Creator Economy Scoop: Pinterest as an internet oasis

YouTube launched new shopping features, Meta is leveling up Messenger and a Beyonce country album means cowboy aesthetics are dominating Instagram. Here’s the rest of this week’s scoop: 

‍Quick numbers 💯

30 billion hours of shopping related videos were watched on YouTube in 2023 [1]

55% - YouTube gives up 55% of every ad dollar it generates to content owners who upload videos [2]

21% of 18- to 24-year-olds start their search with with TikTok, while 5% start on YouTube [3]

75% of marketers rely on third-party cookies worldwide [4]

What you should know  ☕

Instagram university newsletter: Spring trend forecast

• Country aesthetic is stronger than ever—flooding our feeds from @dualipa @sza @bellahadid and @camilla_cabello
• Return of the 2010s— OG filters like Valencia and X-Pro II are back and people are posting square posts

Social Media Week TLDR

• Social listening is where the magic happens
• The future of social is niche communities
  • Brands like Tory Burch are leaning into the actively engaged superfans on platforms where they can connect without an algorithm getting in the way.
• Things are getting political whether or not creators and brands are ready for it
• “You know what I really like? Pinterest. I’ve got a lot of stuff saved. I deleted Instagram and Twitter on my phone. I have TikTok and  I have Pinterest… Puppies, breakfast, workout videos, and bootie shorts. I see all the content I want to see,” Megan Thee Stallion

Paramount is considering a VidCon sale

Consumers worldwide prefer online over in-store search

• 72% of consumers almost always or mainly searching for electronics online
• When it comes to purchasing, consumers also buy electronics (55%), clothing (54%), and toys, books, and games (52%) always or mainly online

Dove pledges to never use AI in its advertising

• For Dove, real beauty means no artificial intelligence
• Unilever brand pledges to never use AI in its advertising to portray real people
• 73% of women feel more pressure to be beautiful than they did eight years ago

Dude Perfect raises more than $100M in investment

The state of influencer-brand deals 2024

• US marketer spending on sponsored content on social media will rise by 16.0% this year to $8.14 billion.

Social platforms 📲

Meta  📸

• Meta announced new features in Messenger conversations, including high def images, shared albums with friends and the ability to send files up to 100MB

‍YouTube  📹

• YouTube launched new shopping features:
  • Affiliate Hub which lists Shopping partners, commission rates, promo codes, and enables creators to request samples from brands
  • Shopping Collections which allows creators to curate their own virtual stores
  • Creators can now connect their Fourthwall shop

TikTok ⏰

• TikTok confirmed it’s testing a new photo app, TikTok Notes
• TikTok plots using virtual influencers for advertising

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