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Walmart fascinates us because of all the big retailers, it seems to have the best shot at challenging Amazon's ad business. Advertisers want an alternative to Amazon, which is now the third-largest digital-advertising company behind Google and Facebook. Walmart has physical stores and the sales data they generate that set it apart. It's also assembled a team of people from agency, brand, and media backgrounds to lead the push, as Lauren Johnson detailed here.

And yet, Walmart's ad sales effort hasn't always gotten the best marks from advertisers, and Target, Best Buy, and Kroger are also getting into advertising as their retail businesses struggle to compete with Amazon.

Got this email forwarded? Sign up for your own here. Send me tips or feedback at lmoses@businessinsider.com.

Meanwhile, the direct-to-consumer craze is still capturing readers' attention. VCs believe there's still plenty of growth in startups that are seizing on the health and wellness trend and taking advantage of product categories that have lagged in innovation.

As for media, 2020 is shaping up to be the year of audio, with investors seeing a lot of opportunity in paid podcasts. Five investors told us which companies they're betting on, from TuneIn to Wondery, and why.

Here are other great stories from media and advertising. (Not a BI Prime subscriber? You can read them all and more by subscribing here.)

Advertising

Meet the power-player execs running NBCU's Peacock, Comcast's big bet to challenge Netflix and rule ad-supported streaming
NBCUniversal introduced its big streaming TV play, Peacock, an ad-supported service that will have free and paid tiers. During the investor presentation, between bits by "Saturday Night Live" alum like Tina Fey and Seth Meyers, the key executives who are leading the upcoming service came into view.

Read the WPP pitch deck that lays out the biggest ad holding company's plans to return to growth
Patrick Coffee got ahold of a pitch deck where WPP execs laid out their plans to turn around the holding company, but not all analysts are convinced.

Internal Tesla marketing document reveals how the company tried to position itself as a lifestyle brand that makes the world's best cars
Tesla doesn't do traditional advertising and is known for its secrecy, so this internal brand positioning document created for Tesla gives a rare peek into how the car company thinks about itself.

Media

We talked to 12 laid-off iHeartMedia employees about its recent wave of job cuts, which they said sacrificed local radio and caught many totally off guard
"I hope the best for the company's and radio's future, but I'm afraid this move will prove damaging to the emotion that makes radio successful, to the culture and soul of the industry," said one laid-off employee.

Bloomberg Media is launching a new brand, Bloomberg Green, that aims to be the 'definitive' source on capitalism and climate change
Bloomberg saw climate change as an area of growing concern to clients of its parent company's core business.

A college TikTok influencer with 1.6 million followers explains how much money she makes — and her 3 main sources of income
While not in class, Cosette Rinab makes money through brand promotions, music integrations, and livestreaming.

3 Pinterest influencers break down how much money they make for sponsored pins — and how that compares to Instagram
Pinterest is usually not the first place that brands go to run sponsored content, but Pinterest has its own creators with millions of followers and evergreen content that can drive traffic for an influencer for years.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: A podiatrist explains heel spurs, the medical condition Trump said earned him a medical deferment from Vietnam

• Super Bowl ads don't come cheap. Fox is charging as much as $5.6 million for a 30-second spot in the game this year.
• Some like Facebook and hummus maker Sabra are advertising for the first time while others like Snickers and Squarespace are returning after a few years.
• The advertisers also include regulars like Anheuser-Busch InBev and Pepsi and presidential candidates Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg. 
• Here's everything we know about the commercials airing during the Super Bowl 2020.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

As the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to take on the San Francisco 49ers at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami for Super Bowl 2020 on Feb. 2, marketers were gearing up off the field to do battle for spectators' attention.

And with the cost of a 30-second spot on Fox hitting as much as $5.6 million this year, the stakes are higher than ever.

Some advertisers are making their Super Bowl debut, with Facebook and hummus brand Sabra joining regulars like Anheuser-Busch InBev, Avocados From Mexico, and Pepsi.

The game is also going to get political this year, with President Donald Trump and Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaigns buying 60-second ads. 

Here's a look at all the ads that are slated to run in the big game. (The list only includes national advertisers.)

Audi

Returning to the Super Bowl for the 11th time, Audi is kicking off a new global campaign to redefine its "Vorsprung durch Technik​" marketing slogan, which translates to "progress through technology."

Avocados from Mexico

Avocados From Mexico will run its sixth consecutive Super Bowl spot in this year's game. The 30-second spot that EnergyBBDO, Havas Media, Richards Lerma and Padilla collaborated on is expected to center on America's obsession with avocados.

Michael Bloomberg

Super Bowl 2020 is all set to become a political battlefield, with Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump's presidential campaigns running ads.

Bloomberg is shelling out $11 million to run a 60-second spot.

Bud Light/Bud Light Seltzer

Anheuser-Busch InBev is pushing Bud Light and Bud Light Seltzer ad this year, its 40th as an official sponsor.

The spot, by Wieden + Kennedy, focuses on the "mayor" of Seltzer, Pa. Watch the teaser here:

Budweiser

Budweiser is known for its memorable Super Bowl ads, and this year's by David Miami will run 60 seconds. 

Cheetos

Cheetos is returning to the Super Bowl after 11 years, with a 30-second spot by Goodby Silverstein & Partners featuring rapper MC Hammer and his song "Can't touch this." 

Watch the teaser below:

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is returning to the Super Bowl with a 60-second commercial after a hiatus in 2019.

The soda giant hasn't said which of its brands will be featured in the ad, but there's speculation that it will advertise either Coke Energy or a sparkling water called Aha, which are set to launch in January and March, respectively.

Doritos

Doritos' commercial by Goodby Silverstein & Partners features Sam Elliott reciting the lyrics to "Old Town Road" from Lil Nas X featuring Billy Ray Cyrus.

Its 2019 spot for Flamin' Hot Nacho-flavored Doritos also had a musical bent, featuring Chance the Rapper and the Backstreet Boys.

Watch the teaser below:

Michelob Ultra

Michelob Ultra is yet another Anheuser-Busch InBev brand in Super Bowl 2020, and is running a 60-second spot this year.

Michelob Ultra Pure Gold

After running a 45-second ASMR-themed spot with Zoe Kravitz last year, Michelob Ultra Pure Gold is running a 60-second commercial created by FCB Chicago this year. 

Facebook

Facebook is making its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second spot promoting its Groups feature and starring Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone.

The spot, created by agency Wieden + Kennedy, comes as the tech company has been attempting to rebuild consumer trust after a spate of controversies in recent years. 

Hard Rock International

Hospitality brand Hard Rock International is cashing in on the Super Bowl happening at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with its first commercial at the big game.

The spot, directed by Michael Bay, is set to air at the end of the second quarter. 

Heinz

Heinz is returning to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2016 with a 30-second spot in the second quarter.

The commercial by Wieden + Kennedy was directed by Roman Coppola, son of Francis Ford Coppola.

Hyundai

Hyundai returns to the Super Bowl for the 12th time in 13 years with a 60-second commercial in the second quarter.

The spot spotlights the Boston accent and features four Boston-linked celebrities: Actors Chris Evans and John Krasinski, comedian Rachel Dratch, and Boston Red Sox legend David Ortiz.

Kia

The car maker is all set to make its 11th consecutive appearance in the big game in a spot produced by David & Goliath.

Little Caesars

Pizza chain Little Caesars will its first Super Bowl commercial this year, highlighting its move into delivery with DoorDash. The ad, produced by ad agency McKinney, will star "The Office" actor Rainn Wilson.

Catch the teaser below:

Mtn Dew

Mtn Dew is back in the game after sitting it out in 2019 with a 30-second ad by TBWA/Chiat/Day New York.

The ad for Zero Sugar riffs on a classic scene from the 1980 horror film "The Shining"— replacing the repetitive typing of the line "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" with "New Mtn Dew Zero Sugar. As good as the original. Maybe even better." 

See the teaser below:

National Football League

The NFL will air a 60-second ad during the game promoting its "Inspire Change" program. and another spot running right before kickoff that is part of its 100 year celebrations. The ad is produced by agency 72andSunny, has already aired once on Jan. 19, and takes a decidedly political stance on police shootings targeting black men. 

New York Life

The life insurance company is returning to the Super Bowl after decades to mark its 175th anniversary.

The 60-second commercial by Anomaly will air between the first and second quarters.

Olay

Olay is coming back with its second consecutive Super Bowl spot this year with an all-female cast in a 30-second ad by the agency Badger & Winters.

The ad is inspired by last year's all-female spacewalk and stars Canadian comedien Lilly Singh, actress Busy Philipps, retired NASA astronaut Nicole Stott, Taraji P. Henson, and Katie Couric.

Watch the teaser below: 

Pepsi

The longtime Super Bowl advertiser is returning to the big game with a 30-second commercial starring Missy Elliott and H.E.R. that will promote Pepsi Zero Sugar in a matte black can.

Planters

VaynerMedia is again producing the 30-second Super Bowl spot for Planters, which will air during the third quarter, and depict its mascot Mr. Peanut's funeral. 

Planters shared a precursor to the official spot that shows Mr. Peanut sacrificing himself to save his friends Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes, which will also air shortly before the Super Bowl: 

Pop-Tarts

The Kellogg's brand will air its first Super Bowl spot: A 30-second ad starring "Queer Eye" star Jonathan Van Ness promoting a new pretzel flavor. 

The ad by agency MRY will run right before the two-minute warning in the first half of the game.

Porsche

Volkswagen is advertising Porsche in the Super Bowl for the first time since 1997 to tout the Taycan, its first all-electric vehicle. Agency Cramer-Krasselt produced the ad.

Pringles

Pringles will air a 30-second commercial during the second quarter with Adult Swim's Rick and Morty.

The chip maker's third Super Bowl ad was produced by Adult Swim and ad agency Grey. Outside of the Super Bowl, the company is also launching a "Pickle Rick" flavor in stores.

Sabra

Sabra is making its Super Bowl debut this year with a 30-second spot by VaynerMedia.

Snickers

Snickers is returning to the big game after 2017 to celebrate its 90th anniversary and the 10th anniversary of its "You're Not You When You're Hungry" campaign that Betty White helped kick off in 2010.

Its 30-second commercial produced by BBDO New York and AMV BBDO will air in the first quarter of the game.

SodaStream

PepsiCo's SodaStream is returning to the Super Bowl for the first time in six years with an ad starring Bill Nye.

Bryan Buckley, who directed SodaStream's 2014 commercial, is also behind this year's 30-second ad that will run right before the halftime show. The spot was produced by Goodby Silverstein & Partners.

Watch the teaser below:

Squarespace

Squarespace is making a comeback this year after sitting out last year with a 30-second spot it produced that's slated to run between the first and second quarters.

The company hasn't shared details, but its past Super Bowl ads have featured Keanu Reeves, Jeff Bridges, and John Malkovich. 

Toyota

Toyota is running its third Super Bowl ad in a row, a 60-second spot by Saatchi & Saatchi that will promote the Highlander SUV.

Donald Trump

Like Bloomberg, President Donald Trump's campaign also spent more than $10 million for 60 seconds of ad time.

The ad will run early in the game, isolated from other ads so that politics doesn't overshadow them, NBC News and Ad Age reported.

TurboTax

The DIY-tax preparation app will be back on the big stage for the seventh consecutive year with a 45-second spot by Wieden + Kennedy.

The ad is part of a campaign that kicked off during the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1 and will promote the idea of making people comfortable doing their own taxes. 

Turkish Airlines

David Miami is producing the 30-second spot that brings Turkish Airlines back to the Super Bowl for the fifth time.

Details are under wraps, but the 30-second spot is scheduled to air in the third quarter.

Check out its 2019 spot directed by Ridley Scott here:

Verizon

Super Bowl regular Verizon will air a 60-second commercial produced by McCann in the first half of the game.

Like last year, its spot will focus on first responders but also promote 5G with several activations on-site including a 5G live stream.

See the teaser below: 

WeatherTech

The car-mat maker is making its seventh Super Bowl appearance this year, with a 30-second commercial produced by its agency of record Pinnacle Advertising.

In the past, WeatherTech has highlighted "Made in America" messaging in its Super Bowl ads.

• Netflix on Tuesday gave its most detailed explanation yet for why it won't sell advertising. 
• It doesn't want to spend money trying to challenge online-advertising giants like Google and Facebook, CEO Reed Hastings said.
• It also wants "none of the controversy around exploiting users with advertising," Hastings said.
• Still, Netflix has been cozying up to brands in other ways, including more product placements, brand partnerships, and consumer products, as Business Insider has covered closely.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Netflix is beefing up its explanation for why it won't sell advertising, as a small contingent of Wall Street firms continue to push the company to consider new revenue streams.

Wall Street analysts, including those at Needham and Nomura, have argued that Netflix could boost subscriptions and revenue by introducing a plan that includes advertising.

Netflix has said it will not sell ads because doing so would damage its ad-free brand proposition.

CEO Reed Hastings added on Tuesday that building a meaningful advertising business would require challenging online-ad behemoths like Google, Facebook, and Amazon. Such a feat wouldn't come cheap. 

"There's not easy money there," Hastings said during Netflix fourth-quarter earnings video. "They're integrating so much data from so many sources ... To keep up with those giants, you've got to spend very heavily on that and track locations and all kinds of other things that we're not interested in doing."

Hastings also pointed to the regulatory risks around ad targeting that have arisen as regions like the European Union and US state of California adopt new data-privacy laws, and US politicians push to break up big tech companies, in part, because of the immense user data they control.

"We want to be the safe respite where you can explore; you can get stimulated, have fun, enjoy, relax and have none of the controversy around exploiting users with advertising," Hastings said.

Nevertheless, other streaming services like Hulu have successfully built advertising businesses. And forthcoming platforms like NBCUniversal's Peacock and the mobile-video startup Quibi are forgoing Netflix's subscription-only model for a hybrid model that includes both subscriptions and advertising. Dual revenue streams have also historically been the bedrock of the television industry, allowing it to fund expensive programming.

Netflix has also been cozying up to brands in other ways, including more product placements, brand partnerships, and consumer products, as Business Insider has covered closely.

The streaming company is building out its consumer-products team that partners with companies like Ben & Jerry's and Nike on products that promote the Netflix brand. It's also co-marketing its originals with brands like Baskin-Robbins and Burger King to reach like-minded audiences that aren't yet on Netflix.

Below is a list of stories Business Insider has published that give a glimpse into Netflix's relationships with brands, and what it's competition is up to. The stories are organized by topic.

Have an idea for another story or a tip? Let me know at arodriguez@businessinsider.com. Email for Signal number.

The Netflix teams shaping its work with brands

• A top Netflix content exec has added consumer products to her purview, as the team staffs up
• The 2 power players at Netflix who are leading its early marketing work with brands like Coca-Cola and Lyft
• A key exec on Netflix's brand-partnerships team has quietly exited the company

Netflix and advertising

• Netflix must launch a cheaper, ad-supported plan to combat Disney, Apple, and Amazon, according to a Wall Street analyst
• Netflix calls speculation that it's moving into selling advertising 'false'
• Netflix could drastically cut its cash burn with a Spotify-like model that includes an ad-supported free tier

Netflix's partnership strategy

• How Netflix's experimental approach to marketing tie-ins creates new opportunities for small and mid-sized brands
• 'It gives a sense of elitism': Netflix is pioneering brand deals for streaming TV, but some partners bemoan its approach
• Netflix doesn't want to 'get distracted' by trying to make money directly from deals with brands like Coca-Cola and Nike
• Coca-Cola was the biggest brand winner from Netflix's 'Stranger Things' season 3. Here are the other brands that got a sizable boost.
• Inside Netflix's marketing strategy for 'Stranger Things,' the show that supercharged its work with brands like Lyft and Coca-Cola
• How Netflix and HBO are opening up marketing opportunities for their TV shows that usually only blockbuster movies get
• Netflix's 'Stranger Things' partnership with Baskin-Robbins started with a cold reach-out on LinkedIn that one exec thought was a joke
• How Netflix is using companies like Comcast and T-Mobile to drive its next phase of growth

The competition

• Molson Coors is making its beers ubiquitous on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon. An exec explains its aggressive product-placement strategy.
• The Hulu exec leading product placement says its brand integrations rose 200% in the last year and explains how its strategy differs from rivals like Netflix
• How Disney's marketing advantage over Netflix will be its secret weapon in the streaming war
• Amazon's head of TV and movie marketing details the studio's turnaround effort under Jennifer Salke and its push to become more than a 'supermarket of content'

SEE ALSO: Netflix crushed growth targets internationally during Q4 but missed in the US, where rivals like Disney Plus emerged

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns explains why country music is universal

• Business Insider is recognizing the leading brands in the influencer-marketing industry, including SeatGeek, Sephora, and Chipotle.
• In this power list, we are highlighting 17 brands based on which ones have the most innovative and effective influencer marketing campaigns.
• These brands have built lasting partnerships with creators across YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and podcasting.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Over the past few years, brands have found success by relaxing their guidelines and having more fun with the influencers they hire to promote their products — allowing those creators to take creative control over the way sponsored content appears.

Take, for instance, the ticket-selling service SeatGeek and its partnership with the YouTube star David Dobrik, who has 15 million subscribers.

SeatGeek gives Dobrik the freedom to orchestrate a campaign and come up with the creative ideas behind a sponsorship. That has led to viral moments, like Dobrik buying cars for friends — from Teslas to Ferraris— with "SeatGeek money" in exchange for a 60-second shout-out on his YouTube channel. SeatGeek is like a character in Dobrik's popular vlog-style videos, which on average gain about 10 million views.

Innovative brands like SeatGeek (and creators like Dobrik) are pushing forward the influencer-marketing industry, which is projected to be worth up to $15 billion by 2022 and has become many top creators' main source of income.

Business Insider is recognizing the leading brands in influencer marketing based on which have the most innovative and effective campaigns. In this inaugural list, we are highlighting the top 17 brands that have built lasting partnerships with creators on social media.

The state of influencer marketing

An influencer marketing campaign is when a social-media influencer on a platform, such as YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, and podcasting, promotes a brand or product in exchange for compensation.

The goal of a campaign can be to promote a new product, convert followers into paying customers, or create brand awareness. Influencers often interpret the brand theme and create content around that in the form of a dedicated video, post, or 30- to 60-second mention. Campaigns can be with a single influencer or up to hundreds, depending on the budget and goal.

Influencers charge set rates for a sponsorship deal based on their overall engagement. Creators sometimes work with a manager or agent to help them secure opportunities (managers and agents take about a 10 to 20% cut).

In a recent report, Izea, a company that connects marketers with influencers, found that the average cost of sponsored content on the top social-media platforms (Facebook, blogs, YouTube, and Instagram) has increased dramatically in the past few years.

In 2019, the average rate paid per sponsored Instagram post was about $1,643, and on YouTube, the average cost of a sponsored video was about $6,700, according to the report.

Sponsorships are still new to TikTok, and Cosette Rinab, a TikTok creator with 1.6 million followers, told Business Insider that the average rate for a sponsorship on TikTok was between $1,000 and $2,000 per 100,000 views, based on her experience and conversations with other creators.

Creators typically charge more for a yearlong campaign, which could include a mix of YouTube videos, Instagram posts, and other formats. One YouTube creator with about 2 million subscribers told Business Insider that he charged upward of $30,000 for such a campaign.

In the industry at large, long-term partnerships have become vital for both the brand and the influencer, according to Ian Borthwick, the director of influencer marketing for SeatGeek. 

SeatGeek has built relationships with top internet stars like Dobrik, who has a yearlong contract with SeatGeek that has him promote the company every month in some capacity. SeatGeek began working with Dobrik in 2016 and has since worked with him on more than 20 campaigns.

Letting the influencers take creative control

"Influencer marketing works because audiences follow influencers," Evan Asano, the CEO and founder of the influencer-marketing agency Mediakix, said. "Because the influencers can speak directly to their audience, they build a level of trust you cannot get through standard advertising."

The best way for a brand to work with an influencer is to set out with a specific goal, expectation, and way to measure success, according to Asano. Brands should ask themselves: What audience do we want to reach, and how do we want to reach them?

From there, the brand should choose a platform and the size of influencers they want to work with.

"TikTok is trending like crazy right now but generally skewers younger," Asano said about the wildly popular app among Generation Z. "YouTube covers almost every demographic well, depending on the content."

To form this power list, Business Insider relied on a mix of our own reporting, nominations from readers, and industry experts to narrow down the finalists. We chose these brands based on factors like reach, effectiveness, and impact on the influencer business as a whole.

The top 17 brands are listed in alphabetical order below:

Sign up for Business Insider's influencer newsletter, Influencer Dashboard, to get more stories like this in your inbox.

SEE ALSO: The top 14 talent managers for YouTube creators and influencers who are shaping the future of digital media

Audible

Audible, a seller and producer of spoken audio entertainment such as audiobooks, pioneered the YouTube influencer-marketing trend, first working with podcast influencers in 2006 and then YouTube creators in 2012.

Audible, which was founded in 1995, is owned by Amazon.

The company tracks the success of an influencer campaign by using a special code, according to John Harrobin, the chief marketing officer at Audible. Typically, the creators Audible works with promote the product in a timed integration and then ask their followers to click a link that directs them to the site or to text "[first name] to 500500." The company can then track that code to see how many purchasers the campaign drew. 

Harrobin said the company didn't provide influencers with a "scripted read," instead trusting the creators to incorporate the promotion naturally. 

"The creator has to use our product," he said. "They have to believe in our product and effectively be able to showcase how it fits into their daily life." 

Benefit Cosmetics

The makeup manufacturer Benefit Cosmetics has worked with top beauty and makeup influencers on YouTube and Instagram on sponsored content. 

The company is known for having long-term relationships with the influencers it works with, like the beauty guru Patrick Starrr (4 million subscribers). Each year, the company sends influencers on paid-for trips to places like Hawaii.

Benefit uses these trips as way to build relationships with the social stars it works with, and it typically focuses a trip around a new product launch.

Benefit also has an affiliate program that lets influencers earn commission off the products they promote on social media. Creators can sign up online through Benefit's website directly.

In 2017, the company launched #benefitclubpink, which is similar to an affiliate program and  for beauty influencers with between 10,000 and 100,000 followers on Instagram only. These creators often have "#benefitclubpink" in the bios of their Instagram pages, and their photos will sometimes appear on Benefit's main Instagram feed. 

Casetify

Casetify, which sells phone cases and covers, got its start by turning Instagram photos into phone cases.

Casetify cases have been spotted on the phones of social-media stars like Kylie Jenner, Gigi Hadid, and musician Dua Lipa – as well as other top YouTube and Instagram stars.

Often, the company will exchange products for posts. That includes celebrities who simply "slide into our DMs when they upgrade their phone size or see something on our feed that really catches their attention," the company said.

Casetify also has a brand-ambassador program that works with a group of influencers throughout the year who get compensated. The Casetify ambassador and YouTube star Chris Klemens (1 million subscribers) has a working relationship with the brand. He's constantly sharing new collections on his Instagram account.

Chipotle

Chipotle has worked with a variety of influencers across YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram. 

In July, the company partnered with the YouTube star Brent Rivera (11 million subscribers) and the TikTok star Loren Gray (38 million followers) for a "guac song dance-off on TikTok."

The hashtag challenge — an official TikTok campaign in which a creator uses a specific hashtag for a sponsored video — was called #GuacDance. The campaign was centered on a song about guacamole from the children's music artist Dr. Jean. It went viral and became one of the most successful brand campaigns on TikTok.

Chipotle also had a long-term partnership with Dobrik in 2019. Dobrik has promoted the brand in numerous videos and posts — and Chipotle also temporarily sold a burrito in 2019 named after him.

Electronic Arts

The video-game company Electronic Arts (EA), behind popular games like "Apex Legends" and "Need for Speed: Heat," has collaborated with some of the internet's top creators, from Ninja to Dobrik, on sponsored content. 

In November, EA released "Need for Speed: Heat," the latest game in the "Need for Speed" franchise. Ahead of the release, EA partnered with Dobrik for a sponsored video and social-media campaign to promote the game and app.

In his video, "Surprising Best Friend With Lamborghini!!," Dobrik promoted "Need for Speed: Heat" and encouraged his audience to download the Heat Studio app, design a car, and tweet him a screenshot of their designs with the hashtag #NFSHeatStudio.

Later in the video, EA and Dobrik gifted a brand-new Lamborghini Huracán to his friend and Vlog Squad member Heath Hussar.

"In less than 24 hours the Lamborghini gifting video received over 8 million views and hit the No. 1 trending spot on YouTube," Ricky Ray Butler, the CEO of the influencer-marketing agency BEN, said.

The campaign received 18.9 million views and over 3.3 million total engagements, Butler told Business Insider.

Fashion Nova

The online-retail brand Fashion Nova, which was founded in 2006, has been seen on YouTube creators like Tana Mongeau (5 million subscribers) and Jenner. 

Fashion Nova works with creators on YouTube and Instagram as a way to build brand awareness and launch new products, which is especially important because the clothing is styled for Instagram, with unique pieces and sets that aren't necessarily for everyday wear. The brand typically sends creators items of clothing to promote on their pages in exchange for compensation.

The sponsorships are often try-on hauls, in which creators will show off the clothing items Fashion Nova sent them. Mongeau's try-on YouTube video, where she has her manager Jordan Worona pick out her outfits from Fashion Nova, has 2.6 million views and a link to the company's website. 

Elmer's

After DIY slime took over social media, the craft-supply company Elmer's partnered with digital-content creators to complete "slime challenges" for marketing campaigns.

Slime, which is made by combining Elmer's glue, Borax, water, and food coloring, gained massive popularity online starting in 2017. In December, Elmer's partnered with Collins and Devan Key, two popular digital stars with 20 million subscribers on YouTube, on slime-challenge videos.

Elmer's has also partnered with digital creators like Brooklyn and Bailey (6.6 million subscribers) on back-to-school videos and giveaways. 

Other campaigns with social stars include:

• Drone Slime: Elmer's challenged the popular YouTube creator Unspeakable, with over 5 million subscribers, to see how far slime could be stretched using drones.
• Paint by Slime: Elmer's challenged Moriah Elizabeth, a YouTube creator who prides herself on being creative and a little snarky, to create an 8-by-8-foot paint-by-numbers-inspired piece using over 50 gallons of slime.
• Cement Mixer Slime: Elmer's challenged Life with Brothers, two sisters who are obsessed with making slime on YouTube, to use an industrial cement mixer to make over 300 gallons of slime.

HelloFresh

The subscription-based meal-kit-delivery company HelloFresh, which was founded in 2011, has grown brand awareness online by collaborating with top creators on YouTube.

Typically, HelloFresh sends an influencer it is working with a weekly meal kit, and the creator includes footage of them cooking the kit and showcasing their meal in a timed integration. 

Social-media influencers who work with HelloFresh on a sponsorship usually include a discount sign-up code for their followers to use in the description of a video or Instagram post as a way to draw them to sign up for a subscription. The code is usually the influencer's name, and it also serves a way for the brand to track how many purchasers the campaign had.

HelloFresh also works with food bloggers on Instagram, who showcase what the brand has to offer in its meal kits to followers, and they sometimes share their favorite HelloFresh meal.

Honey

Honey, a browser extension that finds and automatically applies discounts for products a consumer is purchasing, has appeared in YouTube videos from top creators like MrBeast (28.9 million subscribers) and Shane Dawson (23 million subscribers).

In a campaign, influencers — typically YouTube creators — mention the brand and show themselves purchasing items online and using Honey to save money during checkout. 

The company has 17 million monthly active users and works with approximately 30,000 online retailers. In November, PayPal agreed to acquire Honey for approximately $4 billion.

MeUndies

The underwear, loungewear, and apparel company MeUndies was founded in 2011 and has leveraged social-media influencers on podcasts, YouTube, and Instagram to build brand awareness. 

The company has used influencers to launch specific products. For example, it chose five influencers to help launch its Feel Free products last year.

MeUndies typically sends the influencers it is working with a specific product, and the influencer talks about the product they received in a timed integration for compensation.

Moose Toys

Moose Toys, the Australian-owned toy design, development, and distribution company, disrupted the toy industry with its global phenomenon: Shopkins. 

Shopkins are a variety of tiny collectible toys based on grocery-store items, each with a unique face and name.

Moose Toys has worked with various kids and family YouTube channels on campaigns, like Everleigh Rose (the daughter of Savannah Soutas, a popular social-media influencer). Everleigh is 7 years old and has 4.9 million followers on her Instagram page (run by her mom). In August, Everleigh promoted the brand on her Instagram page, tagging one of Moose Toys' brands, Kindi Kids. The photo has over 400,000 likes. 

Olay

The skin-care line Olay, which is owned by Procter & Gamble, partnered last year with the YouTube star and late-night talk-show host Lilly Singh, who is its official spokesmodel.

The partnership serves as a way for the company to reach new audiences across digital media. Singh has 14.9 million subscribers on YouTube and a late-night show on NBC.

Singh previously promoted Olay in the company's #FaceAnything campaign in 2019. This year, she will appear in Olay's 2020 Super Bowl ad #MakeSpaceForWomen, alongside Taraji P. Henson, Katie Couric, Busy Philipps, and retired astronaut Nicole Stott. 

SeatGeek

The ticket-selling service SeatGeek focuses almost entirely on influencer marketing and social stars to help drive new purchasers to its product.

The company has built relationships with top internet stars like Dobrik, who has a yearlong contract with SeatGeek.  

"I think a lot of brands make the mistake of sending over these incredibly complex and restrictive creative briefs," Borthwick, SeatGeek's director of influencer marketing, said. "Ultimately, those produce bad influencer marketing. It's important to take the back seat and let the influencer do what they do best."

Read more about how SeatGeek created one of the most effective influencer marketing partnerships with Dobrik, here.

Sephora

The personal-care and beauty store Sephora works with a group of influencers each year as a way to promote the company's makeup and skin-care line Sephora Collection.

The company recently sent its influencers on a paid-for trip to Germany to learn about how makeup is made and test out products. 

Sephora Collection works with college influencers like Margot Lee (400,000 subscribers) and Danielle Carolan (560,000 subscribers). These influencers are a part of Sephora's #SephoraSquad, a beauty-influencer program that includes a yearlong paid contract with Sephora, which includes free products, early access to products, and networking opportunities. 

Skillshare

Skillshare is an online learning community for creators with 8 million members worldwide.

Skillshare has been working with influencers since 2016, spanning blogs, podcasts, Instagram, and YouTube.

In 2019, the company sponsored about 5,000 videos across 1,500-plus creators, Ethan Mantel, the influencer-marketing lead at Skillshare, said.

Its most wide-reaching sponsored video was one in 2017 from the science and engineering YouTuber Mark Rober that now has 48 million views.

Tarte Cosmetics

The makeup company Tarte Cosmetics selects about 12 to 15 influencers on YouTube to work with every few months and sends them on paid-for vacations and trips to places like Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and Maldives.

On these trips, the company stocks its influencers with the brand's latest products, which helps with gaining overall exposure.

Tarte also has a commission-based affiliate program to which influencers can apply directly on the company's website.

Zuru

The international toy and consumer-products company Zuru, which was founded in 2004, has partnered with kids and family channels on YouTube in brand campaigns as a way to promote the company's products.

Over the years, the company has sent toys to popular kids on YouTube who run "unboxing channels."

Zuru has worked with channels like Ryan's World (23 million subscribers) and sends him toys (and compensation) in exchange for promotion on his channel.

Ryan is an 8-year-old boy and the highest-earning YouTube star in the world. He makes $26 million a year reviewing toys, according to Forbes, mainly by partnering with brands like Zuru.

Zuru's toys include surprise eggs and mini eggs called "Rainbocorns"— a popular toy among children's YouTube channels and unboxing videos. 

• Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg spoke at a private cocktail party on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland.
• She said the company had learned from the 2016 election and it was working to be more accountable. 
• She said Facebook was rolling out a "privacy checkup" to 2 billion people to see how their data is being used.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Despite stories about hacking, lack of diversity, and other issues in the industry, Sheryl Sandberg is optimistic about the potential of technology, particularly Facebook, to improve people's lives.

The Facebook chief operating officer told attendees at a private cocktail party on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, that the world was in a "clearly new and much more complicated age." She said that while Davos historically focuses on economic insecurity, she wanted to talk about how Facebook was chipping away at the problem.

"We're democratizing access for small businesses," Sandberg said at the event attended by Business Insider, citing an economic report that said 25 million small businesses used Facebook apps, like Facebook Marketplace. The report also said Facebook created about 3 million jobs in European economies, according to Sandberg.

Before Facebook launched Facebook Marketplace in 2016, hundreds of millions of people were already using Facebook groups to buy and sell things. The company placed it in the main navigation bar, showing users products for sale near them.

At the time of the launch, Bowen Pan, Marketplace's product manager, told TechCrunch, "We show you the most relevant items for you, even if you don't know what you want."

It quickly became a site for illicit trade, from drugs to exotic animals to "adult service," though Facebook said a technical issue allowed these listings to make it past reviewers. 

While she acknowledged that Facebook didn't know enough about removing bad content or preventing election interference in 2016, Sandberg said, "We've shown in the elections since that we can stop election interference and ensure privacy."

As an example of the company holding itself accountable, Sandberg announced Facebook was rolling out what she called a "privacy checkup" to 2 billion users, which they can use to see how their data is being used.

Sandberg was also clear in calls for greater government oversight.

"We think there needs to be more constraints on companies like ours and more standards that we can all adhere to so we can decide together what is political speech, what is content that should be reviewed, what is privacy that individuals should have," she said.

Content moderation and deciding what counts as political speech has historically been a sore spot for Facebook. Decisions like removing protest videos against the Dakota Access Pipeline drew attention to the problem, and misinformation shared on Facebook around the 2016 election that wasn't removed led CEO Mark Zuckerberg to make a public apology.

In 2018, Facebook faced one of its darkest moments when it was revealed that the social network was used to incite genocide against the Muslim Rohingya people in Myanmar by the country's military officials.

Despite what Sandberg called "major challenges" that Facebook is facing, she told attendees, "We think we are making progress because we are coming together and we continued willing to try our best to do more."

SEE ALSO: Senators reportedly wore Apple Watches to the impeachment trial, seemingly violating the electronics ban

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NOW WATCH: How autopilot on an airplane works

• Thousands of anonymous entries that say they are written by people employed in Brazil's ad industry — including some of the country's biggest agencies — have appeared on spreadsheets, alleging sexism, racism, and bullying behavior at their companies.
• Many of the industry's major holding companies are represented in the spreadsheets, which date back to 2016. The latest version claims to have nearly 7,500 entries.
• Brazil is the biggest advertising market in Latin America and an important area of investment for holding companies and major brands.
• A study of the documents showed that creative and human-resources departments were the top subjects of complaints and that many entries made accusations of bullying, homophobia, and racism.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Thousands of entries that say they are written by current and former employees in the Brazilian advertising industry — including some of the country's biggest agencies — have appeared on anonymous spreadsheets that allege sexism, racism, and bullying at companies.

The anonymous public Google spreadsheets started in 2016 and are titled "Como é trabalhar aí?" or "What's it like to work there?"

The allegations include harassment, racism, and unsanitary work spaces. Among those named are Brazilian agencies owned by international ad holding companies, including WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, IPG, and Havas. Not all the allegations were necessarily made about each of the holding companies' groups; Business Insider has not done that analysis.

"There is a lot of gossip, speculation, shameful wages, professional exploitation," one translated entry making accusations about a top public-relations firm said. Another alleged "advanced level harassment" at a creative agency.

Spokespeople for those five holding companies either declined to comment or did not respond to emails requesting comment on the spreadsheets.

Creative and human-resources departments are the top subjects of complaints

Since all the entries in the spreadsheets are anonymous, Business Insider was unable to confirm their accuracy, including the allegations themselves and their authors. 

Three versions of the spreadsheet have been published, in 2016, 2018, and 2019. A comprehensive study of the language in the documents released last year by the Brazilian agency trade organization O Grupo de Planejamento showed nearly 7,500 comments in the most recent spreadsheet, up from around 500 in 2016.

The study showed that creative and human-resources departments were the top subjects of complaints, with many entries referring to egotistical and "bullying" leadership and alleging harassment and "machista," or male chauvinism. According to the study, these terms sometimes occur alongside allegations of homophobia and racism.

The study predicted the next version of the spreadsheets would go live in the coming weeks.

Ken Fujioka is the chairman of O Grupo de Planejamento, which conducted the study of the spreadsheets. He is also the founder of the Sao Paulo-based consultancy ADA Strategy, and two industry sources said he has been an advocate for change on behalf of women, minorities, and others who have experienced harassment while working in the ad industry.

Fujioka told Business Insider he didn't know who created the spreadsheets. A source familiar with the sheets said their public links have been frequently deleted, but Fujioka provided a copy of the 2019 version to Business Insider.

Allegations of racism, machismo, and class divides are common themes

There were positive things mentioned among the thousands of entries in the spreadsheets, but their tone is overwhelmingly negative.

One spreadsheet entry about an agency read, "We already know that Machismo is the letter of law. The whistleblower channel is bulls---." Another alleged that employees were fired after reporting harassment to HR.

"I would feel more comfortable working in a snake's nest — with the difference that at least in the snake's nest you expect poison," another wrote.

Other frequent topics of concern are low salaries, personal grudges against executives, and agency offices in lower-income areas — a topic that highlights Brazil's class divide.

"Are you black? Don't even try to send your portfolio," one comment about another agency said.

Brazil is an important market for the ad industry's top holding companies

According to eMarketer, which has the same parent company as Business Insider, Brazil's total ad spend will top $15 billion for the first time this year — a fraction of the $258 billion expected to be spent in the US but far bigger than any other Latin American country, according a recent study from PwC.

For that reason, Brazil has long been an important area of investment for the big holding companies. It has also famously served as a breeding ground for US talent.

The spreadsheets have been a hot topic in the Brazilian agency world

Two agency executives with ties to Brazil said the spreadsheets have been a hot topic in the Brazilian ad industry.

A Brazilian ad-agency executive now working in the US, whose identity we confirmed, spoke with Business Insider on condition of anonymity for fear of his own security. He said he and his Brazilian colleagues were aware of the spreadsheets. He said he believed they suggest a longstanding trend of misbehavior in the industry that is worse in Brazil than in the US.

Laura Chiavone, a managing partner at the Omnicom consultancy Sparks & Honey in New York, said the spreadsheets have become a trending topic in the Brazilian ad industry.

Chiavone is a native Brazilian who worked for more than 15 years at top agencies in Brazil before moving to the US. She also founded the Portuguese and English-language nonprofits Like a Boss Curso Lideranca and More Girls to advocate for female creative professionals.

She told Business Insider the popularity of the spreadsheets reflected a generational divide, as young industry professionals are less tolerant of "old behaviors" than their older counterparts are. She also said laws prohibiting workplace harassment were less clear in Brazil than in the US.

But she said agencies were facing pressure from clients to treat employees well, along with increased competition from tech companies and startups. 

Chiavone said the Brazilian ad industry had more female leaders than it used to but that the country still has a sexism problem, citing a 2017 speech in which Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro referred to his daughter as "a moment of weakness."

Brazil has also struggled to address its history of slavery, which was abolished in 1888. In 2010, a majority of its more than 200 million citizens identified as nonwhite for the first time.

But 2018 reports showed the number of people living in extreme poverty rose by 2 million, or 4%, in one year, and there is a significant wage gap between white and Afro-Brazilian residents.

SEE ALSO: An ad-industry-salary spreadsheet is going viral, and its entries range from an assistant account exec making $40,000 to a chief strategy officer earning $500,000

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NOW WATCH: Here's how to escape a flooding vehicle

• Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar first found internet stardom on Vine and YouTube, and recently launched a podcast, "Zane and Heath: Unfiltered."
• They work with HiStudios, a new podcast network focused on sports and influencer content, to sell ads and promote their show on YouTube as well as podcast platforms.
• HiStudios sold almost $600,000 in ads on "Unfiltered" in its first quarter, and Hijazi and Hussar said the show has enabled them to grow their business beyond YouTube.
• Click here for more BI Prime articles.

Like many other popular content creators, Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar got their start on Vine, the erstwhile short-form video app.

Then they started YouTube channels as part of David Dobrik's Vlog Squad, a group of friends who became top YouTube creators.

Despite their online popularity, Hijazi and Hussar said they never generated much income from ads on YouTube. But when they launched their podcast, "Zane and Heath: Unfiltered," in September, ad revenue started flowing quickly. 

The show, in which Hijazi and Hussar talk about their personal lives and share stories about the Vlog Squad, has generated almost $600,000 in podcast ad revenue in its first three months. 

Simulcasting video and audio content can help YouTubers expand their audience

Their podcast network, HiStudios, which spun out of podcast company Himalaya to focus on sports stars and influencers, launched in August with a similar strategy of simulcasting on YouTube, said HiStudios CEO Peter Vincer. HiStudios works with talent agency Studio71 to produce influencer-led podcasts, which they simulcast on YouTube and podcast platforms.

"For the first time ever, you have all of these different open platforms where you can put your content, and there's already massive audiences there that you can immediately leverage to further your brand or revenue," Vincer said.

Hijazi has almost 4 million subscribers on YouTube, and Hussar, more than 2 million, so they use video to promote their podcast. Hijazi and Hussar film the podcast at the same time as their weekly YouTube video, and release the podcast every Monday and the video on Tuesday on their joint channel. A joint channel they launched in conjunction with the podcast has more than 480,000 subscribers, up by about 30,000 in a month.

Hijazi and Hussar believe cross promotion has helped them grow their audience beyond YouTube's young users. 

"We've seen a huge increase in subscribers," Hijazi said. "Audio people love listening to the podcast, and our joint channel has grown really fast compared to our own channels in the beginning."

YouTubers can make money from advertising, but Hijazi and Hussar found more success with podcast ads

Hussar said their ad opportunities were limited on YouTube because their videos don't command premium rates like educational or business-related videos do.

But advertisers pay well for host-read podcast ads, and Vincer said Hijazi and Hussar have a knack for reading ads, according to Vincer.

HiStudios sold $590,000 in ads on "Unfiltered" in its first quarter to sponsors like HelloFresh and Dollar Shave Club. The host-read ads also appear in "Unfiltered" YouTube videos, where subscribers can react to them.

"I have never, ever seen anything in my life like I have from Zane and Heath when it comes to a direct-response advertisement," Vincer said.

Several viewers commented on an "Unfiltered"video with ads for luggage startup Away about how naturally the hosts transition to sponsored content, while others wrote that the ads got them excited about even mundane products like suitcases. 

"I've never seen anyone else be so smooth with an ad plug," one user wrote. Another mentioned visiting the Away site despite already owning five suitcases. 

Hussar said he and Hijazi only sponsor products they've used and liked to foster trust with their audience.

"We don't stick to the script," Hussar said. "We try the product out, and that way we're familiar with it and we can speak from experience when we're promoting it."

SEE ALSO: How 2 podcasters changed their strategy and made $25,000 in a month from Patreon — up from around $2,000

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns explains why country music is universal

Welcome to this week's edition of Trending, the newsletter where we highlight BI Prime's biggest tech stories. I'm Alexei Oreskovic, Business Insider's West Coast bureau chief and global tech editor.

If this is your first time reading Trending, here's how you can get it in your inbox every week.

This week: When tech's overlords can't keep safe, what hope is there for the rest of us?

The captains of the tech industry are rubbing shoulders with world leaders and other grandees in Davos, Switzerland this week. But the usual business of schmoozing among guests is very likely tinged with a dash of paranoia, what with all the talk in the air of Russian spy-plumbers and hacking from the House of Saud. If you're an up-and-coming exec at Davos, swapping WhatsApp messages with the friendly potentate you sat next to at breakfast is no longer the obvious stroke of good fortune it once seemed. 

And with Jeff Bezos' infected phone now Patient Zero in a scary new strain of cyber-trickery, it's easy to imagine other Davos habitués nervously re-tracing all their past interactions for potential exposure.

It's an ironic twist for an event in which privacy and trust in the digital age are at the top of the agenda. The reality is that the so-called Fourth Industrial Revolution — be it due to insufficient regulations, ignoble incentives or a mix of other factors — is such a chaotic free-for-all right now that even the people leading it don't know how to stay safe anymore.

To the extent that tech execs are willing to publicly acknowledge this untenable state of affairs, we hear a lot of pleas for government oversight (see Google CEO Sundar Pichai's recent call for AI regulations), government leniency (see Facebook's argument that it must be left alone lest China take over), and sundry self-serving press releases.

At a private party at Davos on Wednesday, Sheryl Sandberg affirmed that technology has thrust us into a "clearly new and much more complicated age." Between comments about how Facebook is "democratizing access for small businesses," Sandberg announced a new "privacy checkup" tool for the social network's 2 billion users. That's a nice step but somehow I don't think this check-up tool would have detected the germ that spread through Facebook's WhatsApp and leaked Jeff Bezos's intimate selfies.

Meet the startup class of 2020

Each year Business Insider Chief Tech Correspondent Julie Bort polls the insiders of the venture capital world to get their thoughts on startups, particularly which startups are on a trajectory to take off in the coming year. 

Obviously VCs love to talk their book. So Julie lets them cite one of their portfolio companies — after all, they wouldn't be backing a company they didn't believe in. But each VC must also name one startup in which they have no financial stake or any other interest.

The result is a fascinating list of startups working on everything from robotics to AI-powered IT to smart mattresses (no, not IPO-bound Casper). 

Whether you're an engineer searching for the next hot startup to join or an industry insider trying to get a feel for the lastest trends, these 72 startups provide a good snapshot of what Silicon Valley is bullish on right now.

Read Julie's full story here:

72 startups that will boom in 2020, according to VCs

Inside the Brex A-Team

Brex has emerged as one of the past year's big success stories. The San Francisco company, founded by two Brazilian entrepreneurs, took the simple idea of providing a credit for other startups and turned it into an organization with hundreds of employees, valued at $2.6 billion. Brex, which even has its own restaurant in San Francisco's South Park neighborhood, has expanded its menu of financial products in a quest to offer an alternative to traditional banks.

Megan Hernbroth and Melia Russell mapped out the top execs leading the charge at Brex. These are the dealmakers and product managers responsible for new products like Brex Cash. If Brex succeeds in its ambitious mission, these are the folks that will make it happen.

Read the full story here:

Meet the 13 power players of fintech unicorn Brex as it tries to unseat traditional banks and credit card companies in 2020

Here are some of the latest tech highlights:

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says too many people use their phones to consume, not create — and thinks its Teams chat app can help restore 'balance'

The president of Dell's VC arm explains how AI made chip startups hot, and why he bet on a new one led by 3 star engineers from Apple and Google

WeWork's collapse is already shaking up the venture-capital business and could be felt for years to come, tech insiders say

eBay lays off at least 200 employees as restructuring continues under interim CEO

Facebook's retreat on WhatsApp ads shows the limits of its Instagram playbook and means Mark Zuckerberg must answer a $22 billion question

And more good reads from across the BI newsroom:

Carlos Ghosn's transformation from business icon to international fugitive was entirely predictable, industry leaders say. But his next act could surprise everyone.

How an acquisition of Barstool Sports by a casino company could set the stage for more media and gambling tie-ups

4 steps black women should take to guarantee they have a mentor who's looking out for them at work — especially when it's time to be promoted or get a salary raise

Greenlight Capital's David Einhorn is adding to his bet against Netflix and loading up on gold, a new investor letter shows

Thanks for reading, and remember, if you like this newsletter, tell your friends and colleagues they can sign up here to receive it.

— Alexei

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NOW WATCH: Inside the US government's top-secret bioweapons lab

• Salesforce Chief Operating Officer Bret Taylor on Wednesday spoke with Insider Global Editor in Chief Nicholas Carlson during the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. 
• The former chief technology officer of Facebook has played a major role in shaping big technology companies into what they are today: He built the "like" button for a social network that would later be acquired by Facebook.
• Taylor said he has now thought a lot about the role of values and ethics when building products, especially as companies like Facebook have come under scrutiny for their products from people including Marc Benioff, Taylor's new boss.
• Salesforce now employs ethicists to consult with engineers to help build products, which Taylor cited as an example of the kind of thinking that needs to surround product design today. 
• "Technology applied blindly isn't going to necessarily improve or save the world," Taylor said. "I think that's changed my philosophy on how we develop technology."
• Click here to read more stories on BI Prime.

Salesforce Chief Operating Officer Bret Taylor has a front-row seat to the industrywide trust crisis that Silicon Valley is facing — and has implemented his own changes to the product-design process. 

The former Facebook chief technology officer built Google Maps with Marissa Mayer at his first job working at the search giant, and he later created the "like" button for a social network that would be acquired by Facebook. Back then, Taylor said, technology companies were held less accountable for the products they built. 

"When I worked at Facebook, the main complaint I got was that everyone wanted a 'dislike' button," Taylor told Insider Global Editor in Chief Nicholas Carlson in Davos, Switzerland, on Wednesday at the World Economic Forum. "Obviously, since I've left, that's changed." 

One of the most fiery critics of the consumer-tech industry's practices is Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, Taylor's new boss. And by building the like button for Facebook, Taylor has directly played a role in developing one of the objects of Benioff's fiery criticism.

"Facebook is the new cigarettes. It's addictive; it's not good for you. There's people trying to get you to use it that even you don't understand what's going on,"Benioff told journalist Kara Swisher on MSNBC in November 2018.

But Taylor went on to say that the shift in his philosophy had more to do with his own personal reflections. 

"Technology applied blindly isn't going to necessarily improve or save the world," Taylor said. "I think that's changed my philosophy on how we develop technology."

Salesforce employs ethicists to work with engineers to guide product design when they're working with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, Taylor said. Otherwise, "you might have built a tool that perpetuates inequality — not with malice but because you didn't incorporate ethics into the product," he added. 

"Ten years ago, these topics just weren't spoken about that frequently," he said. "Thinking about the unintended consequences and its impact on society ... I think it's now a part of the product-design process." 

A broader cultural shift in philosophy 

Taylor's shift in philosophy has taken place amid a broader cultural shift in Silicon Valley, where consumers have called for tech companies to be held more accountable for the products they build. 

"By focusing on growth over trust, it has really impacted the reputation of Silicon Valley," Taylor said. "I think one thing that every company needs to embrace is focusing on values and focusing on trust. That's something that's going to be an awkward transition for these companies, but I think it is absolutely necessary."

But Taylor remains optimistic about the industry's ability to innovate solutions to dig itself out. He cited an article he read about Instagram's plan to hide his old creation likes. As a parent, Taylor now thinks that Instagram's plan has brought up a meaningful conversation that needs to happen surrounding product design.  

"I have three children now, and every parent in the world thinks about screen time," Taylor said. "What is the goal of the technology we're making? What's healthy?"

"I don't think the solutions are all obvious, but I do think it's going to produce better outcomes," he added.

SEE ALSO: Here's a look at how SoftBank's dotcom-era investments played out — half of these 14 startups it bet on collapsed

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NOW WATCH: Inside the US government's top-secret bioweapons lab

Hi, and welcome to this week's Influencer Dashboard newsletter!

This is Amanda Perelli, and I'll be briefing you on what's new in the business of influencers and creators.

This week, I highlighted the top 17 brands in influencer marketing. These brands have built lasting partnerships with creators on platforms like YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok, and in podcasting.

Recently, brands are turning to more relaxed guidelines when it comes to influencer campaigns, and they are letting the creators take more creative control.

Ticket-selling service SeatGeek has a successful partnership with the YouTube star David Dobrik, who has 15 million subscribers. The partnership has led to viral moments, like Dobrik buying cars for friends — from Teslas to Ferraris — with "SeatGeek money" in exchange for a 60-second shout-out on his YouTube channel. 

SeatGeek is like a character in Dobrik's popular vlog-style videos – maybe you've seen his fans recite the SeatGeek ad read on Twitter while seemingly loopy from drugs following dentist visits. 

Innovative brands like SeatGeek are pushing forward the influencer-marketing industry and trusting the creators they work with.

Check out the full power list, including SeatGeek, Sephora, and Chipotle, here. 

You can read most of the articles here by subscribing to BI Prime. And if this is your first time reading Influencer Dashboard, subscribe to the newsletter here.

A college TikTok influencer with 1.6 million followers explains how much money she makes — and her 3 main sources of income

I spoke to Cosette Rinab, a busy college junior at University of Southern California, about her popular TikTok page.

Rinab has 1.6 million followers on the app and said that she splits her time between studying film and public relations for school and growing her page.

While some of her peers are working part-time jobs in babysitting, or at restaurants, Rinab is earning her money off the app, and she treats it like a job.

She shared the main ways she earns money through TikTok, including brand promotions, music integrations, and livestreaming.

For an average sponsorship, she said creators will charge between $1,000 and $2,000 per 100,000 TikTok views, based on her experience and what she's heard from other creators.

Read the full post on Rinab for a break down of how she earns money on TikTok.

How 2 podcasters changed their strategy and made $25,000 in a month from Patreon — up from around $2,000

One popular business move among influencers (especially in podcasting) is to offer and charge followers for exclusive content.

Alyssa Meyers, a reporter on our media and advertising team, dove into the podcast business of stand-up comedians and entrepreneurs Kevin Fredericks and Anthony Belcher Jr. (known as DoBoy from Nick Cannon's long-running comedy show, "Wild 'N Out").

They host the podcast "Righteous and Ratchet," where they discuss anything from French fries to Kevin Hart.

Fredericks told Alyssa that their podcast wasn't earning much money until they decided to take it to the subscription-based membership platform, Patreon. 

Since building a paying audience on Patreon, the podcast has generated as much as $25,000 a month.

Read the full post on how these 2 podcast stars made $25,000 in a month from Patreon.

A pair of 30-year-old video producers blew up on TikTok and are charging brands thousands of dollars for sponsored posts

TikTok isn't just for Gen Zers. Older creators are also gaining followers and earning money from the fast-growing app. 

Dan Whateley, a reporter on our influencer business team, spoke to the 30-year-old TikTok creators, Nate Twer and Greg Auerbach, on how they turned their video skills into a serious online business.  

Using a smartphone (and professional lighting), Auerbach has amassed over 590,000 followers on TikTok since launching his account in July.

The pair told Dan that they refocused their video-production company from shooting local commercials to making videos for TikTok. They earn money through sponsorships, which have proven to be a lucrative source of income.

Read the full post on Auerbach and Twer's to learn how they earn a living from sponsored posts on TikTok.

The nominees are in for this year's Shorty Awards!

Did you catch the nominees list for this year's Shorty Awards? 

The Shorty Awards honor the best of social media, from people to organizations. This year's nominees include YouTube influencer Jeffree Star, actress Sophie Turner, and the internet's favorite GIFs, like Baby Yoda Sipping Tea. 

New to this year's nominees: TikTok creators are nominated for categories other than "TikTokker of the Year," which shows the rise of the platform. 

The nominees for "YouTuber of the Year" include popular creators like MrBeast, Wengie, and NikkieTutorials.

The Shorty Awards will be presented May 3 in New York City at 1515 Broadway Theater. Check out the full list of nominees.

Creator Spotlight: Laura Price

This week, I'm highlighting Laura Price and her YouTube channel for our Creator Spotlight.

Sometimes we watch YouTube videos to learn a certain skill; other times we watch in awe and in envy of someone else's talents.

Price is a YouTube creator with 198,000 subscribers, and she shares her journey as a Disney artist online. Price has worked on shows like "Tangled the Series" for Disney, and in her videos, she shares her experience and tips for landing a job as a designer. She also films tutorials on digital painting and parts of her everyday life.

I may have zero artistic ability, but watching Price speed paint characters and colorful backgrounds makes me wish I did. You can check out her channel here.

Send tips or feedback to me at aperelli@businessinsider.com. 

Here's what else we're reading:

• TikTok is full of Sephora and Chipotle employees spilling secrets. That can get complicated: Deanna Patrice Jhaveri, from Vox, reported on how current and former employees can sometimes be the best brand ambassadors on TikTok, but companies aren't partnering with them.
• These teenage TikTok stars reveal how their 'goofy' videos made them financially independent: For MarketWatch, James Wellemeyer wrote about the popular TikTok star Josh Richards and how his viral videos have helped him build a career online.
• Inside Walmart's thriving TikTok account, which has over 127,000 followers and is luring a new generation of Gen Z shoppers to the superstore: Shoshy Ciment, a reporter for Business Insider on the retail desk, took readers inside Walmart's TikTok account and broke down the people behind it.

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns explains why country music is universal

• Content creators of all kinds are trying their hands at podcasting, but with so much competition, it can be hard for independent shows to make money.
• Many new podcasters give up if their show isn't popular right away, but downloads aren't everything, and there are workarounds to attract advertisers, said podcast producer and host Lauren LoGrasso.
• Good cover art and guest appearances can help spike downloads, LoGrasso said, and advertising opportunities are available if you know where to look.
• Click here for more BI Prime articles.

Anyone can start a podcast, but can they make money from it?

Lauren LoGrasso, an executive producer on female-led shows in the Cadence13 podcast network, knows a thing or two about how to succeed in podcasting.

In addition to her production work, LoGrasso recently launched her own independent show, "Unleash Your Inner Creative," and gives talks about podcasting at conferences like the Girlboss Rally.

LoGrasso got her start in audio by hosting a radio show at Michigan State University, then went on to work as a host and producer at AfterBuzz TV, an online broadcast network created by Maria Menounos that's known for its TV show recap podcasts.

LoGrasso also produced radio shows at SiriusXM before joining Cadence13, where she now serves as an executive producer on shows like Gwyneth Paltrow's "The goop Podcast" as well as podcasts hosted by Maria Shriver and Lauren Conrad.

With so much competition in the podcast industry, LoGrasso said independent podcasters in particular struggle to establish themselves. Here are the ways she said new podcasters can get their shows noticed and turn a profit as soon as possible. 

1. Don't abandon your show, even if it isn't an immediate hit

Podcasts require few overhead costs to produce, so new podcasters won't run into many barriers creating their first episode. Hosting platforms like Anchor and Acast provide access to editing services for beginners, but the low barrier to entry means that the podcast ecosystem is saturating fast.

"The biggest mistake people make when they're starting out is giving up too quickly," LoGrasso said.

If a podcast episode is downloaded more than 136 times within its first 30 days, it's considered to be in the top 50% of podcasts, LoGrasso said. This benchmark is considered an industry norm, also cited by Adweek and The Podcast Host, a digital resource for podcasters.

As podcasters look to increase their monthly downloads, LoGrasso said they should consider inviting guests onto their shows to encourage audience growth. Guests 0ften have their own social-media following and can share podcasts with potential listeners who wouldn't have discovered them otherwise.

When it comes to podcasting, listeners judge the book by its cover, so cover art can also contribute to downloads. 

Don't make the cover of your podcast a photo of you face (unless you're a celebrity), LoGrasso said, and try to relate the artwork to the narrative or topic of the podcast.

2. Start small with advertising to gain experience

Once a podcast is being downloaded, it has the potential to generate ad revenue immediately. LoGrasso said for her own show, she uses Anchor for monetization as well as hosting capabilities, and recommends other podcasters look into using a distributor to sell ads for them. 

Most ad sales companies require a certain number of monthly downloads for podcasts to opt in. Spreaker Prime, a programmatic ad sales platform, requires podcasts to have 5,000 downloads per month in order to participate. 

LoGrasso recommends Anchor for new podcasters, since the company doesn't have download requirements. Anchor was able to sell ads into LoGrasso's show right away, she said, but her earnings vary month to month depending on downloads.

Anchor typically sells ads into LoGrasso's show at a $20 CPM, but she uses a CPM of $25 when she makes ad deals herself.

In addition to using a distributor, podcasters can start generating ad interest by reaching out to small businesses. LoGrasso landed one of her first ads by making a deal with a friend who recently launched a startup selling perfume.

"If you're not getting enough downloads to make money yet, you might want to do a trade," LoGrasso said.

Podcasters can trade ads for products, or ask advertisers to share links to episodes as opposed to paying for an ad. This strategy contributes to audience growth, and also gives hosts experience reading ads and makes them look more legitimate.

If advertising still isn't working out, podcasters are increasingly turning to membership platform Patreon to make a living.

3. Share more than just download numbers to score ad deals

Major podcast production companies usually consider 50,000 to 400,000 downloads per episode significant in terms of advertising potential, LoGrasso said, although advertisers also look at statistics like completion and conversion rates.

An independent podcast with 8,000 to 10,000 per episode can expect to make significant ad revenue, LoGrasso said, but it's hard to compete with download numbers of established networks. New podcasters should look to share additional numbers and evidence of engagement with potential advertisers as a workaround.

If a podcast has done a live show, for instance, the hosts can use attendance numbers to show their fans are invested and engaged in the show. Merchandise sales can also demonstrate a host's ability to encourage traffic to external sites.

4. Don't staff up too quickly

It doesn't take a big team to produce a podcast, so for independent podcasters who are able, LoGrasso said to handle as much production work as possible without hiring additional staff.

With her production experience, LoGrasso said she was able to earn a profit right away because she didn't have anyone else to pay and no overhead costs.

"You're going to see money quicker if you're the one at the helm," LoGrasso said.

SEE ALSO: How YouTube stars Zane Hijazi and Heath Hussar used their internet fame to sell $590,000 in podcast ads in 3 months

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• New York-based ad holding company Plan A, run by advertising vets MT Carney and Andrew Essex, added four more agencies: Design agency Tether, digital shop Chapter, gaming-centric firm TwoFiveSix, and PR firm The New New Thing.
• The additions bring Plan A's portfolio to nine firms, 280 employees, and $50 million in revenue, Essex said.
• Clients and agency members of Plan A said its approach of combining independent agencies with centralized account management and strategy was working. But competition is intensifying. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

Plan A, the New York-based boutique ad holding company run by advertising vets MT Carney and Andrew Essex, has added four firms for a total of nine, broadening its geographical footprint and services.

The four are Stanley Hainsworth's Seattle-based design agency Tether, Gareth Kay and Neil Robinson's San Francisco-based digital shop Chapter, Jamin Warren's Los Angeles-based gaming-centric firm TwoFiveSix, and PR vet Brooke Hammerling's firm The New New Thing.

While the agencies that initially joined Plan A swapped their equity for equity in Plan A, the four new agencies opted in based on a set of mutually agreed upon terms. The idea is that together they can command a higher value in the marketplace as opposed to individually, and that each firm would get a share of the proceeds if it were to sell.

Plan A also has creative and strategy firm Untitled Worldwide, branded entertainment and experiential marketing firm Van's General Store, production company Helo, fashion advertising firm Twin Studio, and social media agency Beekman Social.

The addition of the four firms expands Plan A to 280 employees and its revenue to $50 million, Essex said. 

"We like to think of ourselves as the 'Ocean's 11' of marketing services," Essex said. "Just as the principals come together and get a safecracker, we're trying to assemble a SWAT team to offer all the capabilities that a modern client wants — and that's pretty unique proposition."

Plan A is trying to create a new kind of holding company 

Carney, the former marketing president at Walt Disney Studios and founding partner of Untitled Worldwide, and Essex, the former Tribeca Film Festival and Droga5 CEO, launched Plan A in 2018 with backing from CAA founder Michael Ovitz and MediaLink CEO Michael Kassan, who are strategic investors and senior advisors.

Plan A pitches itself as a new kind of ad agency holding company, with specialist agencies that operate independently but have centralized account management and strategy so they can share resources but retain their own culture.

"If the strategy is centralized in one place, then you're not wasting time herding cats and everybody's working off the same song sheet," Carney told Business Insider. "And because everybody has bought into one way of doing things, you don't duplicate the cost, and it saves the clients money."

Clients and agency members say the approach is working 

Plan A has companies including Facebook, IBM, JP Morgan Chase, and Spotify as clients, and said its model is working for them. As an example, it pointed to a Halloween-themed campaign it did for Hulu in 2019 called "Huluween" where Helo built a haunted house and Beekman handled the social media.

Bob Lord, SVP of cognitive applications at IBM, said Plan A's executive team drew him to the firm when he needed to communicate IBM's message of ease of use to developers. He said it was "incredibly helpful to be interfacing with the likes of MT and get her perspective, rather than with someone just out of college" as was often the case at other agencies.

Some agency founders said that they were drawn to Plan A because of Essex and Carney's connections and clients. Tether's Hainsworth said he was drawn to the opt-in nature of the arrangement. 

"The opportunities for growth, where we can tap into existing relationships and pool resources to service clients, are endless," said The New New Thing's Hammerling.

Plan A faces plenty of competition across the board

A year and a half into Plan A's run, the ad industry continues to go through massive shifts. Big brands are publicly criticizing traditional agency models, holding companies are consolidating, and marketers are looking to cut out middlemen.

That means Plan A's competition is intensifying, with players like S4, You and Mr. Jones, and Dawn Marketing challenging ad holding companies by promising marketers faster and leaner approaches.

And in September, the boutique agency Badger & Winters left Plan A after less than a year.

Carney and Essex acknowledged that not everyone is a good fit.

"It was incredibly valuable lesson for both parties — surely everyone's been in a relationship that hasn't worked out," Essex said. "Some things are not a fit, but given the number we have, the track record or the success average is still pretty high."

Plan A execs said they would look to add more specialized agencies. They also didn't rule out becoming a part of a larger platform or being acquired by a management consultancy, following in Droga5's footsteps.

"We're not finished yet, but it's starting to feel really quite substantial," Essex said. "We have maybe one or two missing capabilities, which we will fill soon."

Join the conversation about this story »

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• JPMorgan Chase has named Leslie Gillin as its new CMO. 
• Gillin will oversee the Chase, JP Morgan, and corporate brands in her new role. She most recently served as the president of its co-brand credit cards business.
• Gillin succeeds Kristin Lemkau, who was the company's CMO since 2014, and was named CEO of the firm's US wealth management division last month.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

JPMorgan Chase has named Leslie Gillin as its new CMO, overseeing the Chase, JP Morgan, and corporate brands in her new role. She most recently served as the president of its co-brand credit cards business.

She succeeds Kristin Lemkau, Chase's CMO since 2014 and an outspoken marketer on the issues of brand safety and transparency in media buying. Lemkau was named CEO of the firm's US wealth management division last month as the company looks to overhaul its wealth-management business. 

Gillin's 25-year career has spanned marketing, product and business development roles at Citi, Bank of America and MBNA. Prior to joining Chase three years ago, she was the CMO of Citi's Global Consumer Bank.

JPMorgan Chase's co-brand card portfolio had double-digit growth in revenue, outstandings and new cardmembers under Gillin, said Gordon Smith, the company's co-president and COO.

"She has deep P&L and marketing experience, and is a highly respected people leader for the team," Lemkau said in a statement. "I'm excited to keep working with her in my new job to help grow the Wealth Management business."

JPMorgan Chase spends upwards of $5 billion in marketing per year. 

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NOW WATCH: The surprising reason Americans drop a ball on New Year's Eve

• Mr. Peanut, the face of Planters nuts for the last 104 years, is dead, the company announced in a Wednesday press release. It's part of a commercial that is set to air during the Super Bowl pregame show on Sunday, February 2.
• Major brands are tweeting about Mr. Peanut's sudden death, likely in an effort to capitalize on the trend that's going viral on social media.
• As is often the goal with viral commercials, this was all likely part of Planters' plan to get people talking about the brand. 
• Mr. Peanut's own Twitter account, which has over 72,000 followers, has also been promoting different tweets related to the character's death.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Mr. Peanut, the Planters brand mascot for the last 104 years, was killed off in a Super Bowl pregame ad, the company announced in a Wednesday press release. And now, different brands are playing right into the company's own marketing tactics.

News of the strange and sudden death quickly went viral this week. Verified Twitter accounts run by various well-known brands tweeted out their condolences, playing into a scenario that was likely carefully orchestrated by the Planters team.

"Mr. Peanut" was trending on Twitter on Wednesday, and the #RIPeanut hashtag was being used in various forms. Mr. Peanut's own Twitter account, which has over 72,000 followers, has also been promoting different tweets related to the character's death, making the news reach even more people.

The commercial in question, which is set to air during the Super Bowl pregrame show on Sunday, February 2, features actors Matt Walsh and Wesley Snipes in a car trip with Mr. Peanut in his "nutmobile." A sudden accident forces the group out of the vehicle and into a scenario where they are forced to cling on to a breaking branch for their lives. 

The commercial ends with Mr. Peanut sacrificing himself to save the other two men. 

According to Planters, another commercial showing Mr. Peanut's funeral is set to air during the third quarter of the game.

Mr. Peanut's Twitter page also tweeted the news of the death.

Major brands are tweeting about the strange death of Mr. Peanut, likely in an effort to capitalize on the trend that's going viral on social media. But, it's all likely part of Planters' plan to get people talking about the brand.

Here's what they're saying:

SEE ALSO: People are confused by Peloton's new holiday ad, which shows a woman taking selfies while riding the bike over the course of a year

Multiple verified company accounts, including Oscar Mayer, Chips Ahoy, and Nesquik, took to Twitter to express their condolences for Mr. Peanut while highlighting features of their own brand.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220111441883279362?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Mr. Peanut, you're gone too soon. You rode the hot dog highways with us in the Nutmobile and were always there when we needed some nutty advice. You died as you lived, helping friends when they needed you most.

Forever in our hearts ❤️ #RIPeanuthttps://t.co/DtpZaWk8r6Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220106009273946113?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
No more "Ahoy!" for Mr. Peanut, only "Bon voyage"😭 #RIPeanutTweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220056722301247490?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
RIP to a real one 🙏 #RIPeanutpic.twitter.com/AqBsXMKmiH

A lot of the posts seemed genuinely heartfelt.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220093441008226306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Our box is especially blue today. We always looked up to Mr. Peanut. In the snack aisle, and in life #RIPeanut. pic.twitter.com/uDo8YTh2Kz

But some of the brands seemed confused.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220107074702585861?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
@MrPeanut hey are you okay

Some nut and nut-related brands got in on the action.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220043695107596294?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
#RIPeanut ... https://t.co/YOPnMShASVTweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220074292773298176?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
A toast to you @MrPeanut#RIPMrPeanutpic.twitter.com/MRhsFYDnHn

Even non-food-related brands that had a connection to the peanut tweeted their condolences.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220064438075764736?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Gone, but not forgotten. pic.twitter.com/c6s7vSgEwiTweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220060727538606081?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Airplane snacking will never be the same. #RIPeanuthttps://t.co/vNolhVheX1

And some brands tweeted even though they had no discernible connection to Mr. Peanut.

Tweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220050236149616642?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
What? NO! We're dropping a Reverse Card on this. #RIPeanutTweet Embed:
//twitter.com/mims/statuses/1220075317613625344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
In honor of you @MrPeanut#RIPeanutpic.twitter.com/Z1ruM61zj9

• After signing six of the biggest stars on TikTok, TalentX Entertainment has grown its talent roster to 32 influencers that it's promoting across Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok. 
• Founded in 2019, the 12-employee talent management company is poaching new hires from Otter Media's social content business, Fullscreen, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia.
• TalentX is exploring a variety of revenue streams, including brand partnerships, live events, and TV and film development work.
• The company's TikTok "collab house," Sway LA, is also making waves alongside Hype House as a content creation hub. 
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

When YouTube first emerged as the key revenue platform for a new generation of video creators, an entire industry of talent managers sprung up to promote and help its top stars earn money (while taking a cut).

Now, as TikTok battles to become the next big video hub for creators young and old, some prominent YouTubers are making sure they get in on the action by building their own talent management businesses centered around the new short-form video platform.

First, YouTube creator and former Vine star Brent Rivera started Amp Studios, a content studio and talent incubator that works with popular TikTokers, scoring sponsorships with big brands like Pop-Tarts, Netflix, and Electronic Arts.

And now a pair of YouTubers, 23-year-old Tal Fishman and 22-year-old Jason Wilhelm, are launching TalentX Entertainment, a new management company built for the TikTok age.

TalentX has recruited 32 TikTok and YouTube stars and launched the Sway House, a TikTok creator "collab house" in Los Angeles. It has also assembled a 12-member team of influencer marketers, poaching several employees from Otter Media's Full Screen, a subsidiary of AT&T's WarnerMedia.

In addition to Fishman and Wilhelm, who serve as co-CEOs, the company brought on Fullscreen's former director of creator partnerships, Warren Lentz, to serve as its chief revenue officer. It hired Michael Gruen as its vice president of talent, and brought on one of TikTok's biggest creators, Josh Richards, as a partner. 

TalentX is eyeing cross-platform brand partnerships, merchandising, product and intellectual property deals, live events, and television and film development. But for now, it's focusing on managing its slate of young stars, most of whom have ambitions that extend well beyond TikTok.

"These guys are the next generation of YouTubers, like it or not," Gruen told Business Insider. "When you put a video with their name in the headlines, they're going to get a 100,000 views. It's a phenomenon that no one's taking advantage of."

Unlike YouTube, which offers straightforward monetization through Google-placed ads, TikTok is still a bit of the Wild West when it comes to building stable revenue streams. TikTokers earn money from livestreams, sponsored posts, and fees from musical artists for song integrations. But helping TikTok creators get big paydays often requires moving their audiences off of the app and to other platforms — like YouTube and Instagram — which have more established economic ecosystems. 

TalentX wants its stars on all platforms, not just TikTok

"Almost all of our talent right now have their primary audience on TikTok," Lentz said. "That does not mean we're going all in on TikTok. It means we're going to partner with our talent and teach them and help them get on every other platform."

It's a lesson they learned first from YouTube.

Fishman started his Reaction Time YouTube channel in 2015, growing a fan base on YouTube with close to 15 million followers. But the TalentX co-CEO said he discovered that relying on a single platform for revenue made him vulnerable. 

"I kind of put all my eggs into one basket and only monetized on YouTube through Adsense," he said. He doesn't want that to happen to the TikTok stars he manages.

"We are day-to-day with these guys on growing their YouTube, not just their TikTok, and also their Instagram, because we know how important it is to create those different revenue streams and different revenue buckets," he said.

And it's not an idle concern.

When TikTok changed its policies so that only creators above the age of 16 could livestream to their audiences, and requiring parental permission for users between the ages of 16 and 18, it took away a big source of revenue for a lot of TalentX's teenage talent, Fishman said.

During a livestream, TikTok users can send a creator virtual "gifts" using a currency of TikTok's own invention, "coins." Creators can then convert these "gifts" into "diamonds," which are then transferable into real dollars.

Fishman helped his teen stars find other revenue streams. 

He and fellow YouTuber Nick Bean, who serves as creative director at the Sway House, have been making sure TalentX's creators get set up correctly with YouTube monetization as they push to diversify their talents' incomes. 

"With us, since we already have systems in place and I have five years of experience in the space, it's very easy to streamline," Fishman said of getting the TalentX team set up on YouTube.

But brands are still asking for influencer marketing campaigns on specific social-media platforms

Even if TalentX is thinking about its creators holistically, that doesn't mean brands are.

"Most brands when they come to us and want to do influencer marketing spend, they typically have one platform in mind, whether it be YouTube, Instagram, or TikTok," Lentz said.

TalentX focuses on those three platforms and Snapchat for sponsored content, he said. The cost-per-view for a sponsored post on TikTok is cheaper than on YouTube because it's much easier to scale on the new app, Lentz said. TalentX charges a cost-per-view of between three and eight cents on YouTube and one to two cents on TikTok.

Instagram requires a different approach.

"They're buying the Story views or the Feed views and impressions," he said. "Some brands are much more nuanced than others and really know what they're seeking and they have a strong idea of how they're going to measure their ROI [return on investment]. Other brands actually turn to us as their consultant and they ask us what we feel is the most effective."

The single metric that brands track across the board is engagement, according to Lentz. Followers and subscribers do not matter.

"Some of our influencers, which we're very excited about, are averaging anywhere from 25 to 50% [engagement], meaning if they have 500,000 Instagram followers, they're getting upwards of 250,000 likes per post, which is unheard of and unprecedented."

TalentX is partnering with the Miami, Florida-based agency, The Influencer Marketing Factory, to serve as its in-house social agency. Lentz said the company is actively negotiating with other agencies to offer its expertise on TikTok marketing. 

"For the past year when I ran talent partnerships at Fullscreen, most of the brands were spending primarily on YouTube and Instagram," Lentz said. "In 2020, there are a lot of brands, specifically those in the direct-to-consumer space or the tech and mobile app space, that are excited to really dip their toes into influencer marketing on TikTok."

TalentX wants its clients on the road — when school's out

Because many of TalentX's top creators are still students, the company said it's waiting for the summer to put its talent on the road.

"Touring is going to be really important for us this summer when a lot of our talent clients as well as their audiences are not in school anymore," Lentz said.

The company has three tours planned right now. It hopes to leverage its relationship with its board member Larry Rudolph of music management group, Maverick Management, to connect with Live Nation Entertainment on other event opportunities, Gruen said. 

TV and film development deals are on TalentX's wish list

Some of TalentX's creators have Hollywood ambitions, and the company said it's in the early days of exploring development deals with agencies like the Creative Arts Agency and WME, where Lentz once worked as an assistant.

As a first step, the company is setting up acting classes for some of its influencers to get them ready for larger screen performances.

"We are currently working closely with each of them to get them in acting classes, because ultimately that craft is something that requires a lot of hard work," Lentz said. 

For more on how TikTok stars are building a business on the app, check out these Business Insider Prime posts:

• How a pair of 30-year-old video producers turned TikTok from a side gig to their main job: 30-year-old Greg Auerbach and his childhood friend Nate Twer are building a business making funny videos on TikTok. The pair have 590,000 followers and nearly 14 million likes on the app.
• A college TikTok influencer with 1.6 million followers explains how much money she makes — and her 3 main sources of income: Cosette Rinab has 1.6 million followers on the app and said that she splits her time between studying film and public relations for school and growing her page.
• A TikTok star with 1 million followers explains the ways she earns money and how much she makes: The 22-year-old TikTok star Salina, who goes by "Salinakilla" online, explained the different ways creators earn money through the popular video app.
• Marketers share what it's like to use TikTok's invite-only tool for finding the right influencers to hire for brand deals: Business Insider spoke to marketers who are beta testing TikTok's new matchmaking tool for influencers and brands, "Creator Marketplace."

Join the conversation about this story »

NOW WATCH: Documentary filmmaker Ken Burns explains why country music is universal

• YouTube's Partner Program allows influencers to earn money off their YouTube channels by placing ads within videos. 
• Google places these ads and pays a creator based on factors like a video's watch time, length, and viewer demographic.
• Business Insider spoke with four YouTube creators — Shelby Church, Kevin David, Sienna Santer, and Andrei Jikh — who broke down how much money YouTube paid them for the entire year of 2019.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

How much money a YouTube creator earns in a single year directly from YouTube varies depending on a number of factors, like the type of content they make, the number of views they get, and the strategies they use. 

Creators with 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours are eligible to have their videos monetized with ads by joining YouTube's Partner Program. These ads are filtered by Google, and how much money a creator earns (known as AdSense revenue) depends on the video's watch time, length, video type, and viewer demographics — among other factors.

Some top creators have ad-placement strategies to maximize their earnings. For instance, YouTube creator Shelby Church, who has 1.4 million subscribers, said she more than doubled her earnings in 2019 versus 2018 by lengthening her videos to over 10 minutes so she could include more ads.

In general, business-related YouTube channels have a relatively high CPM rate (or cost per thousand views) compared with other types. Marina Mogilko, an entrepreneur and YouTube creator, spoke with Business Insider about her three YouTube channels and said her business channel made more per view than the others — by far.

To get a sense of how much top creators are making directly from YouTube, Business Insider spoke with four influencers with vastly different channels — Shelby Church (1.4 million subscribers) , Kevin David (856,000 subscribers), Sienna Santer (321,000 subscribers), and Andrei Jikh (365,000 subscribers) — who broke down how much money YouTube paid them in 2019.

Here's what they said:

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Shelby Church – $140,000

Church said she earned more than double what she earned in 2018 directly from YouTube.

By extending her videos to over 10 minutes long, and including more ads within a single video, she's been able to maximize her earnings. 

Church usually includes one preroll ad before the video (which is the default on YouTube) and two ads within the video, three or four minutes apart, she said. Her videos are typically about 10 to 12 minutes.

She found that her videos over 10 minutes long generally made $5 per 1,000 views, while the videos under 10 minutes usually made $2 per 1,000 views. Church said in her experience, YouTube takes about half of that.

Read the full post here: How much money YouTube paid a creator with 1.4 million subscribers during 2019

Kevin David – $400,000

David doesn't consider himself a YouTube star, but for a creator without millions of followers, he's able to generate major revenue.

David has 856,000 subscribers on YouTube, and he posts videos about how to make money online and on Amazon.

In 2019, his YouTube channel earned $400,000 from the ads in his videos, according to a screenshot of his creator dashboard.

Though David's videos don't tend to get millions of views, he earns more money than the average YouTube creator because of the type of content he produces: detailed how-to videos (like how to make money online or sell products on Amazon) and e-commerce tutorials. His audience is valuable to advertisers.

Read the full post here: A YouTube creator broke down the strategy that earned him $400,000 last year

Sienna Santer – $44,000

Santer's YouTube influencer career started with friends and family members asking her how she got accepted into Harvard.

Her online career was kick-started after a video of her Harvard dorm-room tour went viral and got 4.8 million views. Now she treats her YouTube channel and Instagram page like a part-time job.

She is part of a rising trend of YouTubers who are gaining audiences by sharing their college experiences — especially their move-in videos, which can rack up millions of views (and in Santer's case, thousands of dollars).

Santer averages about $3,000 a month from AdSense, she said.

She previously told Business Insider that she usually adds two to three ads to a video that is over 10 minutes long and follows certain techniques to optimize a video's performance.

Read the full post here: A Harvard student with 300,000 YouTube subscribers shares exactly how much money she made in 2019 as a college influencer from ads

Andrei Jikh – $200,000

The personal-finance YouTuber Andrei Jikh grew up in a family of circus performers from Russia, and he moved to the US at age 9 when his dad got a job with Cirque du Soleil.

Jikh fell in love with magic and filming home videos. Ten years later, he was hired by a startup to teach magic online.

But when his parents acquired "crazy debt," Jikh became obsessed with personal finance.

In 2018, he quit his job to start a YouTube channel, and in just one year, he gained 300,000 subscribers and earned six figures just from ads placed in his videos by Google.

Jikh said he learned to make more money by including midroll ads, which can run in videos lasting over 10 minutes. They can be skippable or nonskippable, and creators can place them manually or have them automatically placed by YouTube.

Read the full post here: A personal-finance influencer earned over $100,000 in his first year from YouTube. He shared his strategy and what he made each month.

• WarnerMedia executives presented a pitch deck to advertisers that shows how its parent company, AT&T, plans to try to become the biggest media company.
• The company said it planned a big increase in marketing and programming to promote its forthcoming streaming service HBO Max.
• AT&T plans to use the combination of its entertainment brands and ad platform Xandr to become the biggest name in media while selling more services to AT&T subscribers, the deck shows.
• Click here for more BI Prime stories.

AT&T has made no secret of its desire to lead the increasingly fractured media landscape through its newly acquired WarnerMedia entertainment properties and ad tech division Xandr.

Business Insider obtained a strategy deck that WarnerMedia execs presented to ad agencies in August. It reveals how much the strategy will focus on streaming service HBO Max, which the conglomerate plans to promote with a huge increase in original programming and marketing.

Spokespeople for AT&T and WarnerMedia did not respond to requests for comment.

WarnerMedia plans to increase spending on HBO Max

According to the deck, WarnerMedia Chairman Bob Greenblatt sees HBO Max as the feather in AT&T's cap.

HBO Max is set to go live in May as the most expensive streaming service at $15 per month. Analysts think HBO Max will need to scale faster than predecessor HBO Now to even break even — a high hurdle to clear given competition from Netflix, Disney+, and other new streaming services.

The deck links to a July Variety profile of WarnerMedia CEO John Stankey where he pledges to spend about $500 million more on HBO programming this year for a total of approximately $2.5 billion.

It also states that the company will increase the program hours across all properties and the number of movies made by its studios by 50% in 2020.

AT&T plans to use content to grow cable and wireless subscriptions while expanding its ad platform

An ad agency exec who saw the pitch in a meeting with WarnerMedia executives and spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to discuss the matter publicly said the company's biggest focus was on heavily promoting HBO Max.

The deck also touts Bleacher Report, Boomerang, and Otter Media. The agency source said WarnerMedia executives also talked about integrating advertisers into CNN's live coverage of the upcoming presidential election.

AT&T's ultimate goal, according to Stankey and the deck, is to use the combination of its entertainment brands and ad platform Xandr to become the biggest name in media while selling more services to AT&T subscribers.

The deck also refers to the recent merger of programmatic platform AppNexus into Xandr and says it will "enhance premium video advertising, with greater relevance to consumers, [and] also give marketers key insights into their most valued audiences."

"The more customers engage with premium content the more access they will need to high-speed connectivity," the deck notes read.

AT&T Mobility, which provides wireless services to more than 160 million subscribers, is by far the company's most profitable division. By comparison, Xandr brought in only around 1% of AT&T's total revenues for 2018, according to earnings reports.

Got more information about this story or another ad industry tip? Contact Patrick Coffee on Signal at (347) 563-7289, email at pcoffee@businessinsider.com or patrickcoffee@protonmail.com, or via Twitter DM @PatrickCoffee. You can also contact Business Insider securely via SecureDrop.

SEE ALSO: Read the WPP pitch deck that lays out the biggest ad holding company's plans to return to growth

The deck was designed for select ad agencies.

AT&T's goal is to combine content, ad sales, and subscriber data with its basic wireless services to create the ultimate media company.

WarnerMedia is made up of three divisions, with Warner Bros. and HBO leading the premium push.

WarnerMedia executives described HBO Max as the centerpiece of their strategy.

CEO John Stankey said he would significantly increase spending on new series and movies in 2020.

AT&T is also looking for savings in WarnerMedia.

WarnerMedia plans a big marketing push to grow subscriptions for HBO and HBO Max.

• Google rolled out a new look for search results on desktop last week, but the changes have sparked backlash.
• Critics are saying the update makes it nearly impossible to tell ads apart from organic search results.
• Some observers wondered whether Google was trying to intentionally steer users to click on ads through a practice known as "dark pattern" design.
• This isn't the first time Google has faced criticism over the design of its ads.

• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Last week, Google began rolling out a new look for search results on desktops, which added brand icons in front of organic search results and a bolded "Ad" label in front of paid ads.

Google said in a tweet that "the format puts a site's brand front & center, helping searchers better understand where information is coming from, more easily scan results & decide what to explore."

But critics are saying the changes have had the opposite effect by making it nearly impossible to tell ads apart from organic search results.

"I would argue there is now no visual distinction between ads and results. There is still, technically, *labelling*, but it's hard to escape the conclusion that it is supposed to be difficult to spot at a glance where the adverts end," Alex Hearn, an editor for The Guardian, tweeted.

Some observers have even wondered whether Google is blurring the lines intentionally in an effort to get more users to click on ads, which is how Google makes the vast majority of its money.

"There's something strange about the recent design change to google search results, favicons and extra header text: they all look like ads, which is perhaps the point?" Writer Craig Mod said in a tweet.

Brooke Osmundson, associate director of paid search for digital ad agency NordicClick, told Digiday that for four of her clients, desktop users were 4% to 10.5% more likely to click on paid ads in the week after Google made the change than they were in the week prior.

This is not the first time Google has been accused of using manipulative design practices, known as "dark patterns," to trick users into clicking on ads.

Wall Street Journal reporter Rolph Winkle noted that the Federal Trade Commission sent letters to Google and other search engines saying in 2013 that the distinction between ads and organic search results had become "less noticeable to consumers." In the letters, the FTC urged the companies to "make any necessary adjustments to ensure you clearly and prominently disclose any advertising."

Since then, Google's ads have only become more subtle. Ginny Marvin, editor-in-chief at Search Engine Land, tweeted an infographic that showed how the designs have evolved over time:  

Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

SEE ALSO: Here are all the companies Airbnb has acquired to help it grow into a $31 billion business

Join the conversation about this story »

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• The National Labor Relations Board just ruled against Hearst Magazines in its fight against a union.
• A Hearst union would be the biggest in digital media, with as many as 550 people.
• Hearst argued that many of the proposed union members are actually supervisors and not eligible for the union but nonetheless are "among the most vociferous pro-union advocates."
• The ruling sets the stage for a union election, which some say would bring needed pay and job standards to the company but others worry would be divisive.
• Click here for more BI Prime articles.

Hearst employees who are unionizing got a big victory this week when the National Labor Relations Board ruled in their favor.

On November 12, Hearst Magazine editorial employees at some of the best-known titles including Cosmopolitan and Esquire announced that they had unionized, joining a throng of other media workers.

A Hearst union would be a big win for the Writers Guild of America East, with some 550 people spanning 24 brands, making it what's believed to be the biggest union in digital media.

The most recent dispute centers over who is a supervisor. Hearst has been fighting to reduce the number of people eligible to vote in an election by arguing that 86 of 550 proposed members are actually supervisors and as such, aren't eligible for the union. Hearst wanted to have those people's status decided before an actual vote.

Because Hearst didn't voluntarily recognize the union, the NLRB decides when an election will take place and who gets to vote. 

Hearst's filings to the NLRB showed its concern over the supervisors, which it called the biggest supporters of the union.

"There is no meaningful disagreement that disputed supervisors are among the most vociferous pro-union advocates — virtually ensuring that the election will lack integrity if their status is not litigated in advance," one Hearst filing read.

But NLRB wrote in a Jan. 22 ruling that Hearst's request "raises no substantial issues warranting review."

The ruling sets the stage for an election, which is expected to be scheduled in the next couple of weeks.

Hearst singled out supervisors as being the most pro-union

In a filing, Hearst pointed to employees posting their support for the union on social media, wearing pro-union pins, signing mass emails to employees in support of representation.

"Employees who have revoked their union authorization cards have faced retaliation and harassment from multiple supervisors," the filing said. "For example, a non-supervisory employee reported that a supervisor confronted and 'grilled' her about a colleague who had revoked his authorization card. And another supervisor has been accused of generally 'coercing and putting a lot of pressure on employees' to support unionization. At least one supervisor attended a 'Thankful for Union' party with employees, held to support representation."

The Writers Guild responded in a filing that most of the pro-union activities that Hearst was referring to were "simple expressions of support for the union, which are lawful even assuming the individuals are supervisors."

"For all of the Employer's bluster, this is a straightforward case," the guild wrote.

The NLRB sided with the guild in denying Hearst's request.

"We are pleased that the NLRB dismissed one of the company's unfounded attempts to divide our union and delay an election," the Hearst Union Organizing Committee said in a statement. "We look forward to completing these NLRB hearings and having a fair election in a timely manner."

Hearst executives haven't commented on the ruling.

Hearst's anti-union stance has rankled some staffers

It's common for management to oppose unions out of concerns that they'll introduce adversity between supervisors and subordinates and introduce processes that make it hard to be nimble. Another common concern is that contracts can make it hard to fire underperformers. 

In digital media, most companies have largely put up little resistance to their employees' efforts to organize in the past few years. 

New York magazine wrote that Hearst "adopted an especially hostile posture toward staff," though. Hearst executives Troy Young and Kate Lewis have called meetings with magazine staffs where they argued that a union would divide the company and slow its progress. 

Some employees said they felt angry and patronized by the company's stance and that its opposition "fueled the fire," as one organizer put it. Some vets meanwhile shared managements' concerns that a union will cause divisiveness and undermine the company's progress at a precarious time.

SEE ALSO: How Hearst's effort to modernize its antiquated magazine business stressed out employees and led them to unionize

Join the conversation about this story »

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• Nearly three dozen brands are about to descend on your TV screens during the Super Bowl this year, and five of them are first-timers.
• They are Bud Light Seltzer, Facebook, Little Caesars, Sabra, and Saucony.
• For some, the Super Bowl's live, captive audience is a big draw, while others like Faceook are trying to win over consumer trust after a tough couple of years.
• Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

Nearly three dozen brands are set to descend on your TV screens during the Super Bowl this year.

A number of them, including Facebook, pizza chain Little Caesars, and hummus maker Sabra, are first-timers, joining returning Super Bowl advertisers like Budweiser and Pepsi.

For Little Caesars, which is running a 30 second-long ad during the third quarter, the Super Bowl's large captive audience is a big draw as people are migrating away from TV. The Super Bowl drew an average televised audience of around 98.2 million viewers last year, according to Nielsen.

"While the media market is considerably evolving, the Super Bowl remains the best way to reach as many people as possible at once," Jeff Klein, SVP of global marketing at Little Caesars, told Business Insider. "It's not just about viewers, it's about engagement — there are many people that tune in for the commercials rather than the game — there's nothing else quite like it."

Others, like running brand Saucony, wanted to tap into the tentpole nature of the Super Bowl, albeit with a different strategy. The company is buying ads on Fox's streaming platforms, rather than the network, because it's seen recent success on connected TV and streaming platforms, said Don Lane, Saucony's CMO.

"We purposefully are targeting streaming viewers because our research shows they are a discerning and connected audience," Lane said. "We've had good luck with connected TV recently, it drives search interest and traffic to our site."

Other brands including New York Life, Snickers and Squarespace are returning to the Super Bowl after sitting out in recent years. New York Life was a prolific advertiser in the '80s, and is making a comeback after decades to launch a new campaign marking its 175th anniversary.

"This is a significant milestone for our brand, and one that provides us with a once in a generation opportunity to make a powerful statement about our brand and our role in peoples' lives," said Kari Axberg, New York Life's VP of brand marketing. "

Here are the advertisers running Super Bowl commercials for the first time:

Bud Light Seltzer

While Bud Light Seltzer's parent company Anheuser-Busch InBev is a regular advertiser, the new beverage is making its Super Bowl debut in a joint ad with Bud Light.

The company released its first Bud Light Seltzer commercial earlier this month that focuses on the "mayor" of Seltzer, Pa. Watch the spot here:

Facebook

Facebook's 60-second spot will promote its Groups feature and stars Chris Rock and Sylvester Stallone.

The spot, created by agency Wieden + Kennedy, comes as the tech company has been attempting to rebuild consumer trust after a spate of controversies in recent years. 

Little Caesars

Pizza chain Little Caesars will its first Super Bowl commercial this year, highlighting its move into delivery with DoorDash. The ad, produced by ad agency McKinney, will star "The Office" actor Rainn Wilson.

Here's a teaser:

Sabra

Sabra is making its Super Bowl debut this year with a 30-second spot by VaynerMedia.

The spot's cast includes rapper T-Pain, drag queens Miz Cracker and Kim Chi, and "Real Housewives of New Jersey" stars Caroline Manzo and Teresa Giudice.

Watch the teaser: 

Saucony

Saucony is buying ads on Fox's streaming platform as it saw a 29% uptick in search volume during its last connected TV media buy, according to the company.

It is running ads produced by Arnold Worldwide to promote its first biodegradable shoe.