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☆ Snapchat avoided 'AI' and leaned into real experiences in its annual pitch to brands
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-02 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

During the Snap-owned app's pitch to brands at its NewFronts presentation on Wednesday in New York, the company emphasized the value of real-world experiences, or IRL, over social-media scrolling. Sharing became contrived, and social media as a whole began feeling like an inauthentic version of our lives rather than a source of genuine connection." It's plastered ads on competitive social media platforms and billboards with its "Less Social Media. Related storiesSnapchat executives mentioned AI just once during the NewFronts presentation, saying the company had used AI models to build augmented-reality lenses. Snap is not the only social platform addressing lonelinessSnapchat's war against social media taps into a broader trend.

Persons: —, Colleen DeCourcy, Cipriani, DeCourcy, TikTok, Dan Whateley, NewFront, Meta's, Mervana Parekh, Snapchat, Patrick Harris, Piper Sandler Organizations: Service, Facebook, Meta, Business, NFL, NBA, NBC, Entertainment, Media, Snap's, Acrew, Big Tech Locations: New York, Manhattan, Americas

☆ The TikTok divest-or-ban bill is a First Amendment disaster, but it may still stand up in court
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-24 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Maybe…Earlier attempts to ban or force a sale of TikTok often haven't stood up in court. Other parties, like TikTok creators, may launch separate legal challenges in the coming weeks, as they have done in the past. AdvertisementTrump's 2020 order to ban TikTok was halted by a federal judge who said it likely exceeded executive authority. While the bill is framed around forcing US ownership of TikTok, it's likely to result in a ban, which strengthens the free-speech argument. Congress hasn't proven that an outright sale or ban of TikTok is the only way to protect national-security interests.

Persons: Joe Biden, ByteDance, TikTok, haven't, TikTokers, Matthew Schettenhelm, Hans, Lena Shapiro, Ramya Krishnan Organizations: Service, Business, ACLU, Bloomberg Intelligence, Cornell Law School, TikTok, University of Illinois College of Law, Chinese Communist Party, Intelligence Law, CCP, Columbia University Locations: Montana, Texas, Washington, China

☆ Read the full memo TikTok sent to staff as Congress stepped up its ban threat: 'This is the beginning, not the end'
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-22 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

"We'll continue to fight, as this legislation is a clear violation of the First Amendment rights of the 170 million Americans on TikTok." This divest-or-ban bill is the culmination of years of political attacks on TikTok. Trump, Biden, Congress, and even the state of Montana have unsuccessfully pushed to divest or ban TikTok from its China-based owner ByteDance. Latest UpdateToday (Saturday, April 20), the bill has passed the House and is expected to pass the Senate by early next week. Are you a TikTok or ByteDance employee with insight to share?

Persons: Michael Beckerman, Beckerman, We'll, TikTok, Trump, ByteDance, Biden, Dan Whateley Organizations: Business, TikTok, Chinese Communist Party, Biden, Congress, Foreign, Republican, Wednesday's Global Locations: Washington, Americas, China, Montana, Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, dwhateley@businessinsider.com

☆ TikTok Shop is second only to Amazon in a key measure of customer loyalty
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-17 | by ( Madeline Stone | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Earnest, which tracks credit-and-debit-card transactions, found that around 27% of TikTok shoppers came back to make another purchase after five months of their first buy. On this measure, TikTok Shop outperformed other e-commerce platforms, including Temu, Shein, and Etsy, as well as fellow social-commerce channels Whatnot, Flip, and Instagram Checkout. Amazon was the only e-commerce platform that beat TikTok Shop in Earnest's dataset, which looked at customer-retention data between January 2022 and February 2024. "The second I bought my first TikTok Shop product, which was probably a year and a half ago, from that moment on, I started to get more TikTok Shop content." TikTok Shop seems to have become a place for impulse purchases, as well.

Persons: Michael Maloof, Temu, TikTok, Maloof, —, they've, Nicole Rechtszaid Organizations: Walmart, Business, Facebook, Ghost Agency

☆ TikTok Shop is better at keeping customers than Temu and Shein
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-16 | by ( Madeline Stone | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

TikTok seems to be doing a good job of getting customers to make multiple purchases on its new shopping platform, Shop, according to data from Earnest Analytics. Earnest, which tracks credit-and-debit-card transactions, found that around 27% of TikTok shoppers came back to make another purchase after five months of their first buy. On this measure, TikTok Shop outperformed other e-commerce platforms, including Temu, Shein, and Etsy, as well as fellow social-commerce channels Whatnot, Flip, and Instagram Checkout. Amazon was the only e-commerce platform that beat TikTok Shop in Earnest's dataset, which looked at customer-retention data between January 2022 and February 2024. "The second I bought my first TikTok Shop product, which was probably a year and a half ago, from that moment on, I started to get more TikTok Shop content."

Persons: Michael Maloof, Temu, TikTok, Maloof, —, they've, Nicole Rechtszaid Organizations: Walmart, Business, Facebook, Ghost Agency

☆ Snap offers as much as $500,000 in base salary to top Snapchat talent. Here's pay data on US jobs in engineering, sales, and more.
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-13 | by ( Ashley Rodriguez | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +27 min

Despite laying off full-time staff earlier this year, Snap has open roles in areas including engineering, sales, and marketing. On April 12, Snap had globally listed 142 open positions on its jobs board, including 88 openings in US cities. Related storiesMany of Snap's applications included annual salary ranges rather than a single salary for a given role. For example, Snap included a pay rate of $97,760 and $140,000 a year for one software engineer position. In cases where Snap submitted multiple applications for a particular job, such as a level III software engineer, we included the lowest and highest salary for the role as well as the median range.

Persons: Dan Whateley Organizations: Stars, Advertising Research Center, Business, US, of Foreign Labor, Department of Labor, Inc, Santa, Research, Data, Analytics, CRM Technology, Finance Technology, IT Corp Services, Learning, Partner, Engineering, Security Engineering, Software, Software Engineering, Oracle Systems, Assurance, iOS, Wireless Network, Global, Lens, Advisory Partners, Corporate, Corporate Finance, Strategic Locations: Santa Monica, Seattle, View, Palo Alto , New York, San Francisco

☆ Taylor Swift's return to TikTok shows even the world's biggest stars still need the app
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-12 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Taylor Swift is back on TikTok despite a feud between the app and her label Universal Music Group. Swift's reemergence shows that even the world's biggest stars need TikTok to promote their work. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . UMG artists can still post videos on TikTok, but they can't use their own tracks, making it harder to push a new album. Related storiesSwift's return to TikTok shows that even the industry's biggest stars still need to use the app to help a new album take off.

Persons: Taylor Swift, Swift's, —, Drake, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor, she's, Swift, TikTok, Chauncey Hollis Jr Organizations: Universal Music Group, Service, Universal, Poets Department, Business, Spotify, AMC, Bloomberg Locations: TikTok, Hollywood, Singapore, Australia

☆ Seeking nominations for the next wave of music-tech startups helping artists and their teams
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-04 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Business Insider is compiling a list of music-tech startups helping artists and their teams. We want to hear from you on the companies building useful tools for the music industry in 2024. AdvertisementThe music industry is always adapting to new technologies. Business Insider is compiling our third annual list of innovative music startups building products that will help performers and their teams be creative and grow their businesses. AdvertisementWe are seeking nominations from you, the reader, on which music-tech companies are set to have an impact on the music world in 2024 and beyond.

Persons: — Organizations: Service, Business

☆ Meta might pay you if your Threads posts are good enough
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-03 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Meta is testing cash bonuses for creators who post engaging content on Threads. Meta also plans to pay Instagram creators for videos and photos as part of a separate bonus program. Meta is testing paying out cash bonuses to creators who make engaging content for its Twitter-like app Threads, a company spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. Eligible creators can earn money from Threads content based on the "performance" of posts or the "number of posts" shared to the app, per Instagram's help desk. The site also says Threads posts with "less than 2,500 eligible views" are not eligible for payouts.

Persons: Meta Organizations: Meta, Business

☆ Instagram is 'testing' new cash bonuses that pay creators to post engaging photos, reels, and more
▼ + stars: | 2024-04-02 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Instagram is offering cash bonuses to creators who post content to the Meta-owned app with new programs. While the company had previously doled out cash to creators who posted engaging videos, this time it's also compensating users for posting photos. Instagram is "testing" a "Spring Bonus," a seasonal program that pays creators for engagement on reels, photo carousels, and single-image photo posts, a Meta spokesperson confirmed to Business Insider. The current Spring Bonus had previous iterations as a "holiday bonus" and "New Year's bonus," and is now only available in the US, Japan, and South Korea. Mike Potter, who runs the Instagram account @grippingfoodwithforce, told BI he was notified about the Spring Bonus on March 29.

Persons: Jackson Weimer, Weimer, Mike Potter, @grippingfoodwithforce, Potter, Adam Mosseri, Mosseri, Instagram, TikTok Organizations: Business, BI, Facebook, Twitter, Street Journal Locations: US, Japan, South Korea, Instagram's

☆ TikTok is shaking up how it does annual performance reviews, and it's making some employees anxious
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIt's annual review season at TikTok, and the company is putting the squeeze on some employees by doling out harsher performance ratings. AdvertisementTikTok's stricter reviews arrive at a moment when employees are already facing a reduction in their annual bonuses due to a scheduling change. This one-time adjustment means staff will receive around 83% of their annual bonuses for 2023 work, prorated to 10 months instead of 12 months. TikTok isn't the only tech company to adjust its performance reviews in recent months. For example, last year, Reddit began letting go of employees across departments who had received high ratings in their most recent performance reviews.

Persons: —, TikTok, prorated, Reddit Organizations: Service, Business, Street, Facebook, Meta Locations: TikTok

☆ TikTok employees fret over harsher reviews, PIPs, and smaller bonuses
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-26 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Read previewIt's annual review season at TikTok, and the company is putting the squeeze on some employees by doling out harsher performance ratings. AdvertisementTikTok's stricter reviews arrive at a moment when employees are already facing a reduction in their annual bonuses due to a scheduling change. This one-time adjustment means staff will receive around 83% of their annual bonuses for 2023 work, prorated to 10 months instead of 12 months. The company did opt to pump up annual bonuses for high performers after it reported strong Q4 earnings. For example, last year, Reddit began letting go of employees across departments who had received high ratings in their most recent performance reviews.

Persons: —, TikTok, prorated, Reddit Organizations: Service, Business, Street, Facebook, Meta Locations: TikTok

☆ March Madness student-athlete marketing is leveling up in 2024. Here are the strategies brands are using.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-22 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

But influencer marketers who run student-athlete campaigns are just getting started. Performance is also straightforward to measure, as NIL campaigns typically live on Instagram or TikTok, where "likes" and views can help benchmark engagement. And as more games kick off, we should see a bump in student-athlete marketing activity from previous years, marketers and NIL experts told Business Insider. The company, which worked with NIL firm Opendorse on its first foray into student-athlete marketing, said it also plans to offer career planning and mentorship to players. Student-athlete marketing is more flexible than traditional advertising.

Persons: —, Goldman Sachs, Kim DeCarolis, she'd, Sam Weber, We've, University of Iowa's Caitlin Clark, Staley Gibson, Epsilon's hashtag, Saint Peter's, Doug Edert, MOGL's Syal, OpenSponsorship's Gibson, Syal, They're Organizations: CBS Sports, Business, Altius Sports Partners, NCAA, University of Iowa's, Epsilon, Buffalo Wild Wings, MOGL

☆ How Instagram is beating TikTok
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The app far outpaced TikTok in global downloads last year, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Instagram downloads increased by 20% in 2023 compared to the previous year, Sensor Tower estimated. The simplest explanation is that Instagram's short-video product, reels, is pretty much just as good as TikTok at this point. "Instagram already has reels, and it already caters to a broader audience because it has those other social-media features," explained Abe Yousef, a senior insights analyst at Sensor Tower. Both TikTok and Instagram did not respond to a request for comment.

Persons: Instagram isn't, TikTok, Instagram, it's, Abe Yousef, Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, Yousef Organizations: Business

☆ TikTok's new creator rewards program is all about boosting search and competing with YouTube
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-18 | by ( Dan Whateley | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

The company's new creator rewards program, announced Monday, incentivizes creators to post longer videos and optimize their content for search. Related storiesTo qualify for the program, creators must be at least 18 years old and have at least 10,000 followers and 100,000 views in the previous 30 days. AdvertisementSome savvy TikTok creators have been experimenting with search-engine optimization for months, well before the company made it criteria for payouts. TikTok has introduced a creator search insights tool in some regions, making it easier for users to tailor their videos to search trends. However, not all creators have been thrilled by TikTok's efforts to promote search content.

Persons: —, Abigail Akinyemi, TikTok, Zachary Neman Organizations: Service, Business

☆ The big push for AI, TikTok bans, and spaces for influencers of color: Here are 3 takeaways for creators from SXSW.
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-17 | by ( Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

AI was very popular, but most panels failed to discuss the consThe harmful impacts of AI dominated the conversation among creators at SXSW. Related storiesIn a session titled "AI in Video: Revolutionizing or Replacing Creators," Vimeo product executive Zohar Dayan's presentation similarly focused on the technology's benefits. Talk of a TikTok ban? Employees and creators are 'bored' of itOutside SXSW, the conversation has picked up about a potential TikTok ban in the US , but there was radio silence about it in Austin among the TikTok employees and creators I met. "We're so bored of that topic, honestly," said two TikTok employees, who spoke on condition of anonymity out of concern about facing repercussions from their employer.

Persons: Cassey Ho, OpenAI's, Peter Deng, Deng, Zohar, Dan Whateley, they've, Kahlil Greene, he's, Jerry Won, Justin Nguyen, Mylen Yamamoto Tansingco, Sam Li, Sean Kim, Sam Yam, Austin Hilton, Tumi Brooks Organizations: Southwest, Delta Air Lines, Business, IBM, SXSW, Snapchat, Pershing House, Talent, Austin, Austin Hilton Hotel, Convention Locations: Austin, Australia, China, member's, TikTok, Netflix's, Singapore

☆ Instagram is playing the long game against TikTok, and it's winning
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-14 | by ( Sydney Bradley | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

The app far outpaced TikTok in global downloads last year, according to data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. Instagram downloads increased by 20% in 2023 compared to the previous year, Sensor Tower estimated. The simplest explanation is that Instagram's short-video product, reels, is pretty much just as good as TikTok at this point. And unlike TikTok, it's been careful lately not to shove unpopular features like shoppable videos in users' faces. Both TikTok and Instagram did not respond to a request for comment.

Persons: —, TikTok, Instagram, it's, Abe Yousef, Mark Zuckerberg, Adam Mosseri, Yousef Organizations: Service, Business

☆ TikTok employees feel 'numb' to latest political attacks in Washington
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-13 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

They, along with the other TikTok and ByteDance employees in this story, spoke on the condition of anonymity. Even if the House's "Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act" is signed into law, TikTok employees have good reason to believe it won't stick. For current TikTok and ByteDance employees, it's become increasingly difficult to understand which threats are real and which are political bluster. "For my team, we're so busy we don't really think about it," a third staffer told BI when asked about the House bill. "If they do ban TikTok, I can imagine Congress' approval rating dropping even more," they said.

Persons: Trump, haven't, ByteDance, I've, TikTok, it's Organizations: Business, Foreign Locations: China, TikTok, Montana

☆ Music marketers say artists need to make TikToks now more than ever, as influencer campaigns lose luster
▼ + stars: | 2024-03-05 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +6 min

Advertisement"I always remember early label conversations when we'd run TikTok campaigns," Ramzi Najdawi, cofounder at the music-marketing firm ATG, told BI. In 2024, most artists now need to get directly involved in creating social content in some form, said 10 music marketers who spoke to BI about their strategies. AdvertisementTo make influencer campaigns work better, music marketers ask artists to post original content first, creating organic interest in a song that creators can then push forward with additional videos. "Influencer campaigns don't really work in the way that people think they do," Prophet Media's founder Steph Rinzler told BI. Many marketers are now seeking out an artist's fans, rather than random influencers, to make videos for song campaigns.

Persons: —, TikTok, Taylor Upsahl, wasn't, influencers, we'd, Ramzi Najdawi, doesn't, it's, Ed Winters Ronaldson, Najdawi, scrappy, Cynthia Parkhurst, Jonas, Parkhurst, Matine Kazemi, Lawrence, Prophet Media's, Steph Rinzler, Omid Noori, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, Simon Friend, Sean Kane, Kane Organizations: Service, Business, BI, Universal Music, Creative, YouTube, Prophet Media

☆ These innovative music marketers built agencies that use social media to boost artists and songs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-28 | by ( Dan Whateley | Shriya Bhattacharya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +1 min

Social apps like TikTok and Instagram have become increasingly important in music marketing. Business Insider is highlighting 13 marketing firms that are creatively promoting songs on social. It's no secret that social media has become a major part of the artist and song promotion playbook. TikTok, in particular, has revolutionized how users discover not just new songs and artists but old ones too. Decades-old tracks like Matthew Wilder's "Break My Stride" have experienced a resurgence after trending on social media.

Persons: Matthew Wilder's Organizations: Business

☆ A top TikTok music exec who helped turn the app into a force in the industry is leaving the company
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-22 | by ( Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Read previewPaul Hourican, TikTok's global head of music partnerships and programming, is leaving the company, the executive confirmed to Business Insider. Hourican joined TikTok around four-and-half years ago in London as an executive heading up the company's UK music operations. From there, he jumped into a role overseeing its European music operations before expanding into a global leadership position on the music team. AdvertisementTikTok launched a massive push into the music business during Hourican's tenure at the company, rolling out a creator-hosted radio station on SiriusXM , a music-streaming app in five countries, and an artist-services arm called SoundOn. Recently, the company has been flexing its influence in music as it battles with Universal Music Group over song licensing.

Persons: —, Paul Hourican, Hourican, TikTok Organizations: Service, Business, Universal Music Group, LinkedIn Locations: London, SiriusXM, TikTok

"I'm thinking about marketing myself as a TikTok Shop creator," Jayy told BI in July. Outside its in-house team, TikTok also deputizes official third-party TikTok Shop agency partners to work with creators and merchants on e-commerce strategies. And the company offers advice to all affiliate creators on its website via its TikTok Shop Academy. Someone who is not popular or famous going on TikTok Shop and offering products, or someone who is very popular and famous now getting products?" "I think the shortest path to more volume through TikTok Shop is really that second group."

Persons: D'Amelio, TikTok, Remy Beaumont, it's, Joy Mangano, Beaumont, playbook, Rick Watson, Sharon Jayy, Jayy, Watson Organizations: Business, Shop, Z Media, intel, Training, RMW Commerce Consulting, TikTok Shop, Shop Academy Locations: London, China, Douyin, TikTok's Culver

☆ TikTok is pissing everyone off right now. Here's how its brute-force tactics could pay off — or backfire.
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-15 | by ( Dan Whateley | Sydney Bradley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +7 min

download the appSign up to get the inside scoop on today’s biggest stories in markets, tech, and business — delivered daily. The move was an about-face for the president, whose administration had spent years calling it a national security risk. AdvertisementIt’s been deep in a public spat over music licensing with one of its most important partners, Universal Music Group. Some users have said it’s ruining the app by promoting shopping over the funny skits and dancing videos that first made TikTok popular. For leaders at ByteDance, who often have the final say over product decisions at TikTok, copying ideas from Douyin to TikTok is part of their playbook.

Persons: —, TikTok, Joe Biden, Biden, Brandon, TikTok isn’t, it's, Taylor Swift, Olivia Rodrigo, UMG, ” TikTok, it’s, TikTok's, ByteDance, It’s, Meghana, Pissing, ” Michael Huppe, Katie Notopoulos, ” Dhar Organizations: Service, White, Business, Universal Music Group, Music, Black, Facebook, Google, Big Tech, ”, YouTube, Shopping Network Locations: TikTok, Washington, Meghana Dhar, China, ByteDance

☆ TikTok's feud with Universal has music marketers shifting campaigns to Instagram reels while some see an opportunity to plug other artists
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-13 | by ( Dan Whateley | Amanda Perelli | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

But for music marketers tasked with helping artists and new releases go viral on social media, the show must go on. Others are encouraging creators and performers to use unofficial, user-uploaded versions of UMG artists' songs in TikTok videos. Other marketers have similarly shifted promotional efforts from TikTok to reels for UMG songs. Still, even without UMG artists' songs, TikTok remains a critical part of the song-marketing playbook, music marketers told BI. Some marketers are asking creators to swap in these unofficial tracks into muted videos to promote the UMG artists, several of the music marketers said.

Persons: TikTok, Olivia Rodrigo, Taylor Swift, they've, Simon Friend, Timothy Collins, Benjamin Ingrosso's, Benjamin, Collins, Friend Organizations: Universal Music, Business, Round, BI, Creed Media, Universal Music Group, TikTok

☆ Jellysmack president Sean Atkins is leaving the creator startup following recent layoffs
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-10 | by ( Amanda Perelli | Dan Whateley | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: 1 min

Jellysmack president Sean Atkins is leaving the creator-monetization upstart. Atkins was announced as president in September 2021 after serving as an advisor. Media executive Sean Atkins is out as president of creator startup Jellysmack, the company confirmed to Business Insider. His last day at the company is set for next Friday, a company spokesperson told Business Insider in an emailed statement. This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers.

Persons: Sean Atkins, Atkins, Jellysmack, Stefanie Schwartz Organizations: Media, Business, Jellysmack Entertainment

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