DIGITAL MEDIA DIGEST: FEB ‘21
A monthly look at the world of digital from NORTH’s point of view
Celebrating Black History Month
by Nicole Bell, Media Director
The trial for the murder of George Floyd starts in just a few weeks. It has only been nine months since his death dominated global headlines and reignited the Black Lives Matter movement for the non-Black community. Last summer was filled with protests, black squares on Instagram, and brands taking a stand to dismantle systematic racism.
So, where are we now? It’s Black History Month and while a lot of the, for lack of a better word, hype around Black Lives Matter has died down there are some brands still doing the work to amplify Black voices.
Apple celebrated Black History Month (BHM) in a few different ways. There is a wide variety of BHM content across all of its platforms, a hub of Black-developed apps in the app store, a new Apple Watch, and my favorite — the “Hometown” series. Apple commissioned Black photographers to, “capture and share their hometowns with the world through their unique lens.” Of course, all photos were shot on an iPhone.
For Black History Month, Peloton released an apparel collection that celebrates Black artists across the world. The at-home fitness mogul not only collaborated with four artists to create these custom pieces, but they also made mental health for people of color a priority with a hefty financial contribution to The Steve Fund.
The beauty industry is also stepping up. Sephora and Ulta Beauty have vowed to double Black-owned brands by the end of the year. Just a few weeks ago, Ulta Beauty took another step towards antiracism and released their MUSE (Magnify, Uplift, Support, Empower) platform that will honor Black voices in beauty.
Supporting small businesses, Etsy has turned its homepage into a spotlight on Black-owned shops while sharing the stories of the owners.
These are just a few of my favorite ways brands have followed through on their commitment to diversity and inclusion, but there is still such a long way to go. Roughly 42% of the US population is a racial or ethnic minority. Yet, less than 10% of Americans feel represented in advertising. Twenty percent of young American consumers buy brands that reflect their values.
Now more than ever representation matters, and brands no longer have the privilege of remaining silent about social injustice.
Note to readers: As an ally to the Black community, it’s my job to amplify Black voices and hold the non-Black community accountable. I will not always get it right.
YouTube Launches New Tools for Creators to Monetize Their Content
by Madelyn Engel, Performance Marketing Manager
Like many digital platforms, YouTube thrived in the pandemic lockdown that was 2020, with watch time increasing 25% worldwide in just Q1. In the first half of the year, total daily live streams grew by 45%, and half a million channels live streamed for the first time. From artists performing in their living rooms to churches moving their services online, these “first-time streamers accounted for more than 10 million streams on the platform,” reported CEO, Susan Wojcicki.
Over the last ten years, YouTube has aimed to help creators build and grow their businesses via YouTube, primarily through their YouTube Partner Program (YPP) which allows members to run ads in their videos and keep a share of the revenue earned. In 2020, the number of new channels to join the YPP more than doubled year over year. CEO Susan Wojcicki revealed that over the past three years, YouTube has paid out more than $300 billion to creators. Wojcicki cited an Oxford Economics report, which found “YouTube’s creative ecosystem contributed approximately $16 billion to the U.S. GDP in 2019, supporting the equivalent of 345,000 full-time jobs.”
Recently, YouTube revealed their top priorities for 2021, and it’s no surprise that continuing to find new ways for creators and artists to monetize their content is a key priority. Many of YouTube’s new initiatives for 2021 are aimed at increasing the number of content creators, helping creators to grow their channels and audiences, and allowing creators to earn money directly from viewers.
In both an attempt to adapt to video consumption trends and a way to eliminate the barrier to entry for creators, YouTube is launching YouTube Shorts in the U.S. this month. Shorts is a stories-like vertical video format that allows users to create clips of 15-seconds or less, with a maximum length of 60 seconds. These videos are launching in the U.S. after 6 months of Beta in India. YouTube reports that the number of Indian channels using Shorts creation tools more than tripled in the last two months. Furthermore, these Shorts receive more than 3.5 billion daily views.
These videos draw a lot of comparisons to TikTok, including the format, creation tools, multi-segment camera feature, music additions, and speeding up or slowing down videos. The YouTube homepage will launch a carousel designed for Shorts, and users will be able to navigate between videos by scrolling vertically. Videos can be created with the in-app camera or uploaded, and any vertical video of 15-seconds or less qualifies for inclusion in the Shorts carousel.
YouTube Shorts helps eliminate the barrier to entry for new creators as users don’t need any equipment or editing tools. This allows new users to immediately start contributing content to the YouTube ecosystem without having to film and edit an entire video. Furthermore, these videos are counted like regular video views and can help creators reach the threshold for the YPP more easily.
YouTube is also launching new analytics tools to help creators improve and grow their channels. Creators can now compare the performance of multiple videos over time to identify trends in their top and bottom performing videos. Analytics will also show creators what other channels their audience is watching consistently over the past 28 days. This will give creators insight into what their audience wants to see when they come to YouTube and can also help creators identify potential partnerships and collaborations.
Lastly, YouTube is working to expand ways that creators can monetize their content with an emphasis on earning money directly from viewers through an integrated shopping experience that will roll out later this year. CEO Susan Wojcicki cited a Talk Shoppe survey stating that 70% of consumers have made a purchase recently after seeing the brand on YouTube. YouTube’s Chief Product Officer, Neal Mohan, stated “We’re beta testing a new integrated shopping experience that allows viewers to tap into the credibility and knowledge of trusted creators to make informed purchases directly on YouTube.”
Clubhouse — The Newest Social App On The Block
by Kati Ruthart, Guest Writer
Since the dawn of social media, we’ve lived through several new platform launches. Some stay with us and some are short lived. One thing they all have is a new take on how to connect people in this ever-changing digital world, and Clubhouse is no exception to that rule.
Clubhouse, an audio only social media app, is a mixture between a conference call and podcast with one key twist. The app is invite only, and if you get your hands on an invite, you are only designated 2 invites to send out initially. In January, I was able to score one of these invites. From there, I took a deep dive into content overload.
The app function with clubs and rooms based on topics, industry and interest. Mixed with an exclusive invite only system, the app has attracted the likes of tech giants and celebrities such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Tiffany Haddish, and Kevin Hart. Clubhouse now creates a keynote speaker experience at your fingertips — a different way to access information. Instead of purchasing a ticket to a conference, you can now engage with CEO’s and Billionaires all from the comfort of your own home. This creates a unique opportunity to eliminate gate keeping industry secrets and network with your industry titans.
Since I have been on the app, I have listened to hundreds of hours of content in everything from ad tech to social issues to celebrity interaction. I have connected with people all over the world and it has translated outside of Clubhouse onto LinkedIn and Instagram. The ability to have a conversation that creates an opportunity to learn from peers that I never would have come across is unparalleled. In a time where we are forced to work remotely, Clubhouse has created an opportunity to engage in a way that is more authentic — with just your voice.
As with every new platform the next question begins — how will brands be able to integrate into the app? Will it monetize? Will an ad platform be available? With Clubhouse, it might be too early to tell, but brands are already looking for ways to integrate their identity into the platform in a meaningful way. A traditional hard sell might not be the best approach for brands moving forward on the app, but brands such as Popeyes, Burger King and Tim Hortons, are using the app to create transparency through open forum discussions about the companies earnings. For now, it seems the brands who are on Clubhouse are thriving through authenticity — not polished messaging.
The app is currently valued at $1 billion dollars less than a year after launch and sitting around 2 million active users a week. Where will this go? Will this be another Vine? How long until other platforms tap into the features Clubhouse offers? Only time will tell.
