Should Brands Address Social Issues? When it comes to social justice, what role do brands play? As conflict around the globe continues, marketers are put in a challenging position when it comes to making brand statements. It’s nearly impossible to make a perfectly neutral statement that will satisfy all points of view, which is what many brands try to do in an effort to avoid alienating potential customers. Interestingly enough, consumer preferences on how involved brands should be in social justice movements are evolving in real time as world events unfold. In 2021, 54% of American consumers expressed companies should take a stance on social issues. However, according to research by Gallup and Bentley University, some consumers are walking back that claim. Per this year’s Business in Society Report, only 41% of Americans now believe brands should take a public stance on social causes. However, it’s important to note that the drop in interest in brand advocacy doesn’t ring true for all demographics. According to the Gallup and Bentley study: 53% of buyers between the ages of 18 and 29 believe brands should take a public stance on current issues (compared to 47% of buyers between 30 and 44, and 35% of consumers over 45) 44% of women believe brands should advocate for social issues compared to 38% of men Consumers who identify as Black or Asian (61% of both populations) want to see brands take a public stance 57% of consumers who identify...

Are Meta’s Celebrity Bots Taking AI Too Far? She looks like Kendall Jenner and sounds like Kendall Jenner, but is introducing herself on Instagram as Billie. Who is she? Billie is an AI-powered bot managed by Meta using Jenner’s likeness. Meta has rolled out a group of bots played by familiar celebrity faces including Paris Hilton, Tom Brady, and Snoop Dogg. Image Source Each bot has its own niche, specializing in specific topics for conversation. Tom Brady’s character Bru is a sports debater, primed for discourse with sports fans. Snoop Dogg’s character is a dungeon master, ready for conversations with fans of Dungeons and Dragons. Jenner’s character Billie is positioned as a big sister figure whom users can message for advice. When the news first broke, there seemed to be some confusion around whether the images and videos were actually of celebrities, or if they were generated by AI. In the introductory post for Jenner’s Billie, users left comments such as: “AI is getting out of hand….” “Is this legal? did Kendal consent to this? is she getting money from this?” “I would say I always know AI when I see it. This one seems nothing like AI to me. If it actually is AI generated ... I will freak out.” So far, the content featuring celebrity likenesses are real videos, with each celeb playing a human version of their bot. However, the chat features and messages from these accounts will be generated by AI. Why is Meta using...

The NFL's Latest Marketing Play: Taylor Swift Taylor Swift is one of the biggest stars in music with an incredibly engaged fan base. Over the years the singer has generated as much interest in her personal life as she has in her music, and her most recent relationship is no exception. News recently broke that Swift is dating Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce. Swift has been photographed attending some of Kelce’s games in his suite with family and friends, and the NFL immediately jumped on the opportunity to use her appearances as marketing moments. How the NFL Used Taylor Swift in Its Marketing The NFL frequently updates its social media profiles to highlight key games happening that week. Recently on Instagram and X, the NFL highlighted Swift’s attendance at Chiefs games to generate interest and engagement. During her second game appearance, the cameras cut to her 17 times throughout the game. Featuring her so many times created excitement among her fan base who likely tuned in hoping to see her. Why is the NFL doing this? Taylor Swift’s fan base, also known as “Swifties” are some of the most engaged fans in pop culture. Swift’s Eras tour was one of the year's most popular attractions, generating $2.2B in North America. With her entering WAG territory, her fans are now interested in football. The recent Chiefs-Jets game she attended averaged 27 million viewers, making it the second-highest-watched game of the regular season. Viewership among teen girls...

How Sorority Rush Became Big Social Media Business Sorority recruitment has transformed from a secretive process to big social media business. In the fall of 2021, sorority rush at the University of Alabama took TikTok by storm, effectively becoming RushTok. During that recruitment season, sorority hopefuls posted daily TikTok vlogs sharing everything from their outfits of the day, to what they’re carrying in their bags, documenting the entire process until the sororities made their final selections. Audiences worldwide quickly became captivated by the process, choosing their favorite recruits to follow and root for. To date, the hashtags #BamaRush and #RushTok have 4B and 2B views, respectively. Potential new members (PNMs) curated their social media feeds months in advance, hoping to make a good impression. Some PNMs who documented the process via TikTok used the week of events to jumpstart careers as influencers, continuing to deliver (sometimes branded) content to the audiences amassed during recruitment. @allison_carlson Thank you @Poppi #fyp #xyzbca #prhaul #unboxing #universityofalabama #bama ♬ Ceilings - beabadoobee It’s not just the potential recruits using social media to make an impression — the chapters also use social media as a recruitment tool. Plenty of RushTok videos also showcase highly choreographed dance routines and friendship-based content to woo potential new members. ...

KFC Reminds Us of the Importance of Culturally Sensitive Marketing In addition to chicken, KFC is frying up controversy. On August 24 Azim Akhtar, KFC Canada’s Director of Marketing, tweeted a few billboard images from the company’s new “It’s finger lickin’ good” campaign. Sorry Utensils, It's Finger Lickin' Good. Latest campaign, I couldn't be more proud!! pic.twitter.com/ktmN5TrHOS— Azim A. (@AzimAkhtar_) August 24, 2023 While the ads are supposed to be playful, suggesting that utensils aren’t needed to enjoy KFC, X users quickly pointed out that all of the images featured Black people eating fried chicken and feed into harmful stereotypes. Upon receiving the pushback, Akhtar took to X to clarify that the print images were part of a broader campaign and shared a video version of the ad that featured a diverse group of actors casting aside utensils to enjoy KFC with their hands. My earlier post didn't capture the full diversity of our latest campaign and I personally apologize for not being more thoughtful in my excitement to share the campaign and only sharing certain photos. Here is the 60-second spot that is more representative of Canada's diversity… pic.twitter.com/HpeO3nc0f2— Azim A. (@AzimAkhtar_) August 26, 2023 Though sharing the video was an attempt to provide broader context, it left social media users wondering why the creative used on the billboards didn’t reflect the...

X Marks The Spot: What’s to Come After Twitter’s Rebrand? Last month Elon Musk announced that Twitter’s new name is X. The name change is supposed to mark the platform’s evolution from a social media tool to an “everything app” that includes banking, e-commerce, and expanded social features. According to author Walter Isaacson, Musk has been on a mission to make fetch X.com happen since 1999. That year he launched the site offering a range of digital finance products, and the site eventually merged with another company becoming PayPal. Since the initial version of X.com didn’t exactly revolutionize the financial system Musk is hoping to try again, this time using Twitter as the vehicle to do so. But does this evolution make sense for the app formerly known as Twitter? From a media standpoint, there are a lot of implications. Since its launch in 2006, Twitter has shaped how people learn information and communicate with one another. When news broke, Twitter was often the first platform people would go to for a quick pulse on major headlines. Or when Instagram got glitchy, the hashtag #InstagramDown would immediately trend on Twitter. As the changes to the platform keep coming, it is no longer a platform for immediate information. With major news publications leaving the app, and competitors entering the marketplace, the way users engage with Twitter is beginning to shift. However, it’s going to be difficult to fully rebrand. After all, Twitter isn’t just a platform — it’s also...

How Snapchat is Bridging the Gap Between Sports Fans and Their Favorite Teams Snapchat created an immersive experience for fans watching the 2023 Women’s World Cup. When the games kicked off last month, Snapchat launched a suite of augmented reality (AR) features and exclusive content to connect soccer fans with National Teams across the globe. The content package includes: An AR “Team Tracker” Lens that allows fans to create team-oriented content Up-to-date stats and highlights A feature that lets users dress their Bitmoji characters in their favorite team’s Adidas uniforms Unique stickers and filters commemorating the World Cup A twice-weekly Snapchat-exclusive show covering various elements of women’s soccer A series of challenges encouraging users to share World Cup-related content for a chance to win cash prizes This partnership marks Snapchat’s investment in AR tools and athletics. The platform collaborated with the U.S. Women’s National Team and media company Togethxr to develop exclusive AR Lenses created by female designers to show advocacy for women’s sports. Image Source Snapchat’s Next Play AR continues to be a major focus area for Snapchat. The app has been investing in AR technology for the past few years to align with Gen Z shopping habits allowing users to virtually try-on products before purchasing them. Snapchat’s latest content offering not only got existing users excited about following the World Cup but was a good acquisition play to bring soccer fans onto the platform. And with an official...

Inside Podcasting’s Profitability Dilemma Among listeners, podcasts are more popular than ever. But from a business standpoint, the industry has lost its way. The golden age of podcasting spanned from 2015 to 2022. During this time, shows like Serial popularized the medium, and the COVID-19 pandemic led to a boom in podcast production and engagement. Media companies began putting a lot of money into the medium. For example: Spotify invested over $1 billion into podcasting, acquiring Anchor and Gimlet, and inking multimillion-dollar partnerships with public figures including the Obamas, Joe Rogan, and Meghan Markle. Amazon purchased Wondery, incorporating content from the podcast network into the Amazon Music platform. Though 60% of adults in the U.S. identify as podcast listeners, the industry hasn’t demonstrated the same growth trend for profitability. Over the past year, we’ve seen investments in the podcast industry scale back. Markers of this include: Spotify’s string of layoffs shuttered Gimlet media and the podcasts it produced. The company has also ended its partnerships with Archwell and Higher Ground Productions. NPR’s layoffs led to the cancellation of four major shows. SiriusXM shutting down the once-popular podcast player Stitcher. What happened? Podcasting has yet to find a sustainable path to profitability. Podcast listenership is growing — who’s footing the bill? Unlike other types of media such as radio and print, podcast production and distribution are pretty democratized. When you open your podcasting app or check out Apple’s New and...

How Duolingo Struck Social Media Gold with Unhinged Content Duo, Duolingo’s big green mascot, might be the most famous owl of the post-tootsie roll pop commercial era. The language-learning app first established a TikTok presence in early 2021 and found its stride by sharing funny videos featuring the sassy owl Duo. Since then, Duolingo’s TikTok account has grown to nearly 7 million followers and accumulated over 147 million likes from various viral videos. How did Duolingo do it? By embracing “unhinged” marketing. What is unhinged marketing? When brands take less of a polished, perfect approach to social, and embrace more chaotic conversational moments, it’s often referred to as unhinged marketing. If you see a social media post and think “How did that get approved?” it can likely be considered unhinged. This approach was first popularized on Twitter when Wendy’s became infamous for “roasting” social media users and openly shading the competition. Since then, other companies including Popeye’s and McDonald’s found viral moments by sending sassy Tweets. Unhinged marketing can be particularly effective at winning over Gen Z customers who prefer marketing that feels more real and less salesy. What may have been deemed unprofessional in the past is now considered more authentic and relatable. With the introduction of TikTok and the rise of short-form video content unhinged content now expands beyond fast food companies sending mean tweets, and Duolingo has capitalized on it. Duolingo’s TikTok Strategy Since shifting from investing in TV ad spots to a focus on organic...

Threads and Spill: Can These New Apps Dethrone Twitter? Since getting purchased by Elon Musk, Twitter has been in a highly-publicized tailspin. Between staff cuts, unpopular feature changes, public disputes with reputable media entities, and declining traffic and ad revenue, the platform has had a tumultuous year. One thing Twitter hasn’t had to deal with in its 17-year history is direct competition. While there are plenty of other popular social media platforms, they all serve different purposes. Instagram, traditionally a photo-based app, is a place to share visual content. Facebook is for communicating with people you already know and engaging in groups. TikTok has a unique hybrid of video and audio content for entertainment. YouTube focuses strictly on video. But Twitter was the only major platform offering real-time text updates and microblogs from a variety of sources all in one feed. Until now. The introduction of daily limits created a sense of urgency for frustrated Twitter users who don’t want to pay for a Twitter Blue subscription to find an alternative. While apps like Mastadon and Bluesky have been on the scene, barriers to entry have prevented Twitter users from migrating to these apps en masse. However, over the past few weeks, a few new standouts have emerged. Spill: A Black-Owned Twitter Alternative Spill, a visual-based conversational platform where users can share GIFs and images with up to 90 characters of text overlay, was created by two former Twitter employees. It launched in June 2023 and is currently...