The Weekly 📰HUBdate📰
Hello, shiny people!
Do you ever think about how when we were kids we got months of vacation days and now when we need them the most, we don't? Yeah, me neither.
But regardless of your vacation days' status, the newsletter is here to make your mid-week better.
Keep reading to let the magic happen! 👇🏽
Look What's Trending 🔥
🚀 Micro-influencers’ domination
🚀 Cringe-shows’ obsession
🚀 K-pop expansion?
Micro-Influencers in a Macro World
Did you know you could make a ton of bank as a micro-influencer? Micro-influencers are a rising force in social media marketing. Unlike their larger counterparts, they boast a smaller yet dedicated following within specific niches or industries. 💰
One of the key advantages of micro-influencers lies in their ability to connect intimately with their audience. By focusing on niche markets, they cultivate engaged communities that share common interests and passions. This targeted approach ensures that their content resonates deeply with their followers, resulting in higher engagement rates.
For brands, collaborating with micro-influencers can yield numerous benefits. Firstly, micro-influencers bring authenticity and credibility to their endorsements. Their recommendations are seen as genuine and trustworthy, fostering a sense of reliability among their audience. Secondly, micro influencers enable brands to access niche markets that might be challenging to penetrate through traditional marketing channels.
In fact, a recent study showed that the highest engagement rate in 2022 was with micro-influencers. While it was originally assumed that businesses would wait for someone’s following to reach the tens of thousands, the number required to execute sponsored posts is shrinking.
Our view:
Brands usually want solid conversation rates through influencer marketing. And micro-influencers ensure just that. In fact, you're looking at 3-8% engagement rates (and sometimes even up to 10%!), compared to macro-influencers that are less than 3%. 😲
As the creator economy grows, it will diversify. There will be players across the board with different offerings and niches. It will be interesting to see will be which brand partners with which influencer.
Another fascinating change to see will be how aspirations change as micro-influencers grow. Will we want fewer followers to keep engagements up? 🤭
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What do you think?
Unhinged Cringe Binge
The allure of cringe has made shows like Love Is Blind and Indian Matchmaking essential parts of how we live. From hate-watching to secretly obsessing, we're all doing it. But why do we watch stuff we find cringe, anyway?
Turns out, the phenomenon of cringe taps into various emotions, including secondhand embarrassment and Schadenfreude (gaining pleasure from others' misfortune). It provides comfort by making us grateful that we're not the ones experiencing the awkwardness.
So, bingeing on cringe can be therapeutic, helping us accept our own imperfections by relating to on-screen awkward moments.
Cringe culture, initially fuelled by the internet, fascinated us with its exploration of social norms and deviations. It offered an escape from our own insecurities and allowed us to laugh at cringeworthy moments without feeling personally implicated. It also fostered a sense of camaraderie and shared humour within online communities, as people connected and related through their experiences of awkwardness.
So, the next time you cringe-watch something, know it isn't a bad thing at all. In fact, it may be helping you.
The New K-Wave?
Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, Korea was just a country doing its own thing. It had a rich history and vibrant culture, but it wasn't exactly a global trendsetter. Fast forward to today, and Korea has become a bona fide cultural giant, leaving its mark on the world in a big way!
So, how did this happen? Well, it all started when Korea decided to embrace its unique identity and showcase its talents to the world. And before you knew it, K-pop groups like BTS and BLACKPINK were breaking records and topping charts worldwide. Suddenly, everyone wanted a taste of the K-wave!
But the K-wave didn't stop at music. Korean dramas, known as K-dramas, captured the hearts of millions with their addictive storylines, swoon-worthy romances, and jaw-dropping plot twists. These shows became binge-worthy obsessions, drawing viewers from all corners of the globe.
Now, let's talk about a recent Netflix show that borrowed from this K-culture explosion. Enter XO Kitty, a series that embraces the vibrant aesthetic and storytelling style of Korean entertainment. It's like a love letter to K-pop and K-dramas, with a fresh twist that appeals to young viewers around the world.
What makes XO Kitty a seminal moment in our culture is that shows just how deep the impact of what we watch is. This is, essentially, Hollywood changing its format for what the audiences want by following suite from another culture. And if that's not huge deal, what is?