Go Raps Go! Not a Raps fan? No problem. Tim Hortons new commercial with Raptors’ Superfan Nav Bhatia brings out all the feels. Raptors fan or not.

If you haven’t seen the commercial yet, you really should. This commercial is the quintessential feel-good content marketing story. It takes an ‘average’ someone that people are familiar with (not a celebrity) and celebrates their story via a piece of content that would make even the hardest cynic melt.   

Nav Bhatia has been a Superfan for the Toronto Raptors for 24 years. He has never missed a game since the team’s inception in 1995 and has sat in seat A12. every. single. game. To say he was excited when the Raptors finally headed to the championship finals is an understatement.  

The Instagram algorithm - it’s allusive, it’s confusing, and you hear EVERYONE in Marketing talking about it. But what is it actually… Well, for starters, the Instagram algorithm is forever changing, so it’s hard to pinpoint one solid definition and or formula. Essentially, the algorithm is a piece of code that determines what posts you see in your feed, how often you see certain accounts, and which ads get served to you within the platform. The algorithm determines what to serve you based on three primary factors: Interests, Timelessness, and Relationships.

It’s hard to stay away from your own reflection these days. Video calling has become a daily occurrence for many, and we all have ample time at home to stare into the mirror and fixate on the person staring back.  

In Ontario, we are approaching our fourth month of government mandated self-isolation. We are all feeling the impact of being cooped up indoors, especially with the summer weather tempting us outside. With no tangible end in sight, this freeze on our lives can start to take its toll on the way we think (or overthink) about our physical and mental selves.

What is a micro-influencer? A micro-influencer is someone who has between 1,000 to 100,000 followers. Micro-influencers focus on a specific niche or area and are generally regarded as an industry expert or topic specialist. 

2020 will see a rise in micro-influencers and not just in the traditional sense.  This will include Peer-to-Peer (ie.‘Someone Like Me’) Influencers, Family & Friend Influencers as well as the Employee Influencer.

 Data shows that brand content shared by employees get 8X more engagement than if it was shared by the brand’s social channels. Being an advocate and expert of a brand as an employee builds trust and is word-of-mouth marketing at its finest.

…What to measure when creating an influencer marketing campaign.

Influencer Marketing is just like any other advertising medium in that there are many different metrics to consider when reviewing a post report but which one/s are the MOST important. We are often asked - how many clicks did the post get?  What was the engagement rate?  How many people viewed the video?  Which post did the best organically?  

With all of us still socially isolating at home, we’ve had to pivot away from the traditional ways of doing things, to embracing some new techniques. Production is one main area that has been affected, as it remains challenging, and at this point still unlikely, to gather a team to capture professionally produced content. User generated content, aka UGC, has taken over out of necessity, but as people get more comfortable self-producing, this style will continue to grow in popularity. In fact, UGC is often seen as more authentic, approachable, and in a sense, more honest, as brands communicate with their audiences more casually and without having to spend huge budgets.

But even though self-producing video content at home is super easy to do, it can be daunting if we’ve never done it before. So, we thought we’d offer a user-friendly guide on how-to set up a simple at-home studio, so you can feel confident in joining in on the fun!

What will you need for an at-home studio?

Have you been thinking about the past lately? Getting lost in old photos? Watching your favourite retro movies (helloooo Disney+ !) or even making traditional family recipes you literally have never tried making before??

 If you’re feeling all, “they don’t make things like they used to…”, then you’re not alone. 

Studies indicate that experiencing distress, or “negative mood” is a common trigger of nostalgia and that these distressing experiences can include loneliness, boredom, and “self-discontinuity,” all of which are now daily norms as we self-isolate in our homes and watch the 24-hour news coverage of the pandemic.

P I V O T - If you haven’t used this word in the last 6 weeks, where have you been?  

Once the dust settled and everyone got used to our new “norm”,marketers around the world have had to pivot. But what does that mean exactly? Well to be honest, it means different things to different brands, depending on the industry.

 Over the past 6 weeks we have seen a surge in online activity from all the major social platforms. Instagram has seen increased usage by 40%, FB by 70% and Tik Tok has seen crazy growth as people try to keep themselves sane/entertained.  

Have you heard? There’s a new kid on the social media block; TikTok is taking over screens across the globe. True to its name, users tend to get lost for hours on this platform, with its addictive content and unique strategy has led to over 1BB monthly active users. TikTok has cemented its place amongst top social media platforms and is poised as a blue ocean opportunity for marketers.  

TikTok’s rise to social media stardom is not accidental; its ascent was carefully planned and executed by its parent company ByteDance. TheChinese organization purchased the app Muciscal.ly back in 2018 and converted that usership to TikTok. From day one, TikTok had vast reach across NorthAmerica. TikTok’s designers have also broken the status quo with several key features of the app (for a more detailed report on this check out our latest blog post – Unwinding the Inner Workings of TikTok).

Even with the ‘Like’ count missing from plain site, influencer marketing continues to grow.  It is a great way for brands to get their product or cause, in front of an engaged and connected audience; with the marketing possibilities continuing to grow.  And why wouldn’t it? Influencer marketing statistics show, for every $1 spent on influencer marketing, businesses are making $5.20 in earned media value.

 Influencers are receiving partnership and sponsored post proposals more frequently than ever: 45% of influencers receive approximately four campaign proposals a month.  They are in high demand, have tight turn around schedules and their content is booked for months in advance.

With this is mind, here are some important things to remember when venturing into an influencer campaign. 

If you are reading this article, you are probably stuck at home. You have already devoured all eight episodes of The Tiger King and have resorted to scrolling through your social media feeds for entertainment.  You are not alone; with millions of Canadians turning to online platforms to keep them occupied during the COVID-19 pandemic, digital media consumption has soared to unprecedented volumes. One platform in particular is reaping the benefits of the nation’s stay-at-home orders; TikTok. 

If you don’t know already (Gen X – looking at you), TikTok is a social media platform specifically designed to present short-form video.On the surface, it appears to be very similar to the now deceased Vine (RIP). The platform is comprised of seconds-long quirky clips created to momentarily entertain users. However, if you peak beneath the surface of TikTok, you will reveal a powerful engine designed to keep users on the app for hours at a time.

Firstly, Everyone’s an expert

Power has switched. Previously, shoppers relied on certain brand or information source to get what they wanted. Now companies must innovate, drive prices down, streamline and glitter their offerings to entice shoppers. Rather than be seduced by brands’ marketing, consumers look to each other for advice on what to buy and where, and how to get the best product for their money

Secondly, ‘The customer is always right’ has never been truer

Firstly, I want it nowI want it now consumers seek frictionless experiences that mesh with their lifestyles, allowing them to dedicate more time to their professional and social lives. They often turn to apps that help them organize their lives and especially intrigued by innovations that help them avoid queues, reduce waiting time, and synchronize their personal information and preferences

Secondly, The time premium is on the rise Efficiency-driven lifestyle trend is driven by those aged 30 to 44 years, with almost 50% of this segment indicating they are willing to spend money on products or services that save time

Thirdly, Mobile app technology has helped people keep up

Firstly, I can look after mysel

‘I can look after myself’ consumers are active and engaged but turning to services that simplify, clarify and improve every day lives, rather than manage it for them. Food with ‘Free from’ labels are still the fastest growing category in packaged food, but apps such as Spoon Guru offer consumers a way to design their diet without relying on supermarket brandin

Secondly, Consumers prioritize health, happiness and simplicity and will spend more to get it

We have to recognize that we have reached a breaking point in our ability to recycle. We are not only failing miserably at properly sorting out our garbage, but the garbage we do manage to organize is no longer being received with open arms by the countries we ship it to. ‍

This has forced us to rediscover the art reducing and re-using. Behaviours that were once seen as being cheap or stingy are now gaining popularity as we learn that less is indeed sometimes more, and we begin to value each item not only for what it can immediately provide us with, but also for what it can do for us - in the future.