In this edition, we explore TikTok's current ad landscape, and ways the FTC is tightening regulations for creators in the nutrition space.

We also uncover insights into the US creator economy, changing search trends, and a case study of Nissan's TikTok collaboration.

Plus, our spotlight on a creator that promotes mindful fashion just in time for Black Friday.

#QuickNumbers

79: The number of minutes Gen Z spends on TikTok per day

$179,000: The average salary of a full-time creator in the US

200,000 + : The number of businesses using TikTok Shop

$50,000: Possible fine for creators  that don't disclose paid F&B posts

Business Insider watched 1000 TikToks and nearly 1/3 were ads

Business insider watched 1000 TikToks and nearly 30% of the TikTok content displayed were ads, product reviews, sponsored content, affiliates, and business self-promotion.

Quick math would suggest that Gen Z watches roughly 330 TikToks a day, with roughly 100 of those being product/brand related 🤯

Creators Uncovered: Insights from a study of US creators

The Kelley Advisory group set out to better understand the U.S creator economy.  They set out to answer a number of questions such as who these creators are, their sources of income, their motivations and their outlook on the future. Some interesting finds from the report:

→ There are 27M paid creators in the US, it’s a full-time job for 44% of them (11.6M)

→Full-time creators earn an average of $179K per year

→ Macro influencers(250K+ following) earn an average of $344K per year

→ Nearly 6 in 10 creators “almost always” have an ongoing relationship with brands…brand ambassadors are the way

→ The majority of creators say they “have experienced difficulty getting paid and would like to change the collaboration process they have with brands”

FTC cracks down on food industry for paid dietitian 'influencer posts

Federal regulators announced warnings against two major food and beverage industry groups and a dozen nutrition influencers to  enforce stricter standards for how companies and social media creators disclose paid advertising.

Holding both influencers and industry accountable for social media marketing campaigns that fail to make clear who is funding them (⚠️naming the brand vs relying on vague hashtags like #ad or #sponsored ⚠️)

The agency urged the trade groups and nutrition influencers to remove posts or add proper disclosures—future failures could trigger fines of more than $50,000 for each violation

How consumers are using search

→ Searches for cars and automotive queries are now bigger on TikTok than on Google

→There are 503% more searches on TikTok than Google for fashion-related terms

→ YouTube steals hair tutorials and how-to guides for the hair and beauty industries

→ YouTube is the most popular channel for tech search - bigger than Google

How Nissan used creator-led assets to launch the Nissan ARIYA

We worked with our friends over at TikTok to help Nissan drive awareness for its Nissan Ariya Model.

#paid collaborate with popular STEM creator @AsapSCIENCE, known for “making science make sense”, to develop fresh content that explored the physiological impact of Nissan tech on the human body.

To ensure the TikTok-first content hit the brand’s key message of explaining how the human body interprets thrill while driving, the videos focused on the scientific facts first. This allowed Nissan to connect with the TikTok audience on a deeper level, keeping them engaged with purposeful content that didn’t come off like a standard ad.

Check out the full case study

Creator Spotlight: Meet Christina Mychas

Christina is a shopaholic turned minimalist-ish who advocates for slow fashion not no fashion!

She has 410,000+ followers across Instagram, TikTok and YouTube with a focus on sharing how to show intentionally to build a wardrobe that is minimal, sustainable and mindful. Christina thoughtfully cultivates her wardrobe to find more with less.

She strives for balance in her approach. Through her minimalist-ish journey, she advocates for low/no-buy periods to help her audience make conscious choices on how they spend their money.

Follow Christina:

• Instagram
• YouTube
• TikTok

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