📦 - What’s Trending: AI Influencers

DTC 546 - Virtual Influencers, Capture Emails with Meta Shops, Creative Strategy Monday, April 29, 2024 Tunes: on. Snack: secured. Good morning, The Summer Olympics are less than 100 days away! 🏃 NBC Universal announced that the event is already on track to break the record for most ad revenue in history, netting $1.2 billion. With Temu driving up Meta Ads cost, the upcoming U.S. elections, and now the Olympics starting in July, we may see ad spend get real expensive… Here’s what you’ll find in today’s DTC: - The pros and cons of using AI influencers in your campaigns. - Learn how to capture emails using Meta Shops (step by step guide below). 👇 - And… how to develop a creative strategy that resonates with your audience. You’re reading this newsletter along with new subscribers from: Ava Wellness, Ranger Station, and Oxen Technology. 👋 WHAT’S TRENDING 🤖 Virtual Influencers Are On The Rise Have you heard of these names? Lil Miquela, Shudu, and Kyra are quickly becoming some of the most sought-after influencers for brands. [Lil Miquela]( is a twenty-year-old influencer and singer who often changes her hair color according to her mood. She has worked on campaigns with Prada, Calvin Klein, and Pacsun. [Shudu]( looks like a 90s supermodel. She always serves looks on her Instagram account and has modeled for Balmain and Ellesse. And [Kyra]( is a model and traveler who has already secured brand deals with Amazon Prime and L’oreal. The only thing is…they aren’t real. They are all AI influencers. The virtual influencer market is on the rise, and we are already seeing the impact these AI influencers have on consumer’s purchasing decisions. The stats: - 35% of U.S. consumers have bought products promoted by virtual influencers. (Source: [Statista]() - The virtual influencer market was valued at $4.06 billion in 2022 and is forecasted to increase 26% by 2025. (Source: [Forbes]() Benefits of working with virtual influencers 1️⃣ More control over creative: Some of the top reasons are that brands will have more control over the final creative and messaging for campaigns and experience less pushback. 2️⃣ It can also be more cost-effective than hiring human influencers or celebrities while reaping significant ROI. This [Meta case study]( shares how fashion giant H&M leveraged an AI fashion influencer to promote their goods in Instagram video ads, and the result was an 11x increase in ad recall. 3️⃣ Can endorse products without controversy: Brands don’t have to worry about AI influencers getting caught in an ill-timed scandal and affecting their brand reputation. However, there are some drawbacks. AI influencers may feel less authentic to some audiences since they lack life experiences that can help build connections. The takeaway? The influencer marketing landscape is changing very quickly. - AI influencers are emerging as a desirable alternative as the influencer marketing space grows more saturated. - Brands will have more diverse options for selecting influencers for campaigns: human creators or AI creators. While AI creators may carry less risk regarding brand influencer association and brand safety, there’s still apprehension about how virtual influencers can appear inauthentic. Would you use a virtual influencer to promote your business? EMAIL & SMS 👀 Your Boss Hits You Up With a "PLS FIX"... Your last campaign's click rate was low and you need to PIVOT to a new idea fast, but it’s: - Monday morning 🫣✅ - The coffee hasn’t kicked in yet ☕✅ - The inspiration well is running dry… 🧠✅ It’s moments like these that you could really use [a gallery of A+ messages to help you get inspired](…. [IS TYPING]( HAS ENTERED THE CHAT. 💬 Marketers from Brooklinen, Dr. Squatch, Cotopaxi, and more are sorting through their inboxes to show you [the best of the best when it comes to email & SMS](. Folks from Heineken, Chubbies, and Erewhon are already tuned in. ✨ What are you waiting for? Inspiration is only a click away… 👇 [Subscribe Now]( *Sponsored META 📧 How To Capture Email Addresses on Meta Shops Are you using Shopify and have a Shop set up on Facebook and Instagram? The Pilothouse Meta team recommends enabling email capture if you haven’t already done so. And the process is simple. Here’s how to do it: 1️⃣ Go into the Facebook and Instagram sales channels in Shopify and navigate to the settings tab. 2️⃣ Scroll down to the “Marketing” section and click Change at the top right. 3️⃣ Another window will pop up where you can customize the settings. [The Pilothouse Meta team]( recommends enabling all options. Click save changes and you’re all set! - Checking off “Offer a discount to encourage email subscribers⁠” will add a signup form to your Shop’s homepage, allowing you to easily collect leads for users who visit the homepage, similar to having an email opt-in on your website. From here, it’s important to ensure you have a process in place to download the leads or integrate to your CRM. To access Shop leads, go into Commerce Manager and on the left, navigate to Promotions > Marketing list Then you can either download leads to connect to a CRM. [Here is more information on CRMs that are compatible with Meta](. Implement this on your account and take advantage of valuable Meta Shop leads. 🌐 IN THE SOCIAL SPHERE Need help figuring out where to start with your creative strategy? Creating a strong brand message is key. Understand your customer behavior to create content that’s engaging and shareable. Can't view the image? [Click here]( ⚡ QUICK HITS 🛍️ Unidentified shoppers = untapped revenue. Browsers are cracking down on cookies, which means you’re leaving customers - and revenue - on the table. Fix your identity resolution and [get a $100 digital gift card when you book a 30 min. call](. * 📰 NEWS - Meta ad revenue [jumps 27% in Q1 of 2024 because of their investments in AI-powered tools](. - Platforms like TikTok are [developing AI creators]( who can promote and sell products on the app and via TikTok Shops. - Apparel brand Knix [launches their biggest swimwear collection with brand trip.]( SPONSOR DTC 📥 Got a B2B Biz? Join dozens of B2B companies finding demand-gen success through our niche community of 160k brand leaders and founders this year. [Talk to our team to learn more](. Have you heard our latest podcasts? - 🌎 Pela Case’s CEO Matt Bertulli [on Sustainable Consumer Goods]( - 🧑 [AKNF 397](: Using Data to Understand Your Authentic Audience - 👟 How Kizik [Revolutionized The Footwear Industry]( - 💸 [AKNF 395](: Navigating The New Amazon Fee-Scape - 🌱 Epic Gardening’s [Strategic Leap from Content to Commerce]( - 📧 [AKNF 393](: Staying Inbox Relevant With Gmail Authentication Update Tactics Don’t forget to [rate the DTC Podcast]( on Apple (⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️) DTC Newsletter is written by [Rebecca Knight]( and [Frances Du](. Edited by [Eric Dyck](. Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up [here](. Please note that items in this newsletter marked with * contain sponsored content. [Direct To Consumer]( Pilothouse, 1011 Government St., Victoria, BC V8W 1X6, Canada [Advertise with DTC]( | [Work With Pilothouse]( [Unsubscribe](