Welcome to Ad Age’s influencer marketing news roundup. Each week, we’ll be highlighting the latest developments at the intersection between brands and the creator economy, including new partnerships between brands and creators, notable new features across social media platforms and the growth of creator-led businesses.
Have tips or news to share about influencer marketing and the creator economy? Email Gillian Follett at [email protected].
Nailea Devora and Revlon: Devora, a 21-year-old influencer and model with 19 million followers across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram, is Revlon’s newest global brand ambassador. Through Devora, the beauty brand is aiming to connect with “two of [its] biggest growing consumer bases of Gen Z and Hispanic/Latin Americans,” said Revlon Brand VP Maribelle Orengo in a press release. Devora is the daughter of Mexican immigrants, per the release, and she will work with Revlon to create TikTok and Instagram content in addition to appearing in the brand’s in-store displays and digital advertising.
Sofia Richie Grainge and David Yurman: Several months after her lavish wedding captivated the internet and thrust her to digital stardom, Richie Grainge—daughter of singer Lionel Richie—has been named luxury jewelry brand David Yurman’s newest global ambassador. For David Yurman, the partnership reflects the brand’s ongoing efforts to resonate with Gen Z consumers with a new lineup of ambassadors aged 30 and under—efforts that seem to be succeeding, if the brand’s ubiquity in “Bama Rush” TikTok content is any indication.
Noonoouri and Warner Music: Noonoouri’s new partnership with Warner Music Central Europe marks the first time a virtual influencer has signed a record deal. Noonoouri and Warner Music last week released the digital influencer’s first song, “Dominoes,” in collaboration with German DJ and producer Alle Farben. Noonoouri’s vocals were performed by human singers and modified using artificial intelligence, according to a Warner Music spokesperson. The virtual influencer’s new song reflects a larger interest in digital creators among Gen Z and the increasing growth of AI in art and music.
CapCut launches an affiliate program: TikTok parent company ByteDance is leaning further into its video editing app CapCut with a new initiative to urge creators to spread the word about the platform beyond TikTok. CapCut yesterday announced the platform is actively recruiting creators to its affiliate program to share videos edited using CapCut across Instagram and YouTube. CapCut has become increasingly interwoven with TikTok content as more of the platform’s trends have stemmed from CapCut video templates—and with the new affiliate program, ByteDance is promising “generous rewards” of up to $20,000 and customized video templates to creators who help extend CapCut’s reach to rival social platforms.
YouTube streamlines its ad controls: YouTube said it will soon “take the guesswork out of which ad formats to use” for creators with a new, automated ad placement system. Beginning in November, all newly uploaded videos will have their ad formats—such as pre-roll, post-roll or skippable ads—optimized by YouTube, rather than requiring creators to choose which types of ads to include in their content. YouTube opted to remove this responsibility from creators after hearing from them that “making individual selections was confusing for both newly monetizing and existing creators,” the platform said. At the same time, the platform is expanding its mid-roll ad opportunities—which remain fully controlled by creators—to help livestreaming YouTubers maximize their potential revenue. These creators will be able to set how frequently and when these mid-roll ads appear in their live content, according to YouTube creator liaison Rene Ritchie.
Threads pilots a highly anticipated search function: Since the July launch of Instagram’s sister app Threads, users have unanimously requested a search bar enabling them to sort through posts on the app—a basic function on nearly every social media platform. Finally, last Thursday, Instagram head Adam Mosseri revealed Threads is piloting that coveted search feature in Australia and New Zealand as it prepares to launch the function globally. Threads’ lack of search functionality—along with missing discoverability features such as hashtags—is one of the factors that social media managers and marketers have pointed to as holding them back from leaning fully into the platform.
SuperBloom House reveals its creator roster: Content production company SuperBloom House, founded by industry veterans Briony McCarthy and Tom Dunlap in early 2022 to link brands directly with writers, filmmakers, photographers and other creators, this week unveiled its initial roster of creator partners. These new members of SuperBloom House’s so-called Creative Collective include screenwriters and producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage—who worked together on TV dramas such as “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.”—along with nearly two dozen other creatives. The announcement comes as Hollywood’s SAG-AFTRA strike persists and leaves many writers, actors and other Hollywood figures out of work and seeking alternate income streams.
A number of TikTok creators have sought to capture potential brand partners’ attention by sharing polished, professional-quality videos highlighting a brand’s products. But for the past two weeks, brands have been flocking to Siavash Ebrahimi’s videos not for mesmerizing, glossy imagery but instead for his satirical take on this genre of content. In the videos he’s created for brands including Pepsi, Lipton Iced Tea (above) and Bounty, Ebrahimi builds anticipation with elaborate-looking product staging, only to reveal a laughably poor quality “commercial” for the brands.
Ahead of New York Fashion Week, which kicks off on Friday, fashion brand PrettyLittleThing unveiled its new collection co-created with model Naomi Campbell. The brand incorporated Threads into its social content surrounding the runway show that displayed the collaboration with Campbell, sharing a simple, lo-fi video of the model strutting past the person filming. And, notably, that straightforward video clip performed far better than a more polished photo carousel from the runway show that PrettyLittleThing posted to Threads later that day.
Also read: Fossil uses New York Fashion Week to reintroduce its brand
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