The (cringey) rebranding of thought leaders 🤳
Plus, our screen time should be illegal, AI took over the Met and everyone is getting this wrong about Gen Z.
Welcome back, Scanner!
If there’s one thing about this time of year, it’s that it’s gonna be May. Would it really feel like the lead up to summer if we didn’t start the month off feeling at least a little dystopian watching the Met Gala? Or maybe you’ve hopped on the analog train and missed it all together – could never be us (but it sounds relaxing). Whatever you’ve been up to ring in the start of patio season™, you can trust that we are diligently watching out for signals that could influence the future of digital marketing. And trust us, today’s ones are juicy.
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Let’s go.
😲 SURPRISING
People Are Confused About What Gen Z Actually Does Online
What’s changing?
DataReportal recently published their Digital 2024 Overview Report and the findings might surprise you. The report looked at various online trends, including time spent online, most used platforms, milestones and more. Interestingly, the report debunked the myth that Gen Z uses TikTok or Instagram as their primary search engine. In truth, 83% of global internet users in this cohort report using search engines in the past month (which is more than any other age group, btw). Young women, who make up the majority of active TikTok users, are the most prolific users of search engines. Are you surprised?
Why does it matter?
There’s something to be said about not making assumptions about consumer behavior. As marketers, we are constantly reacting to new pieces of information, but this report reminds us that there is value in looking for information outside of your bubble. This report doesn’t change the fact that many Gen Z internet users are on TikTok, but it points to potential around SEO that some may have given up on. Whether it’s from YouTube, website content, social media content, etc., Gen Z is good at finding exactly what they want online.
What could happen next?
Is it time to brush up on your SEO skills and fire up Google Analytics? Maybe. But let’s not make sweeping changes based on one study. Looking more at this data point, we see how incredibly savvy Gen Z is online. With Gen Alpha not far behind, we’ve entered the age where young internet users grew up always having Google. They expect content to be easy to find, regardless of platform. Could this point to a future where followers mean less than searchability (maybe we are already there)? Does it enhance the need for closed communities where we make content readily available to users in the busy online space? Or maybe there’s another possibility altogether. Let us know what’s on your mind in the comments below.
Scan-o-meter: 😲😲😲😲 / 5
📅 CURRENT
The New Status Symbol: Showerheads
What’s changing?
Porsche. Rolex. Showerheads. Same same? Jolie saw a gap in the market when it came to luxuries and created their $165 “wellness tool,” aka luxury showerheads. The founders, Ryan Babenzien and Arjan Singh, knew their product had to look alluring in order to make the price point make sense. The simple design, along with additional wellness features like a filter to remove contaminants that harm skin and hair health, has landed the brand more than 200,000 unit sales to date; bringing in $28 million in revenue during 2023 with no venture funding.
Why does it matter?
How did a simple shower head manage to capture such a significant revenue? It speaks to a few things; the trend around wearable tech (while it’s not totally “wearable” it falls into a similar space with other bio-hacky tech), the need for simple luxuries (in a time where the larger ones are unobtainable) and the general wellness tech industry getting bigger and bigger.
What could happen next?
What was once inaccessible, the wellness space, has shifted to create luxury objects of everyday wellness products. What could happen next in this space, or the luxury space in general? Are there more objects that could be transformed to suit the everyday consumer’s desire for a luxurious moment? Does this signal show additional focus on people’s fears and insecurities around aging? Will we see a resurgence of the wellness “gurus” a-la Gwyneth Paltrow? How does this signal tie to the boom we’ve seen with sports (fitness, health, human potential being optimized) or the sleep industry being on the rise? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Scan-o-meter: 📅 📅 📅 / 5
🎯 SPECIFIC
The (Cringey) Rebranding of Thought Leaders
What’s changing?
This story starts off pretty cringey, so bear with us. Essentially, thought leaders are getting a rebrand where some are calling them “intellectual influencers.” Truly a terrible choice of words seeing as all content creation requires strategic skills, but, title aside, this signal may be pointing to a change in what social media consumers want to see. Thought leaders aren’t anything new, but there does appear to be an increased appetite for content from specialized professionals who have a unique POV and more life experience. Some trends suggest that consumers are moving away from following “unrelatable” influencers (typically those who are wealthy) in favor of more “real” content that depicts a lifestyle closer to their own. In turn, the new “thought leaders” are gaining traction by providing value and information in a setting that appears relatable.
Why does it matter?
Could this signal indicate that people are overwhelmed with unrelatable content? “Edutainment” offers an opportunity for influencers to connect with their audience while providing them something of immediate value (their knowledge). But, thought leaders aren’t anything new. It’s a longstanding joke that LinkedIn is insufferable because of them. So, could this indicate a transformation in the way thought leaders need to operate? Forgoing the long, cringey stories in favor of short, snappy value adds?
What could happen next?
If the sentiment is that anyone can be an influencer, promotional content and lavish events are unrelatable, but thought leaders are kind of cringe, where does the influencer space go from here? Not everyone wants to make short, educational content – and not everyone wants to watch that. Is this another indicator of the need for smaller, closed communities where you can interact with followers more easily? Does it nod to Gen Z getting older and wanting to feel more serious in their early careers? Or, maybe, it’s the start of a whole new type of influencer.
Scan-o-meter: 🎯🎯🎯 / 5
🔍 TREND REPORT IRL
Updates from our Trend Forecast
We loved sharing our first Trend Report with you back in January. As the year goes on, we’ll continue investigating signals that further the conversation around our forecast. Here’s what we’re watching this week:
People want (guaranteed) value: Disney, Warner Bros and Discovery teamed up to reinvent cable.
People want close friends only: The hot new handset for anti-smart phones connects you to your besties.
People want a whole new world: Airbnb brings iconic movie homes to life.
🤔 BEFORE YOU GO
To help keep these signals top-of-mind, we share 1 question to ask yourself (or your team) in each edition. Your question to mull on this week is:
See you next time 👋
My mull of the week answer: phone charger