Why social listening platforms can’t listen – and how SocialVoice is looking to step in

The market opportunity for brands who get influencer marketing right is huge.

According to Goldman Sachs, the creator economy is worth around $250 billion (£205.4bn) today. By 2027, it could hit $480bn (£394.5bn), in line with predicted growth for global digital advertising spend. In line with this trend is an increasing preference for brands to use nano- and micro-influencers in their campaigns. The State of Influencer Marketing 2023 Report puts this at 39% and 30%...

Digital marketing skills show positive growth but sector demands outpace professional development 

Core digital skills marketers rely on have improved but that the growing demands of new and evolving technologies are contributing to a skills gap across the majority of industries. 

This is according to research published by the training body Target Internet, in association with the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM).

This year’s report analyses data from more than 10,000 marketing professionals, gathered between 2018 to 2023 and highlights key short and...

Brands spent a £71bn on influencer ads in five years

Over the past years, influencers have become one of the top choices for social media marketers, providing brands an opportunity to reach millions of potential users practically overnight. The rising popularity of influencers has boosted the total spending in this market to record highs.

According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, brands have spent a whopping $90bn (£71bn) on influencer ads in the past five years.

Ad Spending in the Influencer Market Skyrocketed by...

Sprout Social acquires Tagger Media

Sprout Social, a provider of social media management software, has acquired Tagger Media, an influencer marketing and social intelligence platform.

This acquisition will further establish Sprout as the leader in the social media software market with a comprehensive platform that empowers brands to execute a holistic social strategy at scale.

Justyn Howard, Sprout Social’s CEO and co-founder, said: “As influencer marketing has changed the way brands build awareness...

Chinese, US and UK brands generate two-thirds of total influencer ad spending

The influencer advertising industry has skyrocketed by a massive 330% over the past five years, becoming one of the leading online marketing channels.

With budgets growing fast and marketers seeing strong returns, the entire market is expected to increase by another 17% year-over-year and hit a $30.8bn value in 2023. Most of that value will come from only countries.

According to data presented by OnlyAccounts.io, Chinese, US, and UK brands will generate around $22.7bn or...

Retailers feel there are too many channels to effectively sell through

A TV remote control.

Online shopping has never been more convenient for consumers, who have access to a plethora of channels through which to engage with their favourite brands.

However, this same variety is confounding retailers, with 47% saying there are simply too many channels for them to effectively deliver the best sales experience.

This is according to Wunderman Thompson Commerce & Technology’s “Brands don’t fail... eRetail!” report, which found nearly all (94%) retail...

David Shadpour, Social Native: Why brands should focus on authentic content creation

Social Native's founder and CEO urges brands around the world to build an army of creators, and embrace user generated content.

For anyone who doesn’t know about Social Native, what's the company all about?

The name itself, Social Native, has some depth to it. In the early print days, you'd hire a big agency, they would do a photo shoot and they'd print it for you and put it in a magazine. 

Then television came out and you had to do sight and sound. You hire a big...

Room Unlocked, Alex Payne: Authenticity and purpose in influencer marketing

Alex Payne, Room Unlocked's co-founder, discusses the future of influencer marketing and how it can successfully form part of an overall marketing strategy.

Could you tell us a little bit about what the company does?

Well, several of our clients have described us as a cross between Tinder and LinkedIn, which we quite like. Room Unlocked facilitates partnerships between interesting brands and celebrities and influencers - but our point of difference is that it is all mutually...

Influencer endorsement makes consumer engagement far more likely

A camera and bottle of perfume next to a smartphone.

As influencer marketing budgets across social media continue to grow to the tune of billions of dollars – with Instagram leading the way, and TikTok rapidly growing – it is clear that influencers and digitally native content creators now form a cornerstone of many consumers’ lives.

From Love Island winners getting major brand deals to a former factory worker becoming the most followed TikTok account, the content creator’s influence spreads far and wide.

And...

Serena Williams’ venture fund invests seven figures In British martech platform

Serena Williams at a press conference.

OpenSponsorship (OS), a sports marketing tech start-up founded in New York by British entrepreneur Ishveen Jolly, has secured a seven-figure investment from Serena Ventures to help the business expand into the UK.

OpenSponsorship has partnered athletes with campaigns from brands such as Walmart, Foot Locker and Levi’s, was launched in the USA in 2015 after Ishveen – who was then a sports agent – realised and then grew frustrated with the obtuse and restrictive way in which...