Passionfruit

We’ve just raised our Series A round!!! 🎉 The $9M funding round is led by Seaya, with participation from existing Seed investors firstminute capital, Playfair , Cornerstone VC and Portfolio Ventures. It must be said it’s been quite the journey for us at Passionfruit since our seed funding round in 2022. Now our platform’s worker-base has surged to a community of 3,000 and supports the needs of hundreds of major brands worldwide, including PepsiCo, Mars, AB InBev, HSBC and The Match Group. But why? Well as the best of the next generation’s knowledge workers are increasingly striking out to become their own freelance boss, businesses of all sizes are sensing the opportunity to go outside of traditional big agency models, which consequently drive down cost and drive up results. And so it’s our purpose to provide an AI-powered platform that radically simplifies a company’s ability to discover, arrange and engage vetted independent talent, whilst also proving on-project collaboration tooling and implement entire work-streams within a single, streamlined platform. It’s at this particular moment we’d like to thank all of our investors, customers and freelancers for continuing to make this mission possible. With $13.3m in total now raised, we hope we are someway towards meeting the demands of those who ultimately keep us living the Passionfruit dream! Most importantly it is a huge thank you to our team, who continue to go above and beyond the call of duty in making Passionfruit the platform we know it all can become in the coming years. You can find more about our raise by following the link here: https://lnkd.in/e-jUZPD3 #MarketingHasMovedOn

"To be the first podcast in market and to build this cult following was just completely surreal." Jim and Andy take us back 9 years to the very beginnings of #TheRugbyPod, and how the podcast went from "total chaos" to the most listened to rugby podcast in the world. #MarketingHasMovedOn #SportsMarketing

"Consistency is key." If you're looking to leverage any social media platform and haven't already been told those fateful three words, we'd love to know what else you've been hearing. Here, Hannah Witton tells us how consistency has been key to the longevity of her incredible career on #YouTube. But more importantly, she explains that consistency and flexibility aren't mutually exclusive things.

"Because #YouTube have been so good at recognising that they don't have a business without creators, not only are platforms competing for attention... ...they're also competing to be the best at getting creators paid." Hannah Witton explains how YouTube has historically led the way when it comes to #revenueshare and as a consequence, platforms like #TikTok and #Meta are scrambling to keep up. #MarketingHasMovedOn

There's an ongoing conversation around whether businesses choose to sponsor a professional athlete, or partner with the broader sport. And as #UFC star Molly McCann explains, when a sport unifies under the sponsorship of one brand, it often the athletes who reap less of the benefits further downstream. Just as GB long jumper, Jazmin Sawyers has had to cover her adidas logos with tape at Nike-sponsored meets... In the octagon, Molly wouldn't touch a PRIME towel with a barge pole because of her deal with Applied Nutrition plc. It's clear that in the world of #sportsmarketing, there's an awful lot of hoops for athletes to jump through. It's a good thing they're athletic, really.

"Name me a big stadium now... that doesn't have a partner?" When we sat down together last month, Andy Goode explained why Allianz's renaming of #Twickenham stadium can only be a good thing for rugby. Collectively, premiership rugby lost £30.5 million in 2022/23 alone. This September, the stadium naming rights sold for £100 million. You can do the math!

Some Monday night food for thought... 💭 There are over 200,000 content creators online today. On average, it takes each of them six and a half months to earn their first penny. And for 66% of them, these pennies come from only one revenue stream... ...brand deals 💰 From YouTuber Hannah Witton's p.o.v, brands could be getting a lot more bang for their buck. How? By taking the punt and putting trust (and investment!) in the big ideas that creators alone can't fund.

It's a very big, and very belated (slap on the wrist, Elsie) welcome to our wonderful Sekela Ngamilo - the latest addition to our team of Specialist Success Superheroes. 🦸 Passionfruit has a knack of bringing in team members who, within two days, feel as though they've been a part of the company for two years and Sekela is no exception. Over the past month, Sekela has taken to her role like a duck to water and we can't wait to see how she continues to level up the Passionfruit experience for both our specialists and our customers! With the future in mind, we've asked Sekela to put her finger to the pulse of culture and forecast what's hot and what's not going into 2025. Fingerless Gloves 🔥 ...it’s one of few projects easy enough for me to crochet. YouTube Shorts 🔥 ...it helps me be Gen Z things without having to admit to a TikTok addiction. OOH Tube Posters ❌ ...I hardly know her. Cuban Salsa 🔥 ...hot af. MAFS UK 🔥 ...reality tv is a shameless pleasure of mine. Pain au Raisin ❌ …gimme chocolate chips. Silent Discos 🔥 ...nothing more fun than taking your headphones off and witnessing what looks like the dancing plague of 1518. Tesco Clubcard ❌ …what happened to £3 meal deals for all? Those new plastic bottle caps 🔥 ...I’d like recycling in this country to get better overall. brat 🔥 ...but Henry Hayes not being on any of the remixes is a travesty.

'The feeling of being alive is really hard to contextualise' We have 10 lucky senior marketers joining us tonight at The Aviva Stadium in Dublin for Ireland vs Argentina... And so we thought, who better to drum up some of that fear factor ahead of a jam packed rugby weekend than guest of the Commuter Club, and Rugby Pod co-host Jim Hamilton. More snippets regarding the state of rugby union and what the sport needs to do better to market itself next week. But for now, just drink in the passion (pardon the pun) from Big Jim! #Rugby #LiveEvent #Interview

If you're a brand wanting to break out on #YouTube, when it comes to your content strategy, where do you even start? According to YouTuber, Hannah Witton the best marketing departments out there aren't buying into influencer-led content... ...they're investing in their employees. Currys plc, Waitrose & Partners, Lidl GB, Aldi UK and ChatGPT have all done it. They've taken their staff from behind the scenes and placed them in front of the camera. And it's resonated. So if you're at a loss for where to begin, here's a nudge to look up from your desk at whoever you're sat opposite and start with them.