[KENNEDY FELTON]

FORGET THE TRADITIONAL T-V ADS… MARKETING IS MAKING A MAJOR SHIFT AND STREAMING INTO THE FUTURE WITH SOCIAL MEDIA PERSONALITIES. 

FROM KAI CENAT’S RECORD-BREAKING TWITCH SUBATHON TO INFLUENCER DRIVEN CAMPAIGNS… SOCIAL STREAMING IS redefining HOW BRANDS REACH CONSUMERS. 

[SNIPPET OF SCIENCE EXPERIMENT FROM SUBATHON]

CENAT IS A 22-YEAR-OLD ONLINE creator WHO SPECIALIZES IN COMEDIC AND OVER THE TOP LIVE STREAMS ON TWITCH – A PLATFORM WHERE VIEWERS CAN TUNE INTO EVERYTHING FROM GAMING TO A CATEGORY THEY CALL ‘JUST CHATTING’. HIS LATEST STUNT? A 24-HOUR A DAY MONTH-LONG LIVE STREAM WHERE YOU COULD FIND HIM…

…EATING… 

…SLEEPING… 

…AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN. 

[SNIPPET OF MARIO KART RACING ON SUBATHON]

THE STREAM FEATURED CELEBRITIES LIKE KEVIN HART… KYRIE IRVING… AND EVEN BILL NYE THE SCIENCE GUY – TO NAME A FEW.

THE PURPOSE WAS NOT ONLY TO KEEP HIS LOYAL FANS ENTERTAINED… BUT TO BREAK THE TWITCH RECORD FOR MOST SUBSCRIBERS.

THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS MORE THAN 326-THOUSAND. BY THE END OF THE MONTH… CENAT MORE THAN DOUBLED THIS – ENDING WITH 727-THOUSAND SUBS… AND FIFTY *MILLION UNIQUE VIEWERS.

THE FINANCIAL GAIN WAS HUGE. TO SUBSCRIBE… IT’LL COST YOU AROUND FOUR-99 A MONTH… AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST PERKS IS AD-FREE VIEWING. WHILE THE EXACT EARNINGS ARE UNCLEAR SINCE TWITCH TAKES A CUT – CENAT COULD HAVE POCKETED UP TO 3-POINT-6 MILLION DOLLARS JUST FROM SUBSCRIPTIONS.

AND THEN THERE WERE ADS. THESE RANGED FROM QUICK 30-SECOND CLIPS TO LONGER TWO MINUTE SPOTS. ADD TO THAT – CENAT’S MAJOR DEALS WITH BRANDS LIKE NIKE AND MCDONALDS.

ACCORDING TO A STUDY BY DATA COMPANY STATISTA… SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IS GAINING GROUND ON TRADITIONAL T-V. WHILE 43-PERCENT OF CONSUMERS OVERALL PURCHASED PRODUCTS AFTER WATCHING *T-V COMMERCIALS… 41-PERCENT DID THE SAME AFTER SEEING SOCIAL MEDIA ADS. BUT THE BIGGEST DIFFERENCE IS IN GEN-ZERS AND MILLENNIALS. STATISTA FOUND 62-PERCENT OF GEN-ZERS AND 53-PERCENT OF MILLENNIALS WERE INFLUENCED BY SOCIAL MEDIA ADS… OUTPACING THEIR T-V VIEWING HABITS.

THE SHIFT HAS BRANDS ADJUSTING THEIR STRATEGIES… INCORPORATING SOCIAL MEDIA TO REACH YOUNGER AUDIENCES.

[Jason McDonald | Director, JM Internet Group]

“Now, there’s a lot of technical skill in marketing that was not previously required. So marketing has become a much more technical profession than it used to be, and that creates a lot of opportunities for people, for young people…”

EXPERTS LIKE JASON MCDONALD SAY THAT WHILE TRADITIONAL ADS STILL HAVE A PLACE… THE REAL IMPACT COMES FROM A MIX^ – LEVERAGING INFLUENCERS… SUPERFANS… AND USER GENERATED CONTENT.

[Jason McDonald | Director, JM Internet Group]

“to the extent that friends and family, UGC influencers are recommending products and services, we tend to respond.”

“ think of Oprah’s Favorite Things. It’s holiday season. Oprah endorses something. Everyone buys it.”

AND MCDONALD’S HAS EMBRACED THIS SHIFT. IN A RECENT POST, THE COMPANY’S SENIOR MARKETING DIRECTOR SHARED HOW THE BRAND LEVERAGED INFLUENCER POWER THROUGH KAI CENAT. “TO HELP REVEAL THE NEWS we contacted [him] – Because he’s one of the most influential talent in the world, but more importantly, because he is an absolute fan of the Big Mac..”

WHILE MARKETING IS CONSTANTLY CHANGING AND EVOLVING… IT CAN SOMETIMES FEEL CHALLENGING TO KEEP UP. BUT ACCORDING TO MCDONALD – THE KEY TO SUCCESS COMES DOWN TO TWO TIMELESS SKILLS. 

[Jason McDonald | Director, JM Internet Group]

“being a good storyteller is incredibly important.”

“then at a technical level, getting skillful at producing video”

AND IN A WORLD WHERE TRENDS COME AND GO… THOSE FOUNDATIONS MAY BE THE MOST RELIABLE WAY TO STAY AHEAD OF THE GAME. IM KF WITH SAN. FOR MORE LIFESTYLE STORIES… DOWNLOAD OUR APP TODAY.