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288 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 1 year ago -eCommerce, retail and creator economy news from BANKNOTES
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Future Commerce takes deep dive into psychological and philosophical trends shaping commerce
June 17, 2022 04:00 - 4 minutes - 4.11 MB43 percent of people say they recently changed their digital behavior to "protect their algorithm or identity," according to the 2022 Visions Report just released by the retail media research startup Future Commerce. The themes and finding of the Visions Report were based on an online survey with 1,000 consumers across the United Stated between the ages of 18 and 64. The survey was conducted in May 2022 and all respondents were screened for shopping behaviors, personally earned income, and ...
Ecommerce brands continue their migration off Magento
June 14, 2022 04:00 - 7 minutes - 6.66 MBThe trend of eCommerce brands moving off of so-called enterprise content management solutions—like Adobe Commerce (previously Magento) and Salesforce Commerce Cloud is continuing in earnest, with several websites announcing their move to Shopify over just the past couple of weeks. ... (READ MORE)
Watchalongs: Sports and the new generation of consumers are at a crossroads
June 14, 2022 04:00 - 5 minutes - 5.49 MBWith creators playing an ever-increasing role in marketing across all verticals, it was just a matter of time before they found their way into live sporting events: And the major networks are taking notice. Sports entities are being forced to make their games more engaging, using eSports codes, gamification strategies, pushing daily fantasy, interactive experiences, and sports betting. Simply put, Gen Z doesn’t want to just sit back and watch traditional sports broadcasts. Alternative broad...
Podcasts: The new frontier for brands and creators
June 13, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes - 9.38 MBFrom sharing behind-the-scenes news and trends in respective categories to highlighting and sharing the latest marketing insight, there’s plenty of room for podcasts as long as there’s value to both the brand and the listener. ... (READ MORE)
Dream bigger! The reach of creators is much more extensive than you may imagine
June 06, 2022 04:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBWe already know creators have influence over niche communities on single platforms. On YouTube, 22,000 creators have reached the one million followers threshold. On Instagram, 500,000 have achieved 100,000 followers or more. But once you’ve reached the summits of creator success on your platform, where’s the space to grow? If you feel tapped out by the possibilities present in your current community or current platform, it can be difficult to explain trends like this: The truth is, even...
2022 TikTok trends: Everything you need to know
June 06, 2022 04:00 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBTikTok took the world by storm—and not just with platform users, but with businesses as well. From being seen as just one more social media channel to becoming an important part of every successful brand’s marketing playbook—TikTok has revolutionized social media marketing. By the end of 2022, TikTok’s ad revenue is expected to triple, and they’re projected to own 20% of the social media market share, according to CNBC. As with most social media platforms, things change quickly here and t...
How the “Sing 2” TikTok campaign went viral
May 30, 2022 04:00 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBActive and engaged users spend considerable time on TikTok, making it a powerful tool for brand awareness. And marketers have quickly caught on, launching creative, fun, and viral campaigns that generate impressive results. QYOU, for example, launched a viral multi-phased campaign for “Sing 2.” It was a smashing success. The campaign drove 26.4 million views, 2.2 million engagements, and a 9% engagement rate on posts featuring key characters, music, and messaging. ... (READ MORE)
Uncertainty surrounds expectations for Memorial Day sales across retail and eCommerce
May 19, 2022 04:00 - 3 minutes - 3.28 MBFaced with driving inflation and continued uncertainty along the international supply-chain, retailers and etailers are aligned in their uncertainty over how beneficial Memorial Day sales will be in filling their cash coffers. It was only last month that Salesforce reported a year-over-year decline in global digital sales for Q1 2022 as recorded by its Shopping Index, the first-ever decline in the nine-year history of the index. ... (READ MORE )
Abercrombie & Fitch leverages TikTok to stage its comeback
May 19, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes - 9.67 MBLong before pictures of models with washboard abs adorned the front of Abercrombie stores in malls across America, Abercrombie & Fitch started as a retailer selling outdoor gear and equipment in New York City. For a serious dive into the history and timeline of the brand, head over to Abercrombie & Fitch’s approach to marketing: then and now; but first, let’s back up the reason why we’re even talking about this brand. At one point, it looked like Abercrombie was as good as gone. ... (READ...
Brands building communities and investing in creators are miles ahead of competitors
May 17, 2022 04:00 - 18 minutes - 16.5 MBEven though consumers spend an average of seven hours a day online, it’s more challenging than ever for marketers to get digital mileage out of their efforts. Consumers are being inundated with an average of 10K ads a day across all platforms and they’re not happy about it. In fact, 91% of people believe ads are more intrusive now compared to two or three years ago, and 79% believe they’re being tracked by retargeted ads. As such, it’s common practice for online buyers to ignore ads, ins...
Social marketing and condoms: From Thailand to the United States during the AIDS crisis
May 16, 2022 04:00 - 14 minutes - 13.4 MB“Mr. Condom” may not have been the nickname Mechai Viravaidya aspired to have, but it’s the one he got — and he’s honored. In 1974, Thailand tackled poverty with an unconventional approach: promoting the use of condoms. That same year, the average Thai family had seven children. Women didn’t have many opportunities outside the home, and supporting a large family was next to impossible on small wages during a recession. ... (READ MORE)
How Viome leverages UGC in the marketing mix
May 13, 2022 04:00 - 7 minutes - 7.13 MBMost of your customers will trust your brand’s “About Us” page as far as they can throw the writer. We all know marketing and slick copy when we see it. But people still trust each other. That’s why DTC brands that leverage user-generated content are thriving. Take Viome, for instance. They’re a health and wellness company on a mission to digitize the human microbiome and solve chronic illnesses. They do this by sending a self-testing kit to your home, analyzing your blood and stool sample...
Paloma banks on checkout across direct messages in launching new storefront product
May 11, 2022 04:00 - 4 minutes - 4.45 MBIn an eCommerce world constantly shouting about faster website launches and one-click checkout, Kelsey Hunter is betting on an economy not dependent on websites but rather conversions via direct messages across social media. As founder and CEO of Paloma, Hunter has long understood the power of DMs. In 2018 she launched Paloma’s first product, which allows merchants to connect their backend catalog with their Facebook and Instagrams DMs. This essentially streamlined the discovery process fo...
Insights from QYOU: The team behind viral TikTok promo campaigns for Ghostbusters, Resident Evil, Scream, & Clifford
May 10, 2022 04:00 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBIf you’re a TikTok fan, you’ve likely seen awesome ads from creators promoting up-and-coming movies. You may have even participated in some of the viral, movie-related TikTok trends, including the “Voice of Ghostface” sound, the “Big Red Dog” effect on TikTok, or the branded “#GhostYourProblems” effect. When I learned how QYOU leverages TikTok’s tools to partner with creators on viral social media campaigns for some of the most beloved pop culture films, I knew I had to talk to their team....
Brands make plans for new Instagram tagging feature
May 07, 2022 04:00 - 10 minutes - 9.73 MBInstagram is officially doubling-down on its product tagging feature, recently announcing it will be rolling out the functionality to all users in the United States, no longer reserving it for just brands. Instagram has already well documented how an increased cadence of tagging increases a brand’s on-site conversion rate: Tag a product at least five times across a month’s time and almost double your purchases, per Instagram. ... (READ MORE)
Nosto launches new shoppable Instagram functionality
May 02, 2022 04:00 - 3 minutes - 2.82 MBEcommerce personalization and customer experience platform Nosto has announced the release of shoppable Instagram functionality, adding its product to a growing market of softwares looking to help brands make the most of their creator partnerships and user generated content. “Our new Shoppable Instagram module lets brands repurpose Instagram (IG) content to be featured across their online stores and made ‘shoppable’ (in other words, can be tagged with products that shoppers can click throug...
Tampax marketing: Then and now
April 26, 2022 04:00 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBTampax didn’t invent the tampon. Throughout history, women have been soaking up their periods with everything from paper (Japan) to moss (Europe). Earle Haas, however, did invent the first tampon with an applicator. In the late 1920s, Haas, an osteopathic physician who struck it rich with his previous invention of a flexible ring for a contraceptive diaphragm, wanted to invent a better period product than the rags his wife used every month to manage her period. ... (READ MORE)
History of vitamin and supplement advertising: Proof that nothing is original
April 26, 2022 04:00 - 24 minutes - 22.5 MBHow brands position and talk about cultivated meat — meat that was grown from animal stem cells — will in part flow from how it’s regulated. In the United States, regulators aren’t sure how to classify cultivated meat. Is it science or is it food? The answer matters because the FDA regulates foods that are the product of cell culture, whereas meat is regulated by USDA. ... (READ MORE)
Anine Bing: From Influencer to Global Brand
April 26, 2022 04:00 - 12 minutes - 11.6 MBThere are two ways to think about Anine Bing: as the influencer-turned-brand-owner or the brand itself. Regardless of which you choose, you’re bound to be impressed by the trajectory of Bing’s influence over fashion and social media. Like millions (literally) before me, I first learned about the Anine (pronounced A-nina) Bing brand on Instagram. From the editorial feed to classic styling, Anine Bing Official strikes that perfect balance between curated feed and the use of trending tools to...
Never an escape from drudgery: How cleaning innovations were advertised to women
April 25, 2022 04:00 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBRemember when Slack launched and enthusiasts thought it would make us all more productive? They couldn’t have been more wrong. Now we struggle to keep up with our Slack messages while our inboxes continue to overflow. Something similar happened to women during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Between 1860–1965, we saw the invention and mass adoption of the electric washing machine, dishwasher, and vacuum cleaner. Paper towels reduced the amount of rags to clean. Liquid soap and germ-...
Creators are the new celebrities (and brands know it)
April 22, 2022 04:00 - 13 minutes - 12.7 MBWhile brands still often recruit celebrities for big marketing campaigns, superstars aren’t the only—or best—option for building brand credibility anymore. With the advent of social media and the rise in creator fandoms, brands are now turning to creators for endorsements. What’s more, many creators lend greater clout to a brand than big celebrities do. ... (READ MORE)
Content creators tell all: Horror stories with brands
April 21, 2022 04:00 - 13 minutes - 12.5 MBMost people would argue that in any relationship—whether platonic, romantic or somewhere in-between—communication is the key to success. This idea can be applied to relationships between brands and content creators as well. With more brands wanting to get their message delivered to consumers, the battle for visibility is making it harder for them to stand out. Additionally, with a multitude of content-based, digital platforms (i.e. Instagram, Twitch, YouTube, etc.) to choose from, marketers ...
Growing brand partnerships on TikTok with insight from Kristina Mikhalkova of Vessi
April 21, 2022 04:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBBrands and creators are partnering to leverage TikTok’s creative power—and the results are eye-popping. With a recent TikTok report outlining impressive results from these partnerships, there’s no time like the present to team up with your favorite creators to establish social proof, boost brand and product awareness, and increase sales. ... (READ MORE)
Washington Commanders name Katie Feeney first 'Social Media Correspondent'
April 18, 2022 04:00 - 1 minute - 1.76 MBThe NFL's Washington Commanders have named social media influencer Katie Feeney the team's first-ever 'Social Media Correspondent.' Feeney's collective Instagram/TikTok audience of 7.6 million people well exceeds that of the Commanders, which sits at about 2.5 million. ... (READ MORE)
The hype-cycle history of gaming: From E.T. to Cyberpunk 2077
April 14, 2022 04:00 - 25 minutes - 23 MBOh, Cyberpunk 2077. Why’d you need to represent everything that’s wrong with the gaming industry? Maybe we needed a reminder that creating a beloved game means prioritizing development over marketing. Maybe we needed a meaningful conversation about the disconnect between upper management and development teams at gaming companies. Maybe we needed to acknowledge that decisions made based on profit alone sometimes produce a bad product. Cyberpunk 2077 is one of the most expensive games ever ...
Samir Chaudry on what’s next with Colin, the best advice MrBeast ever gave him, and the exercise every creator should do
April 12, 2022 21:00 - 53 minutes - 48.5 MBOn a bright, dusty day in the fall of 2018, Samir Chaudry stood at the Grand Canyon on the precipice of a dream realized. He had gone, he would later reflect, from working in a “cockroach-infested warehouse” as a fledgling content creator to here, in the red Arizona dirt, filming the actor Will Smith leap via bungee cord from a hovering helicopter. ... (READ MORE)
The creator middle class: A new wave of creators is here (plus, how brands can work with them)
April 11, 2022 18:15 - 11 minutes - 10.2 MBThe days of celebrity and creator being one and the same are over. It’s time to embrace a new class of creators – something called the ‘creator middle class’. Ask anyone to list off a roster of top creators and you’ll get a mix of names depending on which platform they frequent. From Mr. Beast and Ryan’s World on YouTube (with a combined 100 million subscribers) to Charlie D’Amelio and Addison Rae on TikTok, these creators have hit celebrity status in terms of popularity and earnings. ...
Are creators the next breed of educators?
April 11, 2022 17:46 - 23 minutes - 21.7 MBMarch 2020 was eye-opening in more ways than one. For me, I learned how much I appreciate in-person school and how absurd the idea of online public school is for my children. The evidence? The Atlantic ran a story about how remote learning was a bust for many children, but here’s a peek into my personal experience with at-home school. It didn’t take long for my daughter to dream up this scheme:
Why eCommerce and social commerce should work together in 2022
April 11, 2022 17:44 - 10 minutes - 9.81 MBThe pandemic boosted the use of social media and online shopping: people were stuck at home and spent a lot of time endlessly scrolling. Along with that, social commerce exploded, too. Quick definition: Social commerce is when brands let customers complete their online purchases using social media platforms instead of only offering purchases via an ecommerce website. Social commerce grew so much that eMarketer nearly doubled its original 2020 forecast for social commerce growth: bumping it...
Web3 is just normalizing Web2 compensation for creators
April 11, 2022 17:42 - 10 minutes - 9.55 MBDon’t be naïve. The decentralization dream of Web3 won’t come true any time soon, if ever. At least not as it was originally conceived. As Moxie Marlinspike, founder of Signal, explained, centralization emerged in the first place because people don’t want to run their own servers. Until running your own server is as accessible as turning on your router, the promise of true decentralization will remain a fairy tale. In the meantime, venture capitalists will continue to pour colossal amoun...
The shift from Influencer to Creator: what does this mean?
April 11, 2022 17:41 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBAsk anyone who they consider to be an influencer or a creator and the answer is bound to be different. Here’s what’s adding to the confusion: brands are still on the fence about whether to call someone an influencer or creator. In fact, what one brand might consider an influencer or a creator might not be by the same definitions of another brand—or the individual themselves–which seems to add to the confusion even more. The influencer has long been a staple of the social media landscape....
How Pontus Karlsson is merging the creator economy and eCommerce into one
April 11, 2022 17:39 - 11 minutes - 10.3 MBMeet Pontus Karlsson, the founder of Off-Script. I’ve known Pontus for a while now and have loved watching his journey unfold, going from a kid in Sweden with no startup connections, to working in management consulting, to launching and building a business of his own. Pontus is one of the few people you will meet who has insatiable passion and optimism. He’s progressive and forward-thinking, always thinking about ways to improve and make life better. At the same time, he’s creative and art...
The store as a destination
April 11, 2022 17:07 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MB11,000 retail stores closed in the U.S. during the pandemic, a number some called the “nail in the coffin” of retail. The logic seemed to add up: stuck-at-home buyers grew even more accustomed to the conveniences of online shopping, transitioning away from in-person stores. But that’s not exactly how things played out. 2021 and 2022 have proved retail is anything but dead. Some brands are even discovering that physical retail still offers many advantages that online simply can’t. Reta...
Bridging the gap between creators and fans with Laylo co-founder Alec Ellin
April 11, 2022 15:48 - 9 minutes - 8.9 MBFrom having their database stolen and held for ransom (yes, really) to almost running out of money, Alec Ellin has hit every obstacle imaginable—but that hasn't stopped the co-founder of Laylo from forging ahead. After launching a little over a year ago, over 4,000 musicians, merch sellers, podcasters and video creators now use Laylo's unique landing-page-meets-fan messaging tool to send millions of messages each month. The company recently secured $5m in venture capital from big names like...
How Jones Road Beauty went viral on TikTok
April 11, 2022 15:46 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBTalk about makeup, and one of the first names that pops into your mind is likely Bobbi Brown. An idol and inspiration for makeup lovers across the world, Brown’s fiery entrepreneurial spirit has driven a wide range of success with Bobbi Brown Cosmetics. When Brown’s 25-year non-compete agreement expired with Estée Lauder in 2020, she and her husband Steven Plofker joined forces to launch their own DTC beauty brand, Jones Road... (READ MORE).
An interview with Chris Vaccarino of Fanjoy on the power of partnering with creators
April 11, 2022 15:42 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBCreators today wield enormous power. We all have our favorite creators—those who inspire us when we need extra motivation, who we seek out when we need a good laugh, or who we trust when looking for recommendations for what to buy. (My favs, in case you were wondering, are Emily Zugay and Ceara O’Sullivan. I cannot even with those two. Their TikTok comedy is a welcome burst of sunshine in bleak times, and I get as much joy from their 30-60 second videos as I do from an entire episode of SN...
Emily Singer on ‘Blanding,’ the worst DTC tactics, and what brands shouldn't do on Instagram
April 11, 2022 15:35 - 25 minutes - 23.7 MBThe first thing you should know about Emily Singer is that she has a separate Instagram account just for following brands. Dozens of brands. Maybe hundreds of brands. Well, okay, that’s only partially true. “I do,” Singer, Alma senior marketing manager by day, brand geek and Chips + Dips newsletter proprietor by night, says with a laugh. “But I don’t really use it anymore.” Still, appreciate the exercise for a moment: If for years you surrounded yourself with a never-ending feed of direct-t...
Natalie Sportelli from Thingtesting on the importance of online reviews, how to leverage UGC, and DTC trends
April 11, 2022 15:24 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBUser-generated content works magical wonders on me. Show me a product review from another user saying I need something, and I usually buy it. My husband, on the other hand, is not such an easy sell. He begins the purchasing journey the same way most informed and careful consumers do—by diving deep into product research. As it turns out, my snap purchasing decisions put me in the minority. When it comes to influencing purchases, what other people think about a product matters—a great dea...
Abercrombie & Fitch's approach to marketing: Then and now
February 25, 2022 14:00 - 26 minutes - 24 MBIf David T. Abercrombie were alive today, he wouldn’t recognize the brand he created. What started as a sporting goods store for elite outdoorsmen turned into a luxury clothing brand for teens blessed with generational wealth. Abercrombie, who left the company over explosive disagreements with his business partner Ezra Fitch, would have loved that the Abercrombie & Fitch brand continued to cater to elite classes for many years after his departure. When Ezra Fitch became convinced that the ...
Joanne Coffey on flexible influencer marketing and becoming a retention marketer for Jones Road Beauty
February 23, 2022 14:28 - 13 minutes - 12.2 MBAt 23 years old, Joanne is the former Head of Retention at Aisling Organic Cosmetics and is now the new Assistant Manager of Retention Marketing at Jones Road Beauty, a clean beauty company founded by legendary makeup artist Bobbi Brown. Joanne shared her rapid career growth story as well as tips for new marketing professionals. She also gave a behind-the-scenes look at Jones Road’s influencer marketing and overall marketing approach.
The Great Resignation and what it means for the creator economy
February 18, 2022 15:08 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBThe Great Resignation is happening all around us. Millions of people are voluntarily leaving their 9-5 jobs every month in search of greener pastures. In fact, the latest figures show 4.5 million people voluntarily left their jobs in November 2021 alone. Health and tech have had especially high turnover rates, with a 3.6% and 4.5% increase in year-over-year resignations respectively. So…what’s going on? Are people really dropping out of the economy completely, or are they just changing jo...
CVS Health’s approach to marketing: Then and now
February 18, 2022 15:06 - 22 minutes - 21 MBWalgreens was founded in 1873 and grew its drugstore empire through early innovations in store design and product offerings. As of August 2020, Walgreens operates more than 9,000 locations in the U.S. with a total revenue of $139.5 billion and a 19% share of the prescription drug market. CVS was founded 90 years later in 1963, but the company made up for lost time by acquiring every pharmacy-related business it gained permission to buy. CVS now operates more than 9,900 locations in the U.S....
How an Instagram creator became a hyped streetwear brand by curating moodboards
February 07, 2022 19:02 - 7 minutes - 7.1 MBMeet Hidden NY, arguably the most hype-worthy mood board on Instagram. In many ways, Hidden is an enigma. He stays anonymous; that’s part of the allure. What we do know about him is that he’s a British ex-pat living in NYC in his mid-late twenties. And he says “mum” instead of “mom.” Yep, 100% British. That’s about it. But Hidden is more than a cute mood board on Instagram. He’s not simply a repost account. He’s a cultural curator, and as a creator, he runs a legitimate media business tha...
Aimé Leon Dore secures the bag. Now what?
February 07, 2022 18:35 - 6 minutes - 6.37 MBAnd for those who are privy, you can’t say we didn’t see this coming. It’s long felt like an imminent move for both parties. “I think [this investment] it drives home the point that a number of younger American brands are exerting significant influence in the market right now,” says Julie Zerbo, founder and editor-in-chief of The Fashion Law. To be clear, ALD has been securing the bag for a while, as they’ve consistently sold out of seasonal collections with brands like New Balance, Drake’s...
Fashion, NFTs, & The Metaverse—Oh My!
February 07, 2022 17:29 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBWhat are NFTs? NFT stands for non-fungible token. A more descriptive name would have been “a 100% unique, non-replaceable digital asset recorded and authenticated on computer databases,” but that’s too long. So, let’s stick with “non-fungible token” and break it down. Token: A token is a digital asset (e.g., image, gif, video, a digital object in a video game, etc.) that lives on the blockchain. Non-fungible: Each token (asset) is non-fungible, which is fancy talk for saying it’s 100% u...
Savannah Sanchez on Mastering Facebook’s Reel Ads
February 04, 2022 16:25 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBDid you experience a traffic surge in 2021? How about higher conversions for your ecomm store? What about attracting new audiences that you previously couldn’t engage? I’d venture to say these swells in attention can be attributed mainly to global social media growth. Stats support this idea. Most notably, the world has seen: A 30% increase in global internet usage More than half of the world active on social media Boosts in online social, community, and e-commerce A flurry of audie...
Brands are mocking themselves and it might be working
February 04, 2022 15:34 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBIf you’ve ever been to a standup comedy show, you’ve experienced the intrinsic relatability of self-deprecation. Great standup comedy is about timing, delivery, and surprise — but it’s also about vulnerability. Standup comics execute vulnerability by building tension through stories rife with personal conflict, only to release that tension with a punchline that gives us permission to laugh at their misfortune. We’re laughing with the comic, but we’re also laughing at ourselves for similar...
How Scotch & Soda went from wholesale to global DTC brand
February 04, 2022 15:26 - 10 minutes - 9.27 MBHow do you put your brand on the map—even when you’ve been around for nearly 40 years? For Amsterdam-based Scotch & Soda, it means rebranding and going on a global crusade to open dozens of directly owned stores, as well as in-store locations. This move doesn’t make sense for all DTC brands, and in many ways, it’s a risky move. Rapid expansion and trying to reach new markets might seem daunting to most, but CEO Frederick Lukoff is ready to take things to the next level. The brand isn’t j...
How TCHO and Cancelled Plans are working through supply chain challenges
January 31, 2022 17:12 - 10 minutes - 9.78 MBFrom brands starting in eCommerce (or doubling down on building eCommerce departments from the ground up to remain competitive), it’s been anything but a smooth ride. Now, there’s even more for brand owners and eCommerce managers to consider: port congestion, shipping container, and equipment shortages, and snarled supply chains. While retail brands are trying to figure things out as they go, direct-to-consumer brands have had an equally stressful time trying to keep products in the hands ...
How to build true brand community for the long haul
January 28, 2022 15:42 - 12 minutes - 11 MBIf there was ever a buzzword for 2021, that word would be community. It swept the internet like a freight train. If I had a dollar for every time I heard a founder on Twitter mention community, I’d be stupid rich! In the mid-late 2010s, all brands used to care about was good branding and low-cost acquisition funnels to entice customers and users. Then, suddenly, Ads became expensive, and brands were forced to start selling everywhere. Overnight, it felt like everyone was then looking for a...