The Weekly ?? HUBdate ??

Helloo People!

With monsoon setting in slow and steady in Bengaluru, it’s the perfect time to review that horror movie list... What say? ????

Ooh! I have a random movie recco for you. Take it or leave it, but ‘Smile’ is a must-watch for the psycho-thriller/horror buffs out there! Let’s just say I wouldn’t like to see anyone smile for a bit after screaming my way through to the end of that movie ??

But of course, the sequel’s out in October, and guess who’s gonna head to the theatres to traumatise themselves again?

Me! ??

Binge-watching aside, with the rain finally pouring down on the streets of Bengaluru, we’re back with a thrilling storm of updates! ??

From Spotify ’s surprise collab to the doom of influencers and 苹果 ’s glowing new Siri, there’s a lot to catch up on. So, get cozy cause that’s exactly what I would do!

Oh, and don’t worry about your hot chocolate! Because these stories are gonna be your steaming cup of tea ??

Is the Influencer Era…. Dying Down?

Well, the influencers themselves are alive, but their influence….

methinksitsded ??

The influencer market that we know of, is facing a drift. Don’t get me wrong, influencers are still thriving! If we’re talking stats, the industry is worth a whopping 21 billion USD with 72% of users still following influencers.

What I would do with this money… no one needs to know ??

But such numbers mean everything’s well and good right?

WRONG!

Remember that drift I was talking about?

Ahem… well, industries and audiences are now looking for more than just product placement shoots and commercials. Trends are changing and the secret is out! Building sales and credibility need not be wholly influencer based. Surprise, Surprise! ??

Instead, the focus is now on B2B influencing via platforms like LinkedIn as well as employees stepping into the limelight as the faces of their brands.

Additionally, broadcast channels and quirky newsletters (like the one you’re reading right now ??) are stepping up to provide personalised and private spaces with influencer led communities. (Wait… that means… I’m an influencer?)

We personally loved Shama Hyder 's The New Rules of Influence in 2024 which emphasised the importance of experimentation and 'presence in absence.' Intrigued? Go check it out!

A great example of employees as faces of brands was seen in Amanda Perelli 's newsletter, Business insider Creators with one of her editions talking about rising influencer managers, working behind the scenes.

There’s more buzz around “Quanlity” (didn’t make this one up, trust me) rather than quantity. So more power to valuable relationships with intimate connections rather than a wider network!

I gotta say it, posing with a glass of “TeaTox” (I made that up) that you’ll never drink ain’t gonna cut it anymore ??

Influencer, Influenza.

The New Era of Apple Intelligence

Ever too lazy to create your own posts?

I’ve heard that Siri can now take in-app actions! You wanna pull up a certain photo? Siri will do it for you. You wanna make the photo pop? Siri will enhance it for you. You wanna add it to someone’s contact list/bio? Siri’s got that down. Oh and she also..

GLOWS.

What’s more? Ummm, a little controversial, but if you’ve been photobombed, you could kinda just… erase the bomb… I guess? Oh! Oh! Or you could also stick a genmoji to cover them up. Yes, Apple’s new update will now feature AI generated emojis - genmoji (got some sass to it- me thinks).

With her richer language understanding capabilities, Siri will now be able to understand you better even when you fumble. FINALLY! Someone who can keep up.. needed me one of those. I’m a chronic fumbler you see.

Seriously though, these updates can now help marketers/creators/influencers with creating inputs on personalised content for communities and experts of niche industries. I mean, Creators’ Galore right?!

WAIT! There is a flip side...

Audiences certainly have mixed reactions to Siri being a strong independent woman. The ick is related to how Apple might be promoting such intelligence, which now works on apps tracking your data, while also promising the privacy they provide. Something to think about.

So, Ick or Sick?! Head over to the comments and lemme know!

John Giannandrea

Spotify X The Creator Economy

Our streaming giant Spotify, who could never coerce me into going Premium, has now teamed up with creator hub Nebula for a video streaming initiative.

Stellar... right?

Well, this giant looks ready to step into the creator economy alongside creator-built platform Nebula , which will bring original video content to Spotify’s 615 million global users!

Spotify has been a little uncertain in the past while exploring this avenue and even backed away when met with a cluster of new competition.

“Creators are at the core of everything we do at Spotify”

said Jordan Newman , Head of Content Partnerships, expressing the excitement surrounding the introduction of diverse video content to their audience.

Nebula’s content will now be hosted on Spotify for Creators , Spotify’s very own hub that provides podcasters with resources for community building. The deal’s a win-win for both companies. It perfectly aligns with Spotify’s strategy to break into the creator economy while also highlighting the work of Nebula’s talented creators.

Will this collab prove to be the great explosion part of a Supernova or the dying star part?

Only time will tell!

Dave Wiskus Maya Frangié Simon Buckmaster

HUB Weekly Highlights ??

See you next season, my lovely readers!

Signing off!