The Shelf Influencer Marketing Agency

🦄 THE 4 KEY ELEMENTS OF A TIKTOK TREND🦄 A TikTok trend starts as a creative idea that resonates with users. Four elements contribute to the birth of a trend: 📢 Trend Message: The story or theme being communicated #️⃣ Associated Hashtags: These help users discover relevant content 🎧 Sonic Identity: The catchy sounds or audio clips that define a trend 🎬 Visual Narrative: The composition, editing styles, and transitions that make the content visually engaging. These elements work together to create a compelling trend that users can’t resist engaging with. And they’re often the easiest way to identify trends as they pick up steam. #tiktok #trends #socialmedia #marketing #influencermarketing

Our team learned so much at the Creator IQ conference in LA, here is something that stood out: successful brands are moving away from single-metric thinking and adopting a multidimensional approach to measure influencer marketing ROI. Here’s what that means: TLDR: Measuring influencer marketing success isn’t about one metric—it’s about a composite approach that considers multiple touchpoints and strategies. Multidimensional measurement is the name of the game. Social commerce is still largely untapped, but when brands tap into it, they’re finding ways to drive upper-funnel desirability—especially when awareness is already high. That’s just the beginning of what we learned. 📊 Stop thinking about influencer ROI in silos: A composite of metrics is where it’s at. We’re talking EMV, site traffic, Google Trends, and resonance. It’s all about seeing how these metrics work together. The secret sauce? Build a strategy that connects every touchpoint so you can truly see how it all impacts the bigger picture. Measuring ROI isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. Finding success takes time. It’s a multi-year journey for brands partnering with influencers. But brands that go beyond the obvious—product seeding, events, and hands-on training—are the ones seeing the real magic. Just don’t forget to set guardrails and let creators do what they do best: bring authenticity to the table. 🔑 Brands, take a cue from B2B. Influencer marketing isn’t just for the B2C crowd anymore. B2B brands are using it to drive impact and traction. Think strategic, cohesive, and long-term. Big takeaway: Measuring influencer marketing success means playing the long game, staying forward-thinking, and embracing a multi-pronged strategy. Ready to see what it can do for your brand? 👇

🔎 Gen Z is Spending BIG This Holiday Season—Retailers, Are You Ready? 💸 As holiday shopping kicks into high gear, it’s Gen Z that’s stepping up to splurge in surprising ways. With a huge appetite for new experiences, eco-friendly gifts, and digital-first shopping, they’re redefining holiday spending! 👉 In our latest edition of Tactical Influence, we break down what retailers need to know to capture this generation’s attention and dollars, including: 🎁 Why 74% of Gen Z prefers experiences over physical gifts 💚 How to appeal to their eco-conscious mindset (hint: sustainability sells) 🛍️ And why your brand MUST offer seamless digital shopping options! Don’t miss out on the insights that can help you crush your holiday sales goals. Check out the article and discover how to meet Gen Z where they are this season. 👇 #RetailMarketing #GenZ #HolidayShopping #HolidayMarketing

Gen Z’s Shopping Revolution: Key Trends for Halloween 🎃 and the Holiday 🎅🏽 Season Gen Z is shaking up the retail world, especially during key retail events like Halloween and the winter holidays. Their rising budgets, tech-savvy habits, and social media influences are reshaping how brands connect with them. Here are 3 big takeaways that highlight how Gen Z approaches both Halloween and holiday shopping. 💸 Gen Z’s Growing Wallet Gen Z is making waves in the shopping world! For Halloween, they’re sticking to an average spend of $246 according to Retail Dive and when it comes to the holidays, they’re planning to splurge an impressive $1,752—a 37% jump from last year, per PwC And more than one-third of those polled say they will be self-gifting this year. 🛍️ Tech x Experiences for Retail Fun While Gen Z loves their online shopping, they’re also big on in-store experiences. They’re all about that tech-friendly vibe though. Self-checkout? Yes. Mobile payments? Of course. Plus, they’re making shopping a social outing, often combining their trips with other fun activities. It’s all about blending tech and experiences to keep their shopping fresh and exciting! 📱 Social Media Magic & Sustainability Now for shopping... social media is where the magic happens for Gen Z! A whopping 40% say influencer endorsements play a big role in their holiday purchases, and they’re all about shopping through platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok, with 42% saying they're happy shopping right from the app (Ad Age)! #genz #holidaymarketing #marketingtips #socialcommerce

🚀 Shift Alert: Google’s Recognizing Creators, and It's Changing the Game! 🚀 As digital marketers and brand managers, it’s essential to recognize a pivotal shift in our landscape: Google's new Creator designation is prioritizing credibility over sheer popularity. 🌟 This change signifies that audiences are increasingly seeking authenticity and expertise in the content they consume. Here’s what it means for you: 🥇Quality over Quantity: Brands should rethink their influencer partnerships, focusing on creators who not only have the numbers but also possess real knowledge and experience. This shift can lead to more meaningful connections with target audiences. 🎯Evolving Strategies: With credibility at the forefront, expect to see more brands emphasizing authentic storytelling and community engagement. This trend could reshape the types of collaborations that emerge, fostering deeper relationships between creators and brands. 🛒 Market Opportunity: As the demand for trustworthy content grows, businesses that adapt to these changes by aligning with credible creators will have a competitive edge. By prioritizing expertise, brands can enhance their reputation and customer loyalty. The creator economy is evolving, and embracing this shift could be the key to unlocking new opportunities. Are you ready to adapt your strategy? Read our article on Google's Creator Designation - link in the comments! 💡✨ #CreatorEconomy #DigitalMarketing #InfluencerMarketing #AuthenticityMatters

How do you break into the European market with influencers? Marianna Hewitt, Co-Founder at Summer Fridays, explained how you can’t play by the same rules across the Atlantic: - European consumers shop differently: France for example gets their skincare from pharmacies vs. beauty retailers - The style of content, product chatter, and even aesthetics are different to each submarket in Europe, so you need to work harder to feel native to the culture. We’ve witnessed the same with the influencer programs we’ve built and run in Europe. Doing your homework through foundational research is a step you don’t want to skip! #creatoriqconnect #creatoreconomy #influencermarketing

Because so many of you’ve been asking, we’ll spill what we were up to in New York, just this once. ☕️ The Shelf hosted a session on influencer marketing with ADWEEK, featuring the creator Tess Tregellas, K18 Hair’s Maram Aoudi, our CEO Atul (Raj) Singh, and Sami Lambert as the moderaror. Here are the learnings we hearted and saved: - Watch times are shifting; audiences want longer form now. - Creators want to hear back from the brand on content performance to improve. - How to avoid reshoots? Script the content with creators put in the work upfront. - Cross vertical borders by trying creators in a different niche for unexpected growth. - Creators aren’t carbon copies of your audience, but have multitudes of interest they can draw from (so let them!). - Creating for social SEO? Place that content in your owned channels for discoverability. #influencermarketing #socialmediamarketing #creatoreconomy

👻 Is your Halloween #marketingstrategy ready for Gen Z? 🎃 This spooky season, Gen Z is doing more than just trick-or-treating—they’re spending BIG 💰 and celebrating hard. From #Summerween to their obsession with all things spooky-chic, this generation has turned Halloween into a months-long spectacle. So, how do you get their attention (without ghosting your brand’s personality)? 💡 Hint: Embrace their love for UGC, interactivity, and authentic experiences. Check out our latest edition of Tactical Influence to learn the tricks of the trade for nailing your Halloween campaign and turning Gen Z shoppers into loyal fans. #marketingtips #genz #holidayshopping #halloween #smm 🎃➡️

Shipping our top-shelf insights (pun intended) from day two at Advertising Week New York. 🛳 Gen Z needs a sample: Dodie Itaoui, Global Head of Digital Marketing at Galderma shared details on how Cetaphil is attracting younger audiences through a mix of influencer and experiential sampling, all while addressing skincare misinformation on social platforms by leaning on actual science for the narrative. Creating cohesion in a fragmented world: Julka Villa, Global CMO at Campari Group emphasized that mature markets remain compelling for brands, but capturing audiences requires going beyond demographics to understand moods and cultural shifts, as well. Platform storytelling rooted in ESG: Cherilyn Williams, SVP, Global Brand & Marketing at Marriott International, spoke about Marriott’s "Love Travels" relaunch, which now acts as a holistic platform to tell the company’s full story for the first time in its 100-year history. Tied to Marriott’s ESG strategy, "Love Travels" weaves together DEI, HR, multiculturalism, and social impact. Tech for good: Taylor Erin, Executive Creative Director, Instacart Erin spoke about “Community Carts,” a localized initiative allowing people to donate groceries directly to food banks within their community. It’s part of Instacart’s commitment to blending on-the-ground impact with scalable technology for a broader societal benefit. #marketingconference #brandmarketing #AWNY

Trends are a key part of TikTok’s allure, making it essential to weave them into your TikTok strategy. But successfully navigating TikTok trends can seem like an always-on effort. Your trend playbook has arrived! Download The Shelf's Q4 Trend Report 🦄 and master the science and art of leveraging social media trends to boost brand awareness, endear you to your audience, and ultimately drive conversions.