Mediaboss Marketing

PR pros and marketers know plenty about Gen Z, the group of Americans born after 1996. In addition to their racial and ethnic diversity and the potential to be the most-educated generation, theyre probably known best for an affinity with social media. Indeed, they average 2 hours and 55 minutes per day on social.

Yet PR pros and marketers have saddled Gen Z with several stereotypes. They reflect Gen Z behavior, but miss the underlying psychology. A better understanding of Gen Z's social media motivation may bolster your targeted campaign.

Peer pressure is an important factor driving Gen Z's heavy engagement. Humans are inherently social and desire a sense of belonging. Gen Z seeks this connection online, having created a rich, quickly evolving culture through social media.

Members of this generation feel pressure to be in the know with the latest humor, nostalgia, lingo and pop-culture references. Remaining current requires consistent engagement, as social media enables rapid virality and changes in trends.

In addition, Gen Z feels pressure to engage with peers on social, which has become an extension of day-to-day interactions. Unspoken rules, which vary by platform, guide online etiquette. For example, in many friend groups, there is an expectation to like and comment. Gen Z is receiving marketing and advertising content while adhering to these online social norms.

While Gen Zs high level of online engagement seems tantalizing for PR and marketers, its rarely a direct line. For instance, engagement often occurs in distracting settings. Theres a lot of automatic processing and users often expend little cognitive effort on content.

When creating content, marketers should be aware of how environments unique to Gen Z affect consumption. For example, much of Gen Z is in school, and students frequently check social media while walking between classes (or even in class).

Furthermore, 66 percent of Gen Z frequently use multiple devices simultaneously. A typical Gen Z is streaming Netflix while checking Instagram. Many descriptions of Gen Z fail to address these environmental factors. Offline behaviors provide important insights to online behaviors.

Moreover, environments Gen Z engages with social media vary by platform. Instagram and Snapchat feature primarily visual content and allow engagement in distracting, public settings.

In contrast, TikTok depends on audio, and users are more likely to use the platform privately. Platform-specific content can be optimized for these settings and their resulting psychological impact.

Social platforms serve as catalysts for word-of-mouth communication amongst Gen Z. As a result, peer content is critical.

While influencers can reach Gen Z, non-influencers also are extremely important. Their low-key content is perceived as raw and authentic, characteristics Gen Z values.

Gen Z greatly enjoys reading and engaging with the comments section on social. Members spend as much or more time on it than viewing original content. Gen Z is quick to post and comment, contributing immediate, blunt reactions. As Gen Z users compete for likes, comments are humorous, dramatic or even antagonistic.

As such, marketers should pay close attention to comments, as they shape and reframe how viewers interpret content. Furthermore, marketers can directly observe Gen Zs communication, gaining insight about lingo, memes and trends.

When creating Gen Z content, consider algorithms. Just as SEO determines web search results, algorithms underlying social media platforms determine which content achieves popularity, and thus, cannot be ignored.

Many algorithms are heavily dependent on engagement. Development of provocative, intriguing, comment-worthy content that stimulates engagement can leverage algorithms to achieve greater reach.

Elise Karinshak is a Foundation Fellow at University of Georgia, class of 2023

Original post:
Gen Z and Social Media: What PR and Marketing are Overlooking PRNEWS - PR News - For Smart Communicators

First off, we must acknowledge that when this drinking game started, it was not called "Smirnoff Icing." No, back in the bad old days of 2010, it was called "Bros Icing Bros." As much as this prank has transcended its frat boy roots, it very much started as a trick that fraternity brothers played on each other.

Unlike most other drinking games, the origins of Smirnoff Icing can be precisely traced back to the very beginning. That beginning, we're sorry to say, was an email from some frat bros at the College of Charleston in South Carolina to the website BroBible. The email laid out the two crucial rules of the game: First, that if a friend surprises you with a Smirnoff Ice, you must immediately drop to one knee and drink it, regardless of the setting. Second, if you happen to have a Smirnoff Ice on your person when somebody attempts to Ice you, that unlucky trickster must drink both your Ice and the one they tried to prank you with.

Although the original email to BroBible hid the identity of Smirnoff Icing's inventor, quite soon after that, a South Carolinian who identified himself to Fortuneas "Joe" registered the brosicingbros.com domain name. Whether or not Joe was the true inventor of the fad, he certainly brought it to the mainstream.

See original here:
The Untold Truth Of Smirnoff Icing - Mashed

As we head into the final weeks of 2021, TikTok has shared an overview of some of the top creators and trends of the year, which also serves as a summary of the broader web trends and memes that dominated another COVID-impacted period.

As explained by TikTok:

This year, our community discovered new ways to express creativity, championed the teams and the causes they care about, and found new favorites - from recipes to new music trends and genres. Across the United States, creators inspired others to open a new book, chomp on hot chicken, and treat themselves to a "Bones Day."

There are some interesting, and potentially valuable considerations in here, both in terms of what people are engaging with, and the content styles and formats that work best on TikTok.

First off, TikTok has shared the top videos of the year, starting with Drone Dancing by David Allen (aka @totouchanemu)

The video incorporates several key elements of the most popular TikTok clips, including a pop music soundtrack, a remix of an existing clip (though not direct) and an engaging, creative visual style. The clip is currently sitting on 313.9 million views and 43.9 million likes, underlining the reach potential of viral TikTok clips even with a relatively simple, yet interesting idea.

Other videos on TikToks top clips list include:

Music also plays a key role on TikTok, which has made the platform a key consideration for many artists and publishers, with some new even altering their tracks to fit in with TikTok trends, and maximize sales.

The top songs on TikTok in 2021 were:

TikTok has also shared the most popular AR features among users thoughout the year, with the Psychedelic Clown effect topping the list.

As you can see in these examples, the effect is most commonly used in a self-deprecating way, making fun of your own foolish decisions.

Other popular AR effects were the Inverted Filter which, flips the camera perspective, and lets you see how other people see you in real life, while Versailles Run, which adds your face to an animated effect, and Buffering were also heavily used.

TikToks also shared a listing of products that gained traction among TikTok users, which point to the expanded potential of eCommerce in the app.

TikTok has also shared insights into the top rising stars on the platform, popular food trends, top creators looking to raise awareness of various causes, and emerging communities, like #BookTok and small business tips.

Its an interesting overview of how the platform is expanding its horizons, as it continues to grow, and how people are utilizing TikTok clips in a variety of ways to connect and engage.

If youre looking to get a better understanding of what TikTok is all about, and what works on the platform, the creators and clips listed here provide a good starting point - and if TikTok is on your digital marketing agenda for 2022, its worth digging deeper on each, and getting a better perspective on the key trends and elements.

You can check out TikToks full best of 2021 overview here.

Read more from the original source:
TikTok Shares the Top Creators, Clips, Effects and Songs on the Platform in 2021 - Social Media Today

Influencer marketing continues to grow in the United States, with 2021 witnessing a 26.7% increase in sponsored Instagram posts. Meanwhile, sponsored stories increased by 33.5%, with influencers creating an average 16 sponsored stories a week.

The growing demand for this type of endorsement advertising was unveiled by the 2022 The State of Influencer Marketing report.

The report was compiled by Klear, an influencer marketing platform for Fortune 500 brands and agencies. The study involved the review of more than three million posts across the leading social channels.

The findings are important for small businesses, as they demonstrate the surging demand for this type of marketing. Small businesses not yet utilizing influencer marketing to promote products and services could be missing out on opportunities for sales and growth.

The reports authors note how social media habits are changing and influencers are playing a key role in accommodating for new demands.

2021 redefined the role brands play in consumers lives, and the way in which consumers relate to brands. Consumer habits have forced brands to prioritize digital and adjust budgets, which has dramatically increased the role influencers play in a brands overall strategies, the report states.

The analysis of millions of social media posts found that micro-influencers have dominated the influencer marketing trend. In 2021, 91% of all sponsored post engagement was with content created by micro-influencers.

Micro-influencers have smaller, more focused audiences, which can generate higher engagement. With high engagement, these types of influencers can offer the best ROI for brands.

Consequently, micro-influencers are a brands top choice for collaboration, the study found.

Klears analysis explored the social channels proving most popular for collaboration with micro-influencers. It showed TikTok generated the most collaborations with micro-influencers, with brands beginning to understand how the platform fits into their social marketing strategy.

However, Instagram remains the most popular social channel got influencer marketing, with 94% of campaigns incorporating the hugely popular image and content sharing social network.

Image: Depositphotos

Link:
Influencer Marketing Continues to Grow in US - Small Business Trends

After experimentation and initial success, advertising on TikTok has gone from a nice-to-have to a have-to-have for Dr. Squatchs media mix.

Over the last year, the mens natural personal care company, has spent big on the platform, carving out between 10-15% of its ad budget to advertise on the short-form video app, according to CMO Josh Friedman. As TikTok has reportedly surpassed 1 billion users with ads that work, Dr. Squatch is leveraging both a paid and organic presence to reach newer, younger customers there.

TikTok had crazy, incredible growth, especially among younger users, Friedman said. We wanted to be able to reach this demo in the right place, with the right content.

Dr. Squatch initially launched its TikTok presence back in 2019 and has since racked up more than 120,000 followers. Per Friedman, half of Dr. Squatchs customers from TikTok are under the age of 25, while about 15% of the brands customer acquisition comes from the app.

Content comes by way of an in-house team, supplemented by influencers, agency partners and brand partnerships, including the current brand partnership with Halo video game. For paid posts specifically, the brand mostly utilizes TikToks self-service ads. Friedman points to Dr. Squatchs investment in both organic and paid strategy as the key to the brands success on TikTok.

Notably, YouTube was the first platform where we really cracked that code [of going viral], he said. In some ways, we were a brand that was ready for TikTok, ready to jump in once it became an opportunity.

Friedman declined to share any details how much Dr. Squatch spends on TikTok. In Q1 and Q2 of this year, Dr. Squatch spent more than $7.6 million on media, down from the nearly $30 million spent in 2020, per Kantar. (These figures do not include social spend as Kantar does not track that. Also, figures for network radio only include Q1.)

Dr. Squatch is just one of a number of brands that are starting to see TikTok as a staple of the social budget, per earlier Digiday reporting. As more brands look to diversify their media spend, TikTok may be a solid alternative, according to Brandon Biancalani, manager of paid advertising at Modifly social marketing agency.

You can really get those fundamentals of advertising down on TikTok. It could be a really powerful platform, where were coming with a marketing plan, he said. You have to be safe and keep the brand in mind. But you also have to be adventurous.

As TikTok continues to roll out shopping capabilities and improve its ad suite, spending big on the platform makes sense, per Biancalani, who noted that before shelling out ad dollars, advertisers need to understand their target audience to see if they mesh or overlap with TikToks niche communities.

Understanding your demographic, not just going after your basic interests, but finding new ones and creating content for it, that would be part of my big spend with TikTok strategy, he said.

When it comes to testing new channels, Dr. Squatch isnt risk-averse. Earlier this year, Digiday reported that Dr. Squatch started to put ad budget toward Snapchat to diversify its media mix. Facebook still eats up the majority of the brands ad spend, per Friedman, but TikTok is seemingly growing as a more credible alternative option.

Its very rare you find things that come close to [traditional digital channels], added Friedman. We see tons of additional potential as TikTok continues to grow and improve their platform. Were going to be looking to grow with it.

Update: After this story was published, Dr. Squatch disputed Kantars figures and said that it is spending more on media in general this year than it did in 2020. Dr. Squatch again declined to provide more specific figures.

‘Looking to grow with it’: How TikTok is becoming a staple in Dr. Squatch’s social spend

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Looking to grow with it: How TikTok is becoming a staple in Dr. Squatchs social spend - Digiday