The Engagement Rate

An industry bulletin for marketing pros.

Hey! It’s good to see you again, welcome and Happy New Year ❣️

Ever since someone told me that Panasonic (otherwise known as the Panini, also known as the Pan-Demi Lovato or officially known as the Pandemic) was four years ago, I can’t help but wonder what the hell have I done since then? Other than that, I am doing good and I hope you are too! 

We’re rolling our sleeves up at The Engagement Rate, ready to deliver a year of industry-leading news and resources for you. Strap on 💺, (no not that 🍆 one) and sit back for your weekly industry bulletin.

Influencer & brand wins of the festive period 🎄

🍸Gin-gle bells, Gin-gle bells! 

Ryan Reynold’s Aviation American Gin had a stellar Christmas campaign with a clever Times Square billboard featuring a brain teaser—three images, a QR code, and a witty link to their new holiday ad 'Gingle Bells.'

🧑‍🎄Santa baby… 

Stir, a dating app tailored for single parents, spiced up the holidays by launching 'Milf on the Shilf,' featuring Busy Philipps [Mean Girls] leveraging the Elf on the Shelf trend. The campaign was created with RQ agency, aimed at addressing the feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy reported by 86% of single parents using dating apps.

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To find out what’s going on in this fast-changing field, we talked to a range of experts with a diverse media focus and carried out a survey of over 7,000 content creators. This report contains the results: actionable insights to help you create best-in-class content in 2024. Get full report.

The best creator partnerships of 2023

Before we delve into 2024, my history professor once used to say: “to know your future is to know your past”. As brands rev up another gear of influencer marketing, let’s look back at 2023’s best creator partnerships to see what learnings we can adapt for the new year. 

The landscape of influencer marketing marked a significant shift, emphasizing the significant role creators play in brand campaigns aimed at engaging younger consumers. Here are some notable brand-creator partnerships in 2023: 

🏈State Farm decided not to air a TV ad during the 2023 Super Bowl

Instead, the insurance company opted for a collaboration video with Khaby Lame on TikTok. The 160m+ followed TikTok star, known for his humor without uttering a word, was the perfect fit with younger audiences and provides a lesson that the best advantage is to leverage your creator’s USP. 

🏠Airbnb comes to the rescue

Alix Earle, undeniable social media star with a brand partnership roster that includes L’Oréal Paris and Bumble, made buzz when she was stranded in Italy after her rental house turned out to be a scam. Airbnb reached out and set her up with a luxurious waterfall villa and received a shoutout from Earle for saving her holiday. The video has received over 4m views and shows how the most agile companies that drop their to-do list in favor of mobilizing a rapid response like this can reap some big rewards. 

🌯Introducing the “Keithadilla”

When food critic, Keith Lee, who holds over 15m followers on TikTok, shared a glowing review of the viral fajita quesadilla menu hack at Chipotle, the restaurant quickly teamed up with the creator to turn his order into an official, limited-time menu item: the “Keithadilla.” To promote the launch of the new item, Chipotle replaced the sign on one of its Las Vegas restaurants to read “Chipotlee” (and another to read “Chipotlex” in honor of creator Alexis Frost, who initially popularized the fajita quesadilla menu hack). The chain also tapped Lee to serve as a judge for its #ChipotleTasteTest contest, which invited TikTok users to share their own menu hacks for a chance to have them temporarily added to the Chipotle menu. The brand amassed nearly 29 million views across its series of TikTok videos tied to its partnership with Lee and the #ChipotleTasteTest contest.

“High gloss” fashion influencers are so last season…

Whether you like her or not, there’s a lot of lessons you can take away from “Tube Girl”, Sabrina Bahsoon. Traditional influencer models, characterized by high-gloss content and endorsements are receiving diminishing returns. It’s time to embrace a more genuine, relatable and entertaining style. 

Findings from the BoF-McKindsey State of Fashion 2024 Consumer Survey have unpacked the changing landscape of the industry, showcasing consumers preference away from the conventional approach of following polished and aspiration fashion influencers as there is a lack of authenticity and an abundance of sponsored content. 

Platforms like TikTok, known for championing authenticity and unfiltered creativity, has become a catalyst for this shift, especially given Gen-Z’s ability to filter fake or phony influencers in seconds. Instead, those exhibiting quirkiness, humor, and vulnerability gain traction and influence. Just take individuals like Alix Earle, Madeline Argy, and Sabrina Bahsoon, who have garnered substantial followings on TikTok by embracing their unique personas and creating content that resonates with authenticity, thereby capturing the attention of both consumers and fashion brands. Their offbeat, genuine approaches to content creation stand out in contrast to the pursuit of likes or projecting unattainable ideals.

Brands need to adapt to this shift and form deeper and more symbiotic partnerships with these new-wave influencers. Rather than employing traditional one-off collaborations or show invitations, the brands that are winning at this game have ongoing relationships that involve greater creative freedom for the influencers who may have one or two ideas on how to turn more heads. 

Making the most of AI for influencer marketing

It’s no doubt that AI is making developmental headwinds at an enormous pace and influencer marketers will be looking to 2024 as the year they take full advantage of its offerings. 

Yes, there are still teething problems, especially on authenticity and representation of diversity. This will take time to mature. Yet, there is much to get ahead of, here are three strategies to maximize AI’s impact on influencer marketing: 

📊AI for Analytics and Content Enhancement

Use AI tools to decipher consumer behaviors and trends, refining content strategies and enhancing content aesthetics, tone, and format for better audience resonance.

🤝Partnering with AI-Savvy Influencers 

Collaborate with influencers proficient in both their niche and AI integration, ensuring they use AI ethically to create engaging content while maintaining authenticity.

🎨Balancing AI and Human Creativity 

Avoid overreliance on AI - view it as a supportive tool to harness analytical precision while retaining human creativity, ensuring campaigns maintain relatability and human-centric approaches.