Marketers, huddle up! The Super Bowl marketing playbook is under review and new players have joined the team. We need a new game plan.
While million-follower influencers might book high-production commercials (like a $7 million Super Bowl ad spot), some brands are turning to micro-influencers and their niche but mighty communities for their game-day marketing.
In the U.S., small influencers are now the highest-ranking in terms of impact on consumer behavior. Even a big player like Paramount+ recognized the chance to promote its Super Bowl live stream through the self-proclaimed TikTok’s favorite grammy Sandra Moroney, whose followers might not otherwise tune into the game on their own.
The authenticity that comes with smaller creators might have something to do with the appeal. There’s an emotional connection between micro-influencers and their followers and highly specific audiences that brands can capitalize on. For example, an elementary school teacher with a few thousand followers who love her football-themed lesson plans caught the attention of the Miami Dolphins, earning her a sponsored trip to the Super Bowl.
It’s a trade between quantity and quality, especially for small businesses with a tighter budget: you may not get millions of views, but you could get hundreds (or even thousands) genuinely listening to your message. What seems like a Hail Mary play could be one of your more successful strategies around events like the Super Bowl.
TL;DR: Brands are partnering with micro-influencers this Super Bowl season showing that social media reach has just as much value as ad spots on game day.
Apple Is Typing ...
Hello, Customer (who only shared their phone number for 10% off their first order)!
Thank you for signing up for our marketing messages.
Reply STOP to opt out.
Unless you’re a devoted fan, these marketing text messages may come across as a nuisance. But studies show they’re an effective marketing channel — 33% of consumers don’t mind the text format, and 51% are more likely to spend after getting a marketing text message. Now, Apple is offering a way to make text message marketing more engaging as it finally makes the switch to Rich Communication Services (RCS), an alternative messaging format to the classic SMS.
Apple phones were previously incompatible with RCS — that’s why iPhone users would have trouble when texting with an Android phone (like the dreaded green text). But RCS — a more interactive communication protocol that allows features like group chats, read receipts, typing indicators, and higher-quality multimedia — is becoming the industry norm. Now that Apple is adopting RCS, marketers can take advantage of the greater visual appeal, higher engagement rate, and verified sender status when texting with Apple fans.
SMS is still the popular and cost-effective choice, but as RCS goes universal, it’s worth looking into it as an alternative to your current messaging strategy, or as a new marketing avenue altogether. But keep in mind that any direct messaging is a more personal approach than emails and requires a delicate balance to keep customers from sending that STOP.
TL;DR: Apple will switch to RCS making text message compatibility between iPhones and Android better. Marketers should keep an eye on RCS as an option for their direct marketing strategy.
You're on Mute
TikTok's latest trending song is the sound of silence … literally.
The companies could not settle on a renewed licensing agreement after UMG asked for better compensation for its artists, alleging TikTok is paying singers a fraction of the rate of other platforms. UMG also noted its apprehension of TikTok’s attitude toward AI and content moderation. Now, songs from powerhouses like Taylor Swift and Harry Styles have been wiped from TikTok.
Even if you’re not a TikTok user, take this as a warning sign — if you use content from third parties in your videos (sounds, filters, templates, etc.), you might not be safe from the whims of their creators.
Going forward, digital marketers should prioritize future-proofing their video content strategy. Continue to use original or license-free songs and sounds to avoid copyright violations. Make sure also to download and save any videos you post online, ideally without sound, just in case you need to re-upload in the future. Stay up-to-date on video platforms’ latest news to react to events like these quickly. Creators who knew about UMG’s potential decision ahead of time were able to prepare better for the fallout than those caught by surprise.
And for now, gain a little inspiration from how TikTokers are rebounding. Many clever users are using it as a creative opportunity to sample different sounds, sing their own covers, and experiment with new trends.
TL;DR: Universal Music Group is removing all of its songs from TikTok,
leaving content creators with muted videos and marketers focusing on future-proofing tactics.
WHAT LIT US UP
Dairy Girls
While the biggest men’s sporting event of the year is right around the corner, this one’s for the girls. As the fandom for women’s sports grows, marketers want to connect with this emerging and engaged audience. For milk, this means creating an event of its own (yes, you read that right — we’re talking cows).
After a successful campaign last year sponsoring female marathon runners, MilkPEP (the milk industry’s advertising branch and the creators of the iconic Got Milk?) saw the opportunity to make a greater impact in the women’s sports community. They announced the Every Woman’s Marathon, a race designed specifically for women, complete with a two-day female wellness festival featuring music, yoga classes, and more. The goal of the event is to make milk matter more by connecting it to the larger conversation on women’s health and wellness.
MilkPEP drafted an all-star roster to help shape the event, including the first woman to run the Boston Marathon, Kathrine Switzer, Olympic medalist Deena Kastor, and national poet laureate Amanda Gorman. Amanda was featured in a promo video announcing the race, which racked up more than 80,000 YouTube views and 60,000 TikTok views on the first day of release. In addition to the event itself, MilkPEP is aiming to connect with the broader online running community via a series of running guides and other health and wellness content.
2023 was a record-breaking year for women’s sports, and brands are starting to tune in to their marketing power. Beyond just sponsoring an event, MilkPEP made a point to connect with the community it was marketing to and understand what made them tick. Milk’s marathon shows that digging deeper and demonstrating devotion to an engaged audience can set you ahead of the pack.
TL;DR: Going beyond just sponsorship, milk (yes, milk) is creating a women-only marathon to connect more deeply with the women’s sports community, an increasingly powerful audience.