Happy Friday Jr. — our second favorite day of the week. 🤠 Fall's in full swing and the marketing world is busier than ever. This week we saw Oatly offer free ad space to competitors (??), Twitter / X is testing a subscription model and we've gathered the "overnight influencer" playbook that you need to apply to your brand ASAP.
So let's get you up to speed — here's everything you need to know now within the marketing + creative space.
Consider this newsletter a resource for marketers, by marketers. Enjoy!
How Your Brand Can Apply the “Overnight Influencer” Playbook
Social is an endless scroll. Where to stop? Here we analyze relevant moments, cultural trends and the marketing geniuses behind it all.
The "overnight influencer" — it doesn't happen often, but when a creator experiences explosive growth seemingly suddenly, you take notice. So what can marketers note from these social sensations? Here are a few ways you can apply these viral creators' playbooks to your brand.
Sabrina Bahsoon
"Social anxiety is afraid of u girl" is the top comment on a pinned video of Sabrina Bahsoon lip-syncing on the London Tube — with 69K likes on the comment, most people agree. Sabrina, AKA Tube Girl, captured the attention of TikTok users just last month, growing hundreds of thousands of followers within weeks and taking the internet by storm. What drove her explosive growth? A winning combination of being authentic and aspirational. Though having the confidence to dance while surrounded by people on public transportation isn't relatable to most, it's authentic to Sabrina — and has subsequently become aspirational for many. Sticking to her ethos of bold self-confidence, Sabrina has ultimately encouraged others to do so as well — a phenomenon that many have dubbed "The Tube Girl Effect" — and she's just getting started.
📝 Sabrina's Playbook: Authenticity > relatability. Though "relatability" is a buzzword we hear often, consumers can see right through it if it's manufactured. In Sabrina's case, her level of confidence is not relatable to most, but her authenticity is so inspiring, that it's become aspirational.
Jake Shane
Whether it was a comedic historical reenactment or an octopus review, everyone remembers the first Jake Shane video they saw on their FYP. Jake burst onto the scene in February of this year, growing a million followers in a month. The catalyst for Jake's exponential growth? Audience engagement. Jake's numbers started to soar when he began asking his audience what they wanted to see from him — and he listened. The result? Followers rushing to his comment sections to request more — and they haven't stopped yet.
📝 Jake's Playbook: Engage, engage, engage! Leverage tools that help ensure your audience feels valued, i.e. interactive Stories, comment sections, etc.
Alix Earle
In late 2022 Alix Earle shot to the top of everyone's social feeds — and she's not coming down any time soon. How did she do it? Through "Get Ready With Me" content — with a twist. Though GRWM videos have long been a trend on social, Alix began sharing GRWM content not focused on guiding viewers through her routine, but taking them behind the scenes of her life — recapping her nights, sharing her messy room and diving into her personal life. It resonated, and since then, her audience has been hanging on her every word.
📝 Alix's Playbook: Let your audience in. Consumers want to feel connected to what's behind your brand — the process, the people, etc. — BTS is a great way to start.
Though these three creators have differences in their approach to content, there is one throughline — their content is incredibly genuine, and that may be their most valuable play of all.
A Few Months Out – Twitters Rebrand + Meta’s Launch of Threads
The summer of 2023 was a big one for the social media world — Elon Musk famously rebranded Twitter to X, and Meta dropped an X rival, Threads. But where are they now? Let's break it down.
Is it "Twitter" or "X"?
Twitter's rebrand to X came with confusion. Many were unclear about Musk's vision for the platform — and for most, that sentiment remains. Some have referred to the rebrand as a meaningless stunt, while others have strong feelings about the change. So what do we know now? The rebrand resulted in a decrease in app downloads and active users, and due to various boycotts of Musk's management of the platform, ad revenue is down substantially. Additionally, in recent news, X announced that they will be testing a new subscription model in an effort to combat bots. Rolling out in the Phillippines and New Zealand, users will have to pay $1 annually to have full access to X. With this change coming at a time when Musk is looking for additional revenue streams on the app, some users are wary. Remember Threads?
Threads had a hot start. Twitter had just gone through extensive shake-ups culminating in their rebrand to X — brands were excited for a new option. Post-launch, Threads has struggled, seeing a drop in users engaging with the app, many on it for less time and others not logging in at all. In an effort to combat this fall, Threads is regularly releasing new features — most recently, a voice memo feature allowing users to share their thoughts in their own words was added to the app.
Where will these social platforms go from here? Time will tell, but until then, we'll keep you in the loop!
Add these Q4 dates to your Marketing Calendar...
It's that time of year... 'tis the season for holiday campaigns. This year, we want to help you take the load off, so we'll be sharing tips and tricks to help you maximize your holiday efforts while minimizing your stress — because everyone deserves a #BreefBreak.
We recommend screenshotting this or saving to your starred folder — here are Q4 dates to add to your marketing calendar ASAP.
Holidays:
🗓 Oct 31st: Halloween
🗓 Nov 1st - 2nd: Día de los Muertos
🗓 Nov 12th: Diwali
🗓 Nov 23rd: Thanksgiving
🗓 Dec 7th - 15th: Hanukkah
🗓 Dec 24th: Christmas Eve
🗓 Dec 25th: Christmas Day
🗓 Dec 26th - Jan 1st: Kwanzaa
🗓 Jan 1st: New Year's Day
Shopping + Shipping Dates:
🗓 Nov 24th: Black Friday
🗓 Nov 25th: Small Business Saturday
🗓 Nov 27th: Cyber Monday
🗓 Nov 28th: Giving Tuesday
🗓 Dec 22nd: Last Ship
🗓 Dec 26th - 31st: Post-Season Sales + Gift Card ShoppingFor our full Q4 Key Dates Guide, click here.
Marketing Wins we <3
Who doesn’t love a marketing win? Below are recent marketing moments we couldn’t help but share — and their main takeaways.
Oatly Buys Ad Space for Competitors — Under One Condition
Yes, you read that right. As a part of their campaign for mandatory climate labels in the UK, Oatly is offering free OOH, print and radio ad space to any dairy company... as long as they're willing to print their climate footprint data on product labels.
💡 Takeaway: Back up an attention-grabbing hook with purpose. Though Oatly's ad may seem like cheeky clickbait, the campaign lander is packed with information and resources giving meaning to the message — and yes, a real application for dairy companies to win free ad space.
Pat McGrath Labs and Google Make a Splash With Monet McMichael
In an AR push, Shop with Google has partnered with Pat McGrath Labs to give users the opportunity to try on beauty products virtually before purchase. To launch, the brands released a spot starring creator Monet McMichael showing the tool in action — in a way that couldn't be more fun!
💡 Takeaway: Show don't tell — especially when it comes to a new or unfamiliar product. Monet's spot visually communicates the value of the product so that it doesn't have to be explained. You know what they say — a picture's worth a thousand words.
Apple Gives Students a Study Buddy
With midterm season in full swing, Apple partnered with Euphoria star (and current USC student) Storm Reid on a "Study With Me" video. Though she uses a Mac Book throughout the video, there's no heavy push to purchase Apple products — the video simply offers calming music, focusing techniques and runs for 1.5 hours, giving students the opportunity to study with Storm.
💡 Takeaway: Deliver value at every touchpoint. Providing your community with resources without the purpose of sharing bold marketing messaging builds loyalty.
Marketing Jargon
In marketing, it feels like there's a new term being thrown around every day. We've got you! Here are a few you should have on your radar (and mention in your next meeting).
Content Shock: The idea that there is more content being created than humans are able to consume, i.e. people simply can't absorb past a certain amount of information. ❗️Note: This is where quality vs. quantity comes into play — with all the content out there, ensure that what is absorbed delivers!*
Freemium: Free + a premium — a pricing structure where a basic model of a product or service is free of charge, but additional features or quality improvements cost money. ❗️Note: E.g. a free photo editing app that charges for additional tools.
Ephemeral Content: Any type of content that is visible for a limited amount of time, i.e. Instagram Stories and Snapchat images.❗️Note: When ephemeral content was introduced on Instagram, it roughly doubled the time users spent on the app. Why? Users didn't want to miss anything! Used right, ephemeral content is a *key* tool to drive engagement.
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That wraps issue no. 10 of The Breef POV! Keep an eye on your inbox for the next edition. In the meantime, browse more on The Breefing Room.
