Warm Storm

Creators are adapting their content on TikTok to the way people are searching the platform, and now TikTok is rewarding them for it. Great to see this new initiative with creators set to benefit - the more their content works for the TikTok algorithm the better they get paid. All our client campaigns on TikTok are native content and the creators we work with know how to engage their audiences - now there's even more incentive for brands to back talent that understands search value too. #creatoreconomy #TikTok #searchtools #advertising #digitalmarketing Jon Carney Alice McEvoy https://lnkd.in/eT-7UctN

Who actually believes a ban will happen? TikTok hitting $120bn globally, Meta on $135bn - BUT TikTok revenue grew 40% in 2023! Look out world 👀- Now, who needs to crack TikTok…? #tiktokmarketing #influencermarketing #socialmarketing

Happy International Women's Day to all the amazing women creators we work with for our native social campaigns on #Tiktok and #InstagramReels, here are some of our stars in action 😍 #IWD #creatoreconomy #influencermarketing #advertising Alice McEvoy

Love more than one platform? Absolutely! Instagram is still very much in the game, especially with the success of short-form video Reels. It's become the new telly for many. I can watch for hours. But, advertising on Reels demands native creative delivered by compelling humans - nothing else will be supported by the algorithm. Bring it on #Instagram #Reels #SocialMediaMarketing #influencermarketing

TikTok is leaning into how the Apple Vision Pro is going to change the way people watch videos on social media.    With its immersive, spatial viewing capabilities we at Warm Storm think Apple’s latest product innovation points to an exciting time ahead for brands to experiment with creator campaigns, that can become even more personalised, experiential.    Just think about how creators will be able to immerse their audiences in their worlds – from fashion and beauty to music and cars. Fashion influencers can take their audience behind the scenes on a shoot or fashion show; beauty fans shopping visits to stores become more of a 360 degree experience that mixes livestream commerce and feedback; travel destinations come to the viewer in full technicolour glory and surround vision.    As the worlds of gaming and livestreams become ever more hyperconnected on short form video, TikTok is jumping ahead on this one and the platform’s driving force - it’s creator-economy userbase - is all set to beta-test the sh*t out if what Apple Vision Pro can do for them.    #tiktok #AppleVisionPro #influencers #creatoreconomy #influenceradvertising Jon Carney  https://lnkd.in/g22Mt8m5

Celebrating creatives and influencers who are driving new behaviours on social media is at the heart of how Warm Storm creates campaigns for brands; so it's interesting to see new talent platform Dazed Club, which launched earlier this month, staking a claim among how Gen Z digital communities collaborate. The Dazed Media app is, "a community-driven platform where young creatives are invited to showcase their scenes and foster new connections", it's free to download and users can upload their portfolio, browse through the work of #GenZ peers, publish project briefs and seek collaborators. It's clear we are living in a social media era where traditional media is flexing towards creators, and influencer marketing has become a go-to reality mindset for brand campaigns to reach engaged target audiences. We'll be checking out the Dazed Club community as a source of inspiration and talent; a new generation of creators are redefining social networks and bringing creative communities to life - and brands are keen to support. #socialemediamarketing #creatoreconomy #influencermarketing #advertisingagency #tiktokmarketing Jon Carney Alice McEvoy https://lnkd.in/gabuy65Q

Two decades of social media is quite the technological milestone! As Facebook celebrated its 20th anniversary this week, the Warm Storm team considered the biggest changes in how consumers consume content: photo stills to video; user generated content to influencer campaigns; news updates to mini TV dramas; Stories to Reels.  There are many facets to Meta’s changing focus on algorithms but we can agree, the new way of doing things leans into users’ engagement with content that resonates, because content is king and viral campaigns travel the furthest.  We know that TikTok’s approach to serving content based on user engagement drives ever increasing reach and this is the dominant trend across social media platforms – from Facebook to Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok the trail blazer. And brands are switching too.  We are now in a machine-curated advertising era that is rich from content creators owning their own entertainment and on their terms. All our clients tell us they want social campaigns that work in the new creator format. Brand partnerships are just that – partnerships that are authentic and resonate with engaged audiences. Welcome to a new generation of social media. #creatormarketing #socialmedia #Facebook #Meta #TikTok Jon Carney Alice McEvoy https://lnkd.in/d2JbQrbZ

Something new for Fridays from the Warm Storm team: opinions and advisory musings on our speciality subject: full-funnel creative storytelling for brands on social. This week our founder Jon Carney kicks off with a story of then and now: THE CREATIVE IS THE TARGETING There used to be a song, 'In the Old Fashioned Way' (if you know it, you know it), that longed for staying in a bygone time. I was reminded of it a couple of times last year by clients I worked closely with, who insisted on producing their new social advertising in the same manner as they’ve always produced a 60 second TVC. That is, big budget shoot, weeks of post-production with minute adjustments, with only one master version for all to admire. The ads in point are impressive for sure, but the clients resisted us creating a set of creative variants to test in the real world - the real social-first world we now live in, where an algorithm decides your brand’s marketing fate.  We at Warm Storm know a bit about what the algorithms want; an engaged, delighted audience. Algorithms don’t serve up ads (old fashioned way), they serve content. They like unvarnished content with real people, positivity and usefulness.  Like today’s social-first audience who is tired of old-school advertising, the algorithms don’t like classic ads (there are exceptions, but not many). Whatever our creatives think, whatever our strategists decide, the algorithm will find the audience that most likes a particular ad – and it may not be exactly who you think. The algorithm will then find a much bigger lookalike audience at low cost, if it likes your ad. 'The Creative is the Targeting' is a mantra I’ve heard from both Meta and TikTok recently. Our preference on high profile/high budget campaigns is to go with the collective wisdom of the creative/client axis (we work for brands) and create the masterpiece, but also to create versions that feel more native to platform (platforms being TikTok, Reels); also a version that’s more branded, closer to old-school advertising. From these masters we have our base to test on social. We test and learn. We’ve worked in big creative agencies that put huge stock in the taste of the creative rock star; there’s still a potential role for rock stars in this new-advertising world, but there has to be a process step to test variants and the variants should feel quite different. The old fashioned way of working – highly polished, master creative video asset, with 30’ and 15’ cut downs, amplified by non-optimised media is no longer appropriate for this world. The algorithms just don’t like it and if they don’t like it, your target audience isn’t going to see it. The old fashioned way had it’s charms, (listen to 'The Old Fashioned Way') but thankfully people and technology move on. The algorithm way is what we have now to make brands work on social. #creatormarketing #advertising #social #tiktok #Reels #brandstrategy

Sharing our new work (Part.1) with NIVEA MEN x Liverpool Football Club. Unlocking the power of an official sponsorship in social channels.    Well known players mixed with humour of creators, in content that builds brand and creates a starring role for product, perfected to work full-funnel on all key social platforms - very native creative.   Thanks to a great client team at Beiersdorf and partnerships team at LFC.