Good morning,
The Summer Olympics are less than 100 days away! 🏃
NBC Universal announced that the event is already on track to break the record for most ad revenue in history, netting $1.2 billion.
With Temu driving up Meta Ads cost, the upcoming U.S. elections, and now the Olympics starting in July, we may see ad spend get real expensive…
Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC:
You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Ava Wellness, Ranger Station, and Oxen Technology. 👋
Lil Miquela, Shudu, and Kyra are quickly becoming some of the most sought-after influencers for brands.
Lil Miquela is a twenty-year-old influencer and singer who often changes her hair color according to her mood. She has worked on campaigns with Prada, Calvin Klein, and Pacsun.
Shudu looks like a 90s supermodel. She always serves looks on her Instagram account and has modeled for Balmain and Ellesse.
And Kyra is a model and traveler who has already secured brand deals with Amazon Prime and L’oreal.
The only thing is…they aren’t real.
They are all AI influencers.
The virtual influencer market is on the rise, and we are already seeing the impact these AI influencers have on consumer’s purchasing decisions.
The stats:
Benefits of working with virtual influencers
1️⃣ More control over creative: Some of the top reasons are that brands will have more control over the final creative and messaging for campaigns and experience less pushback.
2️⃣ It can also be more cost-effective than hiring human influencers or celebrities while reaping significant ROI. This Meta case study shares how fashion giant H&M leveraged an AI fashion influencer to promote their goods in Instagram video ads, and the result was an 11x increase in ad recall.
3️⃣ Can endorse products without controversy: Brands don’t have to worry about AI influencers getting caught in an ill-timed scandal and affecting their brand reputation.
However, there are some drawbacks. AI influencers may feel less authentic to some audiences since they lack life experiences that can help build connections.
The takeaway?
The influencer marketing landscape is changing very quickly.
While AI creators may carry less risk regarding brand influencer association and brand safety, there’s still apprehension about how virtual influencers can appear inauthentic.
Would you use a virtual influencer to promote your business?
Your last campaign's click rate was low and you need to PIVOT to a new idea fast, but it’s:
It’s moments like these that you could really use a gallery of A+ messages to help you get inspired….IS TYPING HAS ENTERED THE CHAT. 💬Marketers from Brooklinen, Dr. Squatch, Cotopaxi, and more are sorting through their inboxes to show you the best of the best when it comes to email & SMS. Folks from Heineken, Chubbies, and Erewhon are already tuned in. ✨ What are you waiting for? Inspiration is only a click away… 👇
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Are you using Shopify and have a Shop set up on Facebook and Instagram?
The Pilothouse Meta team recommends enabling email capture if you haven’t already done so. And the process is simple.
Here’s how to do it:
1️⃣ Go into the Facebook and Instagram sales channels in Shopify and navigate to the settings tab.
2️⃣ Scroll down to the “Marketing” section and click Change at the top right.
3️⃣ Another window will pop up where you can customize the settings. The Pilothouse Meta team recommends enabling all options. Click save changes and you’re all set!
From here, it’s important to ensure you have a process in place to download the leads or integrate to your CRM.
To access Shop leads, go into Commerce Manager and on the left, navigate to Promotions > Marketing list
Then you can either download leads to connect to a CRM. Here is more information on CRMs that are compatible with Meta.
Implement this on your account and take advantage of valuable Meta Shop leads.
Need help figuring out where to start with your creative strategy? Creating a strong brand message is key. Understand your customer behavior to create content that’s engaging and shareable.
🛍️ Unidentified shoppers = untapped revenue. Browsers are cracking down on cookies, which means you’re leaving customers - and revenue - on the table. Fix your identity resolution and get a $100 digital gift card when you book a 30 min. call. *
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DTC Newsletter is written by Rebecca Knight and Frances Du. Edited by Eric Dyck.
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