Target's newest influencer is a toddler

[View Online]( ) Target's newest influencer is a toddler Azai, a 20-month-old boy who is known on TikTok as the "internet's favorite nephew", began building a following after videos of him greeting customers in the aisles of Target went viral on his mom's account. Target is now calling him its new Store Happiness Director, but we're not sure that a toddler should really be given any sort of title? Nonetheless, these videos that have racked up tens of millions of views, with the [biggest one]( having earned over 10 million engagements. Target decided to take Azai's special greeting skills to the next level, and reached out about making him a team leader for a day. This of course included giving him his own red and khaki uniform and a name tag. The brand showcased his "shift" on its [TikTok](account on April 29th, and the video has since been viewed over 6.1M times and earned over 1.27M engagements. Other brand accounts such as Popeyes and Ulta Beauty have taken to the comments to say "hi" back to Azai, and even Jake from StateFarm gave his approval of the toddler's outfit. While of course Azai is capturing the most attention on TikTok, the story received a small amount of media coverage too, with [People's article]( accumulating a notable 2.7k engagements. Target even published a story about Azai's visit on their [company news page](, which included mention of a $10,000 donation in Azai's name to Classroom Central, an organization that distributes free school supplies to thousands of teachers each year. Brands are always looking to collaborate with the next big internet personality, and while this was not necessarily a true collab (being that Azai is two years old) it does demonstrate a unique approach to a company's social media strategy, and in return had several other brands chiming in. From shrinkflation to sustainability: The biggest societal issues facing brands Societal, political, and geopolitical pressures are constantly playing out online and brands, sometimes unwittingly, are dragged into those conversations. Never before has there been so much pressure on comms professionals to manage brand reputation and have a well-planned playbook if and when a crisis does hit. In our latest report, [which you can read here](, we look at the data behind some of these pressures, from shrinkflation to sustainability and beyond. What you will learn in this report: - The top articles about artificial intelligence - How brands are pulled into inflation coverage - The brand sustainability initiatives that are resonating with the public WHAT'S THE NEXT PHASE IN SOCIAL MONITORING? Join our LinkedIn Live for CrowdTangle users on 05/02 to learn about social monitoring for journalists in 2024 [Register]( NEWSWHIP FOR CROWDTANGLE USERS Learn how NewsWhip can help replicate the work you’re doing in CrowdTangle [Read more]( HOW BRANDS MONITOR AND MANAGE LIVE ISSUES Find out more about how brands use NewsWhip Spike for live issue response [Read blog]( THE TOP PUBLISHERS ON FACEBOOK How ESPN, LADbible, and more achieve success with their Facebook Pages [Read blog]( [Facebook (1).png]( [X (1).png]( [Linkedin (1).png]( Copyright (C) 2024 NewsWhip. All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you opted in for the NewsWhip blog newsletter and updates. Our mailing address is: NewsWhip 42 Pearse Street Dublin, D02 YX88 Ireland Want to change how you receive these emails? You can [unsubscribe]( )