her career. However, artists like The Weeknd and Bob Dylan who both had a statistically successful year, were failed to be nominated. Because of this, The Weeknd spoke out via Twitter by saying “The Grammys remain corrupt. You owe me, my fans and the industry transparency…”. Fans seemed to support the artist, as the tweet currently has over 240 thousand retweets and 1.1 million likes. Bad Bunny Named the Most Spotify Streamed Artist of 2020 It’s that time of year for Spotify Wrapped to determine what the public has been listening to all of 2020. Although every Spotify user receives their own customized data of what they have listened to most throughout the year, Spotify also collects this information and determines what the overall top artists, songs, albums, and more were. By racking up more than 8.3 billion streams, Bad Bunny was named the most streamed artist on the platform for this year. This is in addition to also attaining the most-streamed global album with Bad Bunny’s “YHLQMDLG" with 3.3 billion streams. Brands & Industry Successful Retailers During Cyber Week As Cyber Week comes to a close, we are now seeing the top retailers that “won” during the busiest shopping week of the year. After many concerns were raised due to the impact of COVID-related shutdowns, those fears were quickly diminished as this year’s Cyber Week goes down in history as consumers spent an estimated $9 billion online. Front runners such as Amazon, Best Buy, and Ulta raked in a majority of the profits from the weekend. According to Numerator, 1 out of every 5 dollars spent over the post-Thanksgiving shopping weekend went to Amazon. Continuing the online sales trend, Numerator data shows that Best Buy saw a 1.9% increase online versus 2019, which represents more significant growth than seen by other retailers, including Target and Walmart. Although most retailers saw an influx in online traffic, Ulta, on the other hand, saw an 11.2% increase in visits, and a 4.6% increase on Sunday before. Facebook Launches Website for Businesses to Increase Their Social Impact As online shopping and digital platforms continue to implement E-Commerce to their apps, the need for business resources is at an all-time high. In an attempt to be the front runner, Facebook has launched a new website that includes a variety of tools and resources to increase businesses' social presence. According to Facebook, "We designed our new social good website to help businesses achieve their purpose and change the world. From insights and inspiration to programs and resources, you can use this site to learn how your business can make an impact." This launch represents the importance of businesses being openly supportive and participating in social causes that look to create change. Not only does this better societal issues, but it also boosts businesses’ patronage and message. Campaigns Brands Cultivating Giving Tuesday Campaigns It’s the season of giving and as Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals end, the best way to finish off the holiday week was with Giving Tuesday. After being founded in 2012, Giving Tuesday is always set on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving to encourage people to give back to charitable causes. To encourage people to participate, @GivingTuesday on Twitter posted their #DoGoodCalendar where each day of December has a new task. Brands like Facebook and T-Mobile created their own campaigns to support the day of giving back. According to Mashable, starting on December first, Facebook will match up to $7 million in donations to U.S. nonprofits made on Facebook's website. The first $2 million of donations will be matched at 100%, while the remaining $5 million will be matched at 10%. The campaign will continue until it reaches $7 million. Whereas T-Mobile created the #CaptureKindness campaign where they will continue to donate $10 to Feeding America for every act of kindness shared with the hashtag, up to $1 million. On Giving Tuesday, the company will donate an additional dollar for every user that clicks on the Feeding America icon in the company's T-Mobile Tuesdays app, up to $500,000. Influencer Colleges Hiring Student Influencers to Spread the Word About COVID With the rise of influencer marketing, more companies and brands are opening their eyes to the benefits that this new type of ‘advertising’ can bring. As popular influencers partner with major brands, the trend is now trickling down to local institutions like College campuses. In order to lower COVID cases, according to CBS, the University of Missouri hired students to be Instagram influencers to spread the word about COVID. After implementing this campaign back in August, “We did see an increase in COVID active cases – they peaked at the very beginning of September, on Labor Day weekend, and then after that, we saw an immediate, dramatic drop in the number of active cases.” This tactic is a great representation of the rise of college-aged influencers and the power they hold. It raises questions if surrounding colleges should utilize outside Marketing firms to gather more students to start promoting other prevalent issues. Charli and Dixie D’Amelio Launch Ring Light Products Statistically being two of the top creators on TikTok due to their massive following, sisters Charli and Dixie D’Amelio are capitalizing on their platform and venturing out. After partaking in successful collaborations with brands like Dunkin’ and Hollister, the sisters are branching out and launching their own products. They recently announced the launch of their own ring lights, which content creators often use to enhance the quality of their photos and videos. Charli and Dixie took to IGTV to announce the product where they expressed how the lights allow for more creativity and freedom. The posts reached well over 900,000 views.

It is officially the holiday season, and there is no better way to ring in the festivities than with Cyber Week. Despite the effects of the ongoing pandemic, this year’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday have seen a record-breaking influx of sales. Retailers were met with the challenge of creating a smooth shopping experience for buyers that would align with CDC safety guidelines and procedures. To overcome this challenge, businesses have restricted their in-store hours and moved the majority of their holiday deals online to limit traffic. According to Adobe Analytics, consumers spent $9 billion online, a nearly 22% increase over the $7.4 billion in 2019 online Black Friday sales. Prior to Cyber Week, retailers have already begun to become accustomed to transitioning their products on E-Commerce sites and other social media platforms like Instagram. According to e-commerce platform Shopify, Black Friday sales among 1 million independent and direct-to-consumer businesses were $2.4 billion globally, a 75% increase in sales from Black Friday 2019. With the recent shopping feature added to Instagram, brands have jumped on the opportunity to easily incorporate celebrities and influencers into their products. An example of this is TikTok creator Ronnie partnering with NBA2k by promoting their contest with a video clip which has currently reached over 480K views on the app. It is no doubt that celebrities and influencers have a large amount of influence when their name is attached to a product. It is common to see public figures having their own line of merchandise and products for followers to purchase. Content Creators like Rhett & Link, Jeffree Star, and Tana Mongeau are notorious for having products of their own and were not shy in participating in the sales for Cyber Week with sales ranging from 30% to 70% off their product lines. Having such large followings across multiple social media platforms, capitalizing on their influence and the holiday deals is a great way to promote sales within their merchandise. This also leads to an increase in engagement and viewership with their followers. The transition of holiday shopping to online and E-Commerce sites raises questions and concerns about the future of in-store shopping. From the variety of brands to shop from to the accessibility of online deals, it will be interesting to see how these trends continue to transfer over post pandemic and into the next holiday season. The major success of this year’s Cyber Week can be attributed to the rise of E-Commerce. As online shopping platforms continue to grow, it is predicted that brands will only increase their sales, and the digital world will intertwine more and more.

The holidays are upon us, and with that comes the pressure of getting the best deals and conversion rates on Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Now, with the pandemic affecting businesses all over the country, retailers are looking to the holiday weekend to make up for sales that were lost throughout this year. It is a must for businesses to adapt to providing a safe Black Friday experience for customers, and we have already seen moves taken by major retailers such as Walmart, Target, and Best Buy to produce a successful turnout. These three retailers seem to be the key leaders in setting the trends for what will work best this year. The first trend this year is the increase in-store closures on Thanksgiving Day. This is in contrast to previous years, where stores aimed to open as early as possible. According to BestBlackFriday, Walmart, Macy’s, and JCPenny’s are just a few that have decided to close their doors as a safety precaution and a way to say thank-you to their employees. The second trend has been the rise in e-commerce. As it seems like a no-brainer for major retailers to drive more traffic to their online store during this time, this could cause a decline in sales for smaller local businesses, that don’t have a large online presence and may take much longer to ship their products or produce large quantities of it. However, this past year has shown the importance of utilizing and adapting to online platforms to increase sales. With Instagram’s recent update, e-commerce on the app has been in heavy focus, as it now has its own tab that is easily accessible. According to BusinessInsider, “For those that haven't got that kind of online presence, competing in Black Friday 2020 is likely to be far trickier this year.” Another trend being heavily utilized by retailers is extending the time period in which the deals will run online and in-store if they are open. By doing this, businesses hope to properly space out times when the Black Friday deals are happening, allowing for more consumers to have the opportunity to participate. According to reports from Tambay, Amazon began releasing their marked down prices in the beginning of November. Target and Best Buy created their own “Deals Day” and Black Friday shopping events back in October. These tactics were put into place to increase sales beyond the date of Black Friday itself and will be a true test of the results that online shopping produces, and the purchasing habits of consumers during this time.

As we enter the Holiday season, we are seeing a rise of holiday-themed ads and specials. In the same vein of new releases, Netflix’s latest hit ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is crushing the charts, as well as the cast of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ reuniting on HBO Max. Additionally, brands like PlayStation and Pantene are creating innovative campaigns to reach and connect with a broader audience. Celebs & Entertainment The Queen’s Gambit: Netflix’s Latest Sensation One of Netflix’s newest hits where the plot revolves around the game of chess, ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is rising on the charts over the past few weeks. After the release, the International Chess Federation posted via Twitter the analytics revolving around Google searches for “The Queen's Gambit” and “Learn Chess” which are substantially up compared to previous months. In addition to the Google searches, according to NPR, Mary Higbe, director of marketing at Goliath Games said, “Our October sales for chess were up 178% over the same period last year. That's a big increase. But something else unexpected happened at the end of the month, our chess sales are up 1,048%." Cast of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ Reunites on HBO Max Over the span of 2020, some of the audiences’ favorite shows have come together for reunion episodes, and most recently, the cast of ‘Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’ graced our screens. Not only were fans excited to see the cast all back together in a similar setting, but the show brought in Janet Hubert who played Aunt Vivian before leaving after a longtime feud between herself and Will Smith. This tactic became the talking point of the reunion and not only allowed for Smith and Hubert to reconcile but also as an incentive for more people to tune in. Mariah Carey Teases Apple TV+ Christmas Special It’s the holiday season and with that comes a new variety of festive movies and television shows. Mariah Carey is taking it one step further with her recently announced Apple TV+ project, ‘Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special’. According to the HollywoodReporter, the special will mix music, dancing, and animation driven by a universally heartwarming story that brings the world together. After dropping the news back in October on Twitter, Carey has since announced that she will be joined with an array of special guests including Ariana Grande, Jennifer Hudson, Tiffany Haddish, and more. As if the special wasn’t making all of our holiday wishes come true, Carey, Grande, and Haddish teamed up to collaborate on a single and music video to “Oh Santa!”. It is clear to see that fans are excited to tune in as the hashtag #Mariah’sMagicalChristmas instantly began trending after Carey’s announcement. Jimmy Fallon Impersonates Harry Styles in a Vogue-style 73 Questions Late night talk shows have seemingly had a smooth transition to the digital world. Transferring their broadcasted television content onto digital platforms like Youtube allows them to reach a larger audience. In addition to this, late night hosts like Jimmy Fallon have also incorporated new content that has similar styles to ‘Youtube’ produced videos. In light of Harry Styles Vogue Cover, Fallon parodied the singer in a Vogue-styled ‘73 Questions’ video where he is dressed up as Styles while taking on his persona. The Youtube video and Fallon’s Instagram post promoting the video has accumulated over 300 thousand views. Brands & Industry Rise of Holiday Themed Ads As the holiday season rolls around every year, brands often use this to their advantage. Whether that be new digital campaigns to increase audience engagement or the creation of customized merchandise, brands like Pepsi and Dunkin’ are paving the way for successful holiday strategies. As a fun tactic to align with the chaos of 2020, Pepsi ruled out a giveaway of their new product that is not available in stores yet, Pepsi Apple Pie, to the first 1,500 fans that share their baking fails via Twitter or TikTok. Additionally, Dunkin’ Donuts has not been shy about sharing their new merchandise on social media platforms. With a variety of products like sweatshirts that are able to be personalized, bathrobes, and even duvet covers, it is clear that this strategy was effective seeing that the majority of products are already sold out. Youtube Will Start Implementing Ads into Non-Monetized Content As YouTube continues to be the leading video sharing app, it has seen massive changes and growth in the past decade. From strictly monetizing videos that were only part of the YouTube Partner Program, to the app now announcing that they will start inserting advertisements into non-monetized content. This move can benefit creators in which large amounts of revenue can come from these videos. With a new update to their Terms of Service, even if the content is not part of the YouTube Partner Program, they will be subject to having ads. There can be no estimate of the amount of non-monetized content that will be affected, but it is clear that YouTube is pushing for eligible creators to monetize their videos. An example of a creator not participating in the monetization is Australian musician Gotye who refused to put ads in his videos which would have supplied him with over $10 million in revenue, according to SocialMediaToday. Campaigns Pantene Celebrates LGBTQ+ Parents in National Adoption Month Campaign Pantene took a natural and authentic approach when cultivating their campaign this November, which represents National Adoption Month. Pantene created three short films showcasing LGBTQ+ parents and their experience with adopting a child. Each short video provides the message that small and sometimes overlooked gestures can be impactful to a child. In addition to this campaign, according to TrendHunter, Pantene is also hosting an Instagram TV series in partnership with Family Equality, a non-profit that's dedicated to advancing equality for LGBTQ+ families. The brand will donate $1 for every family photo that's shared through the platform using the #BeautifuLGBTQ hashtag, up to $100,000. PlayStation Replaces London Underground Signs with Its Controller Icons Marketing campaigns are continuing to become more elaborate and interactive with their audiences. The recent release of the PS5 has encouraged PlayStation to amp up their game and in doing so, they teamed up with London’s underground transportation stations, Transport for London. PlayStation transformed the iconic signs to resemble the console’s signature shapes such as the square, the triangle, the X, and the circle that is seen on their controllers. This innovative campaign aligns with the success that the launch of the PS5 had, which sold out within hours of release day.

Over the past few weeks, Instagram users have recognized a brand new update that completely changes the layout of the app. Drawing the focus towards shopping and IG reels and away from notifications, the update has received mostly negative feedback due to the belief that Instagram’s motive was primarily for potential monetary gain. While some may appreciate the focus on video-based content and driving traffic to brands, celebrities and influencers have not withheld their opinions on the change. The new layout includes a bottom tab just for IG Reels, seemingly a way for Instagram to compete with its top competitor - TikTok, and draw immediate attention to this feature. The 30 second Reels are much more accessible as a featured section of the app, not just as a byproduct of scrolling through the Explore page. The “Shopping” tab has replaced the direct path to “Notifications”, which has now been moved to the top right corner of the homepage. While Instagram and others may argue that the new “Shop” feature brings awareness to small businesses, in reality, the stores that are recommended are mostly big brands such as Abercrombie and Urban Outfitters. Business Insider wrote, “Now, you have to return to the home screen to access notifications and to create posts, stories, Reels, and to go live (which are all grouped together now under a function that's just called "New"). However, regardless of where you are on the app, you'll now have the ability to switch over seamlessly to Instagram's e-commerce platform, which it recently expanded to more businesses and creators in June 2020.” Many believe that the new layout has turned Instagram into a place of product, not of creation. Instagram has been widely responsible for social media marketings popularity, and every account is so clearly tailored to an individual or brand’s “image.” While videos are popular and wanted, Instagram’s specialty is telling stories through photos. James Charles took to the app itself to express his dislike for the update stating in an Instagram story, "They moved everything around and it makes it very, very clear where their priorities lie, and that is making money and only making money.”

The election results remain a heavy topic in the online world, and the COVID-19 vaccine is already beginning to shift digital platforms. TicketMaster is telling customers how they plan to approach future live-concerts. In the same vein of music, Guitar Center has created a campaign to remind its customers why they (and some of their favorite musicians) make music, as well as The Weeknd being announced as this year's Super Bowl Halftime Performer. Although the world feels unstable to many right now, industry breakthroughs continue to happen every day. Celebs & Entertainment The Weeknd Announced as 2021 Super Bowl Halftime Performer The Weeknd took to Twitter to announce that he will be next year's Super Bowl Halftime Performer. With no set plans of how they are going to execute the football game or performance yet, the audience must stay tuned to find out just exactly how this will happen. The most recent Super Bowl Halftime performance with J-LO and Shakira in February acquired 104 million live viewers, so only time will tell if the pandemic and the Weeknd will increase viewership. What we do know is that Twitter was buzzing shortly after the announcement, with the Weeknd's tweet getting over 24 thousand retweets and 109 thousand likes. Brands & Industry TikTok Predicted to Surpass One Billion Users in 2021 The viral video app TikTok is continuously growing and expanding to new audiences daily. According to leading mobile data and analytics company App Annie, it is predicted that monthly active users on TikTok will surpass one billion by the time 2021 rolls around. Other social media apps that have seen this kind of success are Facebook, WhatsApp, and WeChat. Consumers have shown to install 85% more video streaming apps in 2020 compared to previous years. Ticketmaster Requires COVID Test Results Upon Purchase The world of live concerts continues to strategize a safe comeback once a vaccine is approved. According to the New York Post, TicketMaster is implementing steps for concert-goers to verify that they have had a negative test in the past 24-72 hours or that they have gotten the COVID-19 vaccine (upon its release). The Post wrote, "Concert-goers would then instruct a lab to send over test results to companies like CLEAR Health Pass or I.B.M.'s Digital Health Pass, which would verify the fan's status to Ticketmaster. Anyone who tests positive or doesn't get screened won't be granted access to the event venue, Billboard reported. Sony's Successful Launch of the PlayStation 5 The PlayStation 5 was one of the most anticipated gaming-world launches of the year. Sony decided to pursue a different route of distribution and chose to only sell the PS5 through digital platforms, adapting to the world's current circumstances. This way, the long lines and large gatherings that usually occur as a result of a new product launch would be avoided, keeping the safety of users in mind. While most websites sold out of their pre-ordered consoles, Walmart was the only distributor that decided to sell first-come, first-serve orders the day of release. While this is a good idea and helpful to those gamers who were unable to obtain a pre-order elsewhere, the large traffic of sales crashed Walmart's website almost immediately after its PlayStation 5 sales went live. Business Insider stated, "It's unclear how much of a re-supply Walmart issued for its first drop, but it's clear that there weren't enough for everyone who wanted to buy one: Despite our own attempts to buy one, Walmart sold out of consoles in less than five minutes." What happened with Walmart was just the start of what could possibly be a long Holiday Season of website crashes and errors while customers try to obtain the latest products. Campaigns Guitar Center Looks to Inspire Music Buffs with New Social Video Series Guitar Center is looking to inspire this Holiday Season with a new social media video series that includes both noteworthy musicians and rising stars. The series, featured primarily on YouTube, starts off with Grammy-winning R&B artist H.E.R. as she strums away and talks about why she makes music. According to Marketing Dive, "With the campaign, Guitar Center not only wanted to understand the impact that music has on the artists featured in the video series, but it also wanted to share joy and wisdom with viewers during a stressful year", Jeannine D'Addario, Guitar Center's chief marketing, and communications officer said in a statement. While Guitar Center is inspiring up and coming musicians and artists to practice their craft, they make sure to incorporate the hashtag "#WhyWeMakeMusic" on their videos to remind people why they are listening and inspire them to continue creating music. PepsiCo Releases a Recipe Hub and Cookbooks to Amplify Kitchen Creativity As one of the largest food and beverage companies, PepsiCo continues to lead the industry by expanding its past food distribution. As Coronavirus cases continue to rise, people across the country are cooking inside their kitchens more than ever, and PepsiCo capitalized on this. The company has launched its very own Recipe Hub titled "More Smiles With Every Bite" and has released two cookbooks that include recipes that incorporate their popular snacks like Cheetos and Mountain Dew. According to AdWeek, C.M.O. of Frito-Lay North America stated, "As the course of this pandemic has evolved, we have to evaluate the role our brands are playing in this new normal, what we've seen is that people's relationship with food has continued to change." PepsiCo's North American beverage segment grew 6% to $5.96 billion for the three-month period ending September 5, rebounding from a 7% drop the previous quarter.

This year’s election has been a trailblazer for many reasons, and social media has become a platform filled with opinions and calls to action. Specific channels have chosen to handle these situations in different ways, such as Snapchat getting more than 1M of its users to register to vote, and Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok adding information sections directing to the news, a function triggered by specific keywords. Overall, many of these platforms have provided a space for users to get information on ballots and registering in the first place. The utilization of social media to encourage users to get to the polls may have arguably been the reason for the historical influx in voter turnout. Hashtags, a fundamental function of mainstream social media platforms, were bound to begin trending during the election, and sites such as Facebook and Instagram had to take action and start banning certain hashtags on their platforms. Like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok were also worried about the possibility of real-world violence that could stem from controversial online conversations. They took blocked hashtags, like “#sharpiegate (in relation to the manual editing of vote slips), #stopthesteal, and #riggedelection. TikTok also blocked these hashtags, “while Twitter has continued to add warnings to all posts it detects which may contain election misinformation,” according to SocialMediaToday. Facebook took further action, shutting down Facebook groups, “which had been created on the back of questions around the election results, due to concerns that they could be used to organize violent protests in response.” During the week of the election, Facebook and Instagram shared banners at the top of users’ home screens titled, “Votes are Still Being Counted.” These social media sites did this to protect users from false or manipulated information regarding the Presidential election. If users wanted more information and updates, they could even tap the banner which would lead them to further resources. Now, after the election has been called (pending any recounts or trials), the banners state, “A Presidential Winner Has Been Projected,” with a link at the bottom that allows users to access the “Voting Information Center.” SocialMediaToday stated, “These official updates serve as a counter to the speculation online, and do seem to be having some impact in quelling angst around the result.” Instagram announced that they are removing the “Recent” posts search option from Instagram to potentially stop the spread of ‘harmful content’ around the election, according to a Tweet from @InstagramComms. They also said they will “...ban ads that wrongly claim victory in the US presidential race or ads that claim rampant voter fraud could alter the results of the election. It’ll also reject ads from the campaigns of President Donald Trump and Democratic nominee Joe Biden if either tries to claim a win prematurely.” According to The Verge, “This scenario makes it critical that misinformation about the results of the election doesn’t go viral before a winner is officially announced.” In social media’s attempt to provide the most informative and up-to-date information about the results of the election, each company is taking vital defense measures to ensure clarity for its users.

Intro: The highly anticipated Presidential Election has finally arrived. In light of this national event, celebrities have been taking to Instagram to shed light on their personal voting experience, while brands have capitalized on the election. The meditation app Calm became the official sponsor for CNN’s election night coverage while Babe Wine curated an Instagrammable election night ‘survival kit’. Along with sponsorships and campaigns revolving around the election, Twitter is also teaming up with seven major broadcast networks to mitigate the spread of false news on the app. In addition to the election, the gap between mainstream media and social media seems to be closing, as stars and platforms expand to reach larger audiences. Celebrity & Entertainment JoJo Siwa Nominated for Her First People’s Choice Award Social media stars are on the rise and are now being seen more frequently on traditional broadcast media. While still having a major presence on social media platforms, stars like Jojo Siwa are transforming the way celebrities and internet stars are being viewed. Last month, Siwa was nominated for the Social Star of the Year category for this year’s People’s Choice Awards. This nomination comes shortly after TikTok star Addison Rae was presenting at the Billboard Music Awards, which is another instance where influencers are crossing over into mainstream media. Award shows have notoriously been dropping in ratings and relevancy for the past few years, and with the miniscule attempts to involve social media stars, that is their way to gain and raise viewership. Ryan Reynolds Speaks Out About Voting for the First Time Now more than ever, there is a certain amount of pressure for celebrities and influencers to not only take part in the presidential election but encourage others to take part as well. For the past few months, most celebrity Instagram posts have been revolving around the election. One of them being actor Ryan Reynolds where he shared how this is the first election he will be participating in and the help he received from wife Blake Lively. Reynold's Instagram post stated, “This is my first time voting in America. I’d like to thank my wife Black for making my first time so gentle and loving. It was super scary at first, then exciting and now I’m a little tired. But proud. #VoteEarly”. With the post now accumulating over 3 million likes and outpouring support in the comments, Reynolds is not the only celebrity to be voting for the first time. Stars like Yolanda Hadid, Noah Centineo, Tan France, and more all took to Instagram to share their first voting experience. Brands & Industry Burger King Encourages People to Order From Sister Fast Food Chains As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to rattle businesses all over the world, restaurants and fast-food chains, in particular, are unifying and encouraging people to support their businesses. Taking a new approach, Burger King UK had tweeted out a statement on Monday saying, “We never thought we'd be asking you to do this, but restaurants employing thousands of staff really need your support at the moment” going on to mention other chains like McDonald’s, Domino’s Pizza, Pizza Hut, and more. Burger King UK also shined a light on the importance of supporting small businesses during this time, as they seem to be getting hit the hardest. This was a big step for a major fast-food chain to promote competitors and will be interesting to see if this type of unity will transfer to post-pandemic times. Twitter Regulating Misinformation In a world where fake news can easily be spewed out on social media, digital platforms are amping up their features just in time for the presidential election. This past Monday, Twitter released details about policies they will be partaking in to regulate the misinformation about the election. In doing so, the social media app also named the seven outlets they will be leaning on to determine whether the race has officially been called. These outlets include major broadcast stations like ABC News, AP, CNN, CBS News, Decision Desk HQ, Fox News, and NBC News. This is in short of prior complaints of Twitter being biased therefore Twitter sought out experts that have verified unbiased decision desks to diminish false claims. TikTok Announces New Licensing Deal with Sony Music In attempts to expand and diversify the variety of music creators can utilize on TikTok, the viral video app has announced a new licensing deal with Sony Music Entertainment. This deal enables creators to be ensured they are not using copyrighted sounds as well as provide them with a library including a wide range of songs. Viewing this deal from a musician's perspective, it benefits them greatly by exposing their music to a larger audience. This comes shortly after a viral clip of TikTok user “Doggface208” riding a skateboard to Fleetwood Mac’s hit Dreams. The clip has now surpassed 69 million views and led the 1977 album ‘Rumors’ to Billboard’s top 10 charts. This is just one example of artists making a comeback because of a viral posting on TikTok and is a great representation of how the app is able to be a powerful platform for new artists. Meditation App Calm Sponsors CNN’s Election Coverage The year 2020 has been full of stressful and unwanted events, and in light of the presidential election, the popular meditation app Calm has teamed up to be CNN’s sponsor for election coverage. As this collaboration seems to completely contrast each other’s content, Twitter data shows that there were 12 times as many tweets about Calm on Tuesday compared to the company’s average. According to AdWeek, Calm has additionally spent $12.6 million in advertisements resulting in a 220% increase compared to 2019. The response on Twitter seemed to have mixed reviews as some took it as the meditation app not being aware of the juxtaposition, while others viewed it as the app utilizing their message to bring calmness over a stressful situation. Campaigns Babe Wine’s Election Night Survival Kit In the month of November, brands have jumped on the opportunity to incorporate their products with the presidential race. Babe Wine has capitalized on the idea that a majority of people following the race needs some type of relaxing outlet. The American wine brand curated an election night survival kit with entertaining stress relievers. The kit includes a pack of "doing great thx" tissues, a bottle of "Polls closing. Bottles opening" red wine, a four-pack of canned rosé, a pillow, and a squeeze ball. As the company has always been pushed by influencers, it has seen great success in sales by already selling out the boxes prior to election night. According to Thrillist, a rep for the brand commented on their intentions of the survival kits, “Knowing all people can do once they cast their ballot is sit back and wait for the final results (we know... easier said than done), BABE has released a cute (and functional!) kit to make waiting for the results a little more comfortable.” Snapchat Launches Snap Connect as Advantage to Marketers Social media apps are quickly evolving and expanding to new audiences and marketers faster than ever before. Platforms like Snapchat are turning their attention to its Snap Focus marketer with a new feature ‘Snap Connect’. According to SocialMediaToday, “‘Snap Connect’ looks to showcase internal experts on Snap's various direct response tools, providing a more in-depth perspective on how to make the best use of the various options at your disposal”. Essentially these new features are specialized courses to take the experience of advertising to the next level for brands and marketers. It allows for clear insights, product solutions, creative practices that are each tailored to a specific target audience. Brands looking to partake in social media advertisements should invest in Snapchat’s campaigns, especially if they are intended for a younger audience.