The Engagement Rate

An industry bulletin for marketers.

Good morning to all my brain-rot girlies. TikTok trend alert: whatever you might call these videos. 

E.l.f. parodies Olympics for good cause

E.l.f. has become the first official beauty partner of Hot Girl Walk, a fitness organization promoting movement among women. 

To celebrate this partnership, E.l.f. released a two-minute parody video mimicking televised sports competitions, featuring Olympian Gabby Douglas and actor Patrick Warburton as sportscasters. Developed with agency Movers+Shakers, the clip follows three walkers in a humorous "Hot Girl Walk Championship," blending a popular TikTok trend with Olympic excitement to promote E.l.f.'s Power Grip Dewy Setting Spray. Chief Brand Officer Laurie Lam highlighted that the inspiration for the campaign came from the community's enthusiasm for group walks and the product's popularity.

In the video, the sportscasters narrate the walkers' challenges, such as leaf blowers, while emphasizing the use of the setting spray. Hot Girl Walk creator Mia Lind appears as a judge. To extend the campaign into real-life activities, E.l.f. will sponsor a Hot Girl Walk event in Miami next month and launch a Snapchat lens to enhance mobile engagement. This initiative aligns with E.l.f.'s strategy to connect with younger consumers through digital trends, following their recent ventures like a commerce experience on the gaming platform Roblox.

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Brands are surging in spending… 

Magellan AI's Q2 2024 Quarterly Benchmark Report has dropped and everyone’s talking about it. 

The report reveals a 22% year-over-year increase in podcast advertising spending, highlighting the medium's growing popularity across the U.S, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Germany, and Australia. The report analyzed data from over 101,628 podcast episodes and found that the number of brands entering the podcast ad space grew by 1.9% from Q1, with 1,516 new advertisers. The average ad load increased to 7.19% in Q2, contributing to an overall average of 9.11% across sampled episodes. Top spenders included BetterHelp, Amazon, and Shopify, with the gaming industry showing the most significant growth in ad spending.

Notable trends include a shift in ad placement and duration, with mid-roll remaining the most common placement, especially for new brands. Direct response ads accounted for 44% of spending, while brand awareness campaigns represented 54%, a 15% increase year-over-year. The top 500 podcasts garnered the majority of ad spend, though their share decreased slightly from Q1. Genres like True Crime and Society & Culture had the highest ad loads, while sports podcasts were particularly popular among new advertisers. Additionally, podcasts simulcast on YouTube had a higher share of host-read ads and direct response advertisers but a slightly lower ad load compared to traditional RSS-fed podcasts.