The Weekly Scoop - 27.06

PR

Swifties unite: why it’s never been cooler to be one of the crowd?

She’s the most famous person on the planet, period. And in just a few weeks of touring the UK, she’s brought in a staggering ￡700 million to the London purse. Quite simply, everyone’s rocking, even royalty.

Swiftie or not, it’s impossible to ignore the cultural behemoth the US artist has built around herself. In this run of UK shows alone, she’s sold out 15 stadiums, including five at Wembley, and has firmly cemented herself in the rich cultural landscape of Britain and the rest of the world. The ‘Swiftie’ is the true definition of serving the masses.???

But Mainstream culture is in a curious place right now. We’re seeing huge amounts of remix and nostalgia in music, film and fashion. But what Swift has achieved is nothing short of incredible. She’s identified and constructed a world within a world, and has become a juggernaut within a collection of faiths, backgrounds, paths, identities and points of view.????

So how do brands achieve the same? Brands need to look for connection, and notably connection with a lot of different people to positively impact their daily lives and find the ties that focus on what really, truly connects and unites their audiences. There is opportunity here for brands to bind us and remind us of things we have in common – we are the masses.?

Find out more?here.?

British GQ: escaping the algorithm

British GQ has slowed things down and stopped trying to “feed the algorithm”.??

GQ‘s European director of audience development, analytics and social, Neha-Tamara Patel, recently told Press Gazette about a strategy shift that has seen the legacy men’s lifestyle brand move away from quick wins towards more considered content with the aim of a more engaged core audience.??

She said: “It was apparent to me that we were doing a lot of what I call ‘feeding the algorithm content’: lots of short-form news, a lot of quick fashion news, all of which was still within GQ’s world but from an audience perspective wasn’t really serving us long term.”??

Since then, British GQ?saw a 47% year-on-year increase in engagement among British users with 71 million engaged minutes in total, according to figures shared by the publisher.??

Is this the end of click-bait and an indication that readers want real, thought-driven content? Find out more?here.?

Social Media

The rise of the virtual influencer…

TikTok is set to enable brands to utilise?virtual influencers within the app. Brands will be able to choose from a range of digital characters that can essentially sell their products via live streams and ads. These digital avatars will come in two formats:

• Stock Avatars?- Pre-built characters which have been created using paid actors and are licensed for commercial use.
• Custom Avatars?– Creators and/or brand spokespeople will also be able to generate their own avatars with a likeness, complete with multi-language abilities.?

Designed to help brands captivate global audiences and deliver impactful messages in an immersive way, brands will input basic information, such as a name and pricing, and proofread the generated script. A more advanced version can even spot live comments and find matching answers in its database, answering in real-time.

Instagram has already been experimenting with similar, enabling creators to build their own A.I. chatbots. However, it looks as though new features still have a long way to go as consumers demand authenticity in a world of deep fakes and AI. Brands need to find the right balance between adopting new technologies and remaining authentic.?

Live for close friends only in 3…2…1

As social media platforms report a shift in in-app engagement towards more private sharing, primarily via DMs and broadcast channels, brands are looking to connect with their audience on a more personal level, while maintaining community within close-knit groups.

To facilitate this, Instagram is doubling down on more intimate group chats, adding?Close Friends?on Instagram Live. This will enable users and brands to live stream with up to three other people on their ‘close friends list’ in a private video session.

For brands, it's a great opportunity to showcase less polished content. A brilliant way for brands to connect with their audience on a deeper level, the function encourages deeper connections and brand loyalty. Brands can also collaborate with other like-minded brands or creators, inviting them to co-host on the live stream, expanding the audience to their close friends, also.