Unveiling the Ethics of Advertising: Impact of Social Media on Teens and Society

As consumers, we may not be aware of advertisements' influence on our lives, however, they  impact our everyday decisions. Advertisers know their customers well and how to successfully capture their attention. They covertly lead consumers to follow and value whatever item or idea they choose to promote. The influence of advertising is often undercounted and overlooked which is where its true power lies. Once we recognize its sway over our mind and decisions we can realize the need for ethical advertising. 

Ethical advertising is a set of well defined principles that govern the ways of communication between the buyer and the seller. Ethical advertising places priority on conveying truthful messages and promoting products that are beneficial to customers. The goal of honest messaging is to establish trust and maintain a relationship between the buyer and seller through a set of shared values. 

Misleading and unethical advertisements have a plethora of consequences for both consumers and business’. ⅔ of U.S. consumers prefer buying from brands that align with their personal values. Consumers also prioritize and value brands that have their best interest at heart and look to form relationships with brands that maintain open communication channels. However, if customers find out they were lied to, they willingly spread the truth about the company. They don't hesitate to utilize various social media and news platforms and have even gone so far as suing companies for damages. 

Additionally, persuasion tactics have heavily shifted to social media to target a younger audience. The average social media user sees over 10,000 ads a day meaning that users come across and interact with ads everyday. The majority of social media users fall between the ages of 11 and 26. The implications of unethical advertising become evident when you analyze this demographic of social media users. Adolescence is a critical period of development. Different areas of the brain begin to evolve, specifically the prefrontal cortex which starts to develop at an accelerated pace. The prefrontal cortex is responsible for our decision making processes. The brain in this stage is especially open to growth and learning which significantly increases the influence of advertisements over adolescent thinking. As our brain processes and interprets information at this age, it can accept potentially false advertisements as truth affecting perception of self and the world. During this period of growth the adolescents' understanding of life, values, and identity is formed. Advertisements that aren’t ethical and promote untrue messages about individuals and the world can negatively impact a consumer's core values. Advertisements are designed to persuade, but when they are misleading, customers not only make uninformed and potentially harmful decisions, but adolescents perceive them as reality. The true costs and intentions of a purchase decision are misleading and purposely hidden from the customer, especially a younger consumer.   

Since the implications of unethical advertising are so consequential, the Federal Trade Commission has set guidelines for companies to follow. Even with these regulations firms can still do more to maintain and uphold ethical values. Taking affirmative action is important and can be done by establishing a code of ethics in which a company discloses their core competencies. Business owners can protect themselves and their audience by implementing these standards to uphold the quality and transparency of advertisements.

The Effect of User-Generated Content on Brand Image and Consumer Awareness

In the age of social media, and especially with the influence of TikTok, user-generated content is being manufactured at an all-time high. Anyone and everyone is free to post whatever they want whenever they want. This shift in the social dynamic that allows voices to be shared is keeping brands on their toes. Now more than ever, consumers have the tools necessary to share their testimonies and publicize the quality and necessity of products and brands.

Anytime an influencer posts about a certain brand or product, they are inviting discourse around it that impacts the public’s perception. If the consumers disagree with the promotion of a product, they now have the ability to voice their opinion and virally gain traction. Social media users have created a mob mentality that gives them the opportunity to decide if a product is worthy or unworthy regardless of advertising efforts. It has become clear in recent years that virality is hard to manufacture due to how much users value authenticity, so advertising is already predisposed to fall flat on social media without the proper research and implementation.

This recent phenomenon has its upsides, as it allows the quality of a product to speak for itself if it deserves recognition. It has also been seen where a product rises up as a common favorite without millions of dollars in advertising because it gained virality through popular acceptance. This was seen recently with the trend of “dupes” on TikTok, where users would promote less expensive alternatives to viral name-brand products. Social media puts the power of advertising into the hands of consumers to share their favorite products with a more reliable testimony. Consumers used their voice to help others find affordable options that allowed them to participate in trends when they may not have otherwise been able to.

However, on the downside, it is now much easier for consumers to “cancel” products. A few years ago the St. Ives Apricot Scrub came under fire for containing ingredients that can be harmful to sensitive skin. While the product does not contain any harmful chemicals or undergo unethical testing, the words of skincare amateurs effectively set the public against St. Ives Apricot Scrub. This reaction would not have been possible without social media, especially with the rise of user-generated content. If someone has a negative experience with a product and publicizes it, that can quickly turn into a boycott even if it was nothing more than a fluke. The use of a mob mentality to “cancel” different ideas, brands, products, and even people has created an atmosphere that enforces the concept that everything is black and white. 

Not only are consumers now able to post about brands and products, they are now more likely to post. The popularization of TikTok brought a new casualty to social media. Users are no longer expected to edit and filter every piece of media, but rather post more authentically and more frequently. Before this shift the average social media user would post every now and then when the occasion arose, if at all, but mostly browse the content created by viral creators. Now users post whenever they feel like it, they are not searching for an opportunity to go viral, they are just sharing their lives and experiences.

How AI May be Affecting Advertising Jobs in the Near Future

Artificial Intelligence has slowly been taking over the world as we know it. We have seen its ability to write papers, do math problems, have conversations, and answer virtually any question that we would have asked Google in the past. Recently, AI has been becoming more and more advanced and now has the ability to not only edit photos and graphics but also design and create anything you ask from scratch. 

Many jobs in America have already been taken over from AI and the advertising industry may be next. The only task AI would not be able to do for an advertising agency, would be communicating well with clients. However, once one person understands the clients wants and needs, AI may be able to do the rest. 

With the click of a few buttons, AI can now do all the research on a client and their target audience. It can design a slide deck to be presented to clients, and now can design many of the physical advertisements.  This article talks about how AI continues to add intelligence to everything. With the help of a human asking the right questions, AI can make anything better. 

AI taking over some jobs can be argued if it is a good idea because they may not understand exactly what it is it needs to do. Some will argue that AI will not be as creative as the creative team in an advertising agency. But, the real question is will AI soon be taking over the jobs of graphic designers. 

There is now a software connected with AI called Midjourney which can generate any piece of art. With AI now being able to design anything, it could become a better option for graphic designing than an actual worker. AI may be quicker and more precise than a human and there would be less room for human error. However, we have to ask if companies will be able to give up human interaction as well as human creativity. Since AI is built upon information already on the internet, it does not allow for completely new and raw ideas. 

Another job in advertising that AI may take over is media planning and buying. AI can know real time information and be able to decide exactly what comes next and then make it happen. For example, it can follow social media posts at all hours of the day and immediately know when it needs to be boosted and to what area. AI will do everything in a more time efficient way than many humans could which could possibly eliminate a salary that a company needs to pay. 
Altogether, AI may be taking over jobs in advertising in the near future but most likely at the owner's discretion. Although I may be a time and money saver, some companies will value the human interaction and creativity which comes from their creative team as well as their media planning team. The use of AI may also just require a shift in some skill sets for the advertising world as we get more and more accessible data. In Chad White’s. “Generative AI: What Keeps Me Up at Night,” linked above, he states that humans will only be left to do difficult and strategic tasks.  But watch out, because AI could be taking over your job soon.

Effects of Color and Design on Social Media Advertising

Thinking back to being children, how often was color and design involved in learning crucial information? Whether that was coloring pictures with crayons and markers of a certain design or getting to pick a specific spot on the bright, multi-colored rug as a reward for doing well in class that day, color and design were and are surrounding individuals from an early age. 

Advertisers are now seeing more than ever what teachers and parents have known for decades. Color and design have the power to evoke emotions and associations, which can be a hugely important tool to create a cohesive, memorable identity for brands seeking to engage consumers. 

As advertisers, it is critical to first look at color schemes when creating content for a brand or a new product on social media platforms. Finding the perfect color palette for each brand may seem hard to achieve, but there are surprisingly simple steps to follow. 

To begin establishing a color profile, a few guidelines need to be put in place. 

First, consider limiting the color scheme to two or three colors. Limiting the amount of colors in content can help the audience to have easy readability and accessibility to the story being told within the content. 

Secondly, use contrasting colors that complement each other. This may seem contradictory, but becoming familiar with the color wheel can help an advertiser to understand that there are specific colors that may seem to be contrasting and still easily complement one another. For example, orange and blue or red and green look amazing together when used correctly because they are complementary contrasting colors. Contrasting colors establish balance in the design and help draw a consumer’s attention to certain elements of the content. 

Now that the first basic steps have been considered, there are two main questions to think about when choosing a design and color palette.

The first question that needs to be considered is: who is the brand’s target audience? Who the target audience is will indicate what colors are most popular for that specific age group or demographic and what is expected to be trending in the future. 

For example, a clothing boutique for young children would want to go with lighter colors, like light pinks, blues, and greens because it would match with the majority of clothing in their shop and what has been popular for several years now. On the other hand, a men’s business clothing store would want to stick to mainly dark, timeless colors like gray or navy blue to convey the more solemn, professional atmosphere. 

Another example is based on past and current trends. According to color psychology, men typically tend to gravitate toward green, blue, or black. Women tend to gravitate towards red and purple, while also choosing blue. While this has been proven by studies on engagement from men and women on social media, the three colors for both genders are also broadened by the colors that are popular in our society today.

When a color scheme is popular with most people, it is likely going to positively impact individual’s associations to those colors. Neutral colors have been on the rise in areas such as homes, retail stores, and, most importantly for this article, social media. 

So when advertising a brand or product, ask what the target audience is going to appreciate and engage with the most. What is popular for their age group, geographic location, or gender identity?

The second question that needs to be asked is: what emotion and message does the brand want to convey?

The colors and design selected for social media content not only need to appeal to the target audience by complementing the brand but also by creating an emotion or mood within the consumers. 

For instance, the classic blue conveys trust, professionalism, and calmness while the trending red creates excitement, optimism, and energy. 

So, for brands who want to call their target audience to action, they often use clean, highlighted designs and warm colors such as red. Most light neutrals also convey calmness, lightness, and tranquility, which are popular themes in our society today. This is a large part of what makes these colors and simple designs so admired. 

As a visual-oriented society, we are now in an age where businesses cannot thrive without a strong social media presence. Color and design are two of the most important aspects of a brand’s social media. In advertising, learning how to masterfully integrate these two elements will create engaging content and communicate a brand’s ideas effectively.

TikTok's Influence on Advertising and Public Relations

In recent years TikTok has reshaped the way we approach advertising and public relations, bringing forth a noticeable chance to the digital marketing landscape. This short video clip platform has introduced new strategies that focus on simplicity and app engagement, altering the traditional methods of brand communication.

Short Video Clip Revolution

At the heart of TikTok's impact is its dedication to short video content. Videos most commonly lasting only 15 to 60 seconds long challenge marketers to convey messages swiftly. This shift caters to the preferences of a generation that craves quick, digestible content. This is one of the first major apps that is almost completely based off of the algorithm for each individual user.

User Generated Content Boom

TikTok thrives on user-generated content, a trend that has become a center point to effective marketing campaigns. Brands are now encouraging users to create content related to their products, and have started fostering a sense of community and turning TikTok consumers into active brand advocates. This is effective because each content creator will have its own following that brands use to turn those groups to purchasing their products which also creates opportunity.

Influencer Collaboration

TikTok's rise has given birth to a new breed of influencers. Brands are collaborating with these content creators who have garnered substantial followings. Such influencers have bridged the gap between brands and consumers and have helped deliver messages authentically, effectively and personally.

Challenges and Hashtags

TikTok's challenges and trending hashtags have become crucial tools for marketers. Branded challenges engage users and benefit from the platform's craving for viral content, creating brand awareness. Hashtags also feed into the consumers algorithm based off of your likes and views, which can help influencers grow their content engagement by paying close attention.

TikTok’s Algorithmic Feed

TikTok's algorithm, fueled by a machine that learns about each individual user, plays an important role in what content is shown. Targeted ads specific to the user have a better chance of reaching a broad and relevant audience. This is from the platform's ability to understand and showcase content based on user preferences from the algorithm and the consumer's engagement.

Creativity and Authenticity as the Foundation

The culture that TikTok has created values creativity and authenticity that pushes brands to take on a more entertaining and unique approach. Those who correspond with these values have successfully adapted to TikTok's user base, pushing a move towards more genuine brand communication which also exposes the influencers to more opportunity.

Global Reach Facilitation

With a diverse user base population, TikTok has created unique opportunities for international brands all around the globe. The platform has pushed down geographical barriers, allowing brands to engage with a diverse audience.

In conclusion, TikTok has transformed advertising and public relations by introducing simplicity, engagement, and user participation as crucial elements. Brands who are embracing these changes find success in this powerful and entertaining platform, proving that effective communication is no longer about big words but about being authentic and relatable.

Barbie Marketing Takeover

With the release of the Barbie movies, produced by Warner Bros, our world was transformed into pink. You can’t go anywhere without seeing a collaboration between a company and Mattel’s Barbie. Social media was overwhelmed with Barbie content and promotion of Barbie products. In need of some Pink Barbie footwear? Both Crocs and Vans’ got you covered. Need to spice up your black console with some pink and glitter? Xbox released a Series S Barbie-themed game console. Barbie and Ken even made their way over to the dating app, Bumble. You had to be living under a rock to miss this Barbie Marketing Takeover. 

Movie Marketing became popular in 1989 with another Warner Bros production, Batman. The immense marketing campaigns gained the name “Batmania”. This is where we first saw not just the success of a movie but the shattering success of a brand. Over $750 million worth of merchandise was sold with the release of Batman in 1989. Similarly, with the release of the Barbie movie, CNN documented that Mattell itself saw a 25% increase in Barbie Toy Sales from July to August. With over 30 collabs, companies were finding ways to profit off the movie as well. According to Time magazine, the Copyright Office documented over 2,000 Barbie-related products released during the time of the movie. 

Aside from all the Barbie products you could ever want, Barbie dominated social media engagement as well. The Barbie marketing team spent about $150 million on marketing their movie which cost $140 million to produce. Lifesize Barbie boxes can be found in every movie theater, encouraging viewers to share their all-pink, Barbie-inspired fits. On Warner Bro's website, you can create your own Barbie selfie with AI. AI will take your selfie and create a graphic showcasing what kind of Barbie you are. You also have the option to be photoshopped into a movie scene. Creating an online presence is crucial for a brand and campaign. A lot of the marketing for the Barbie movie comes from User-Generated Content, or UGC.  The hashtag #Barbie has over 10.5 million posts. The hashtag #BarbieMovie has over 1.5 million posts. The Barbie Marketing team found a way to engage its audience and form a pink-sparkly relationship with its viewers. They managed to seamlessly introduce the Barbie brand into every aspect of social media and customer experience. In the end, the Barbie movie brought in $162 million opening weekend and $1.4 billion to date. 

I personally felt so overwhelmed and surrounded by Barbie Marketing that I couldn't do anything but give them kudos. They managed to transform our world into an actual Barbie world this summer, and we are still recovering in the best way. I bet others will agree with me when I say that it will be a long time before I can see something pink and not associate it with the Barbie movie. In an interview with Vanity, Warner Pros president of Global Marketing Jsoh Goldstine said “Someone took a picture of a pink sunset and thanked the work of the Warner Bros. marketing department. I thought that was pretty amusing.”

The Effect of Social Media on Traditional Advertising

In our rapidly evolving society, social media has emerged as one of the most used sources for entertainment, communication, and now advertising. From the beginning of business everywhere, advertising has taken several forms. From places on newspapers to tear-away posters on call boards to big electronic billboards plastered around Times Square, businesses have tried to expand their reach through multiple avenues. Now, with the creation of algorithms to allow specially curated advertisements to appear on one's feed, social media has allowed businesses to have a deeper engagement with customers and reach a wider audience at a rapid pace. 

Social media has served as an immense benefit to the advertising industry, allowing businesses of any size to reach out to potential customers. This has helped small businesses compete with Fortune 500 companies by utilizing the algorithm to connect with both niche and grand audiences. You may be asking, “What is the algorithm?” According to the Digital Marketing Institute, the social media “algorithm is a mathematical set of rules” and data used to determine what the user would like best. If the user interacts positively with these posts, such as liking and commenting, the algorithm will place similar advertisements into their feed across several media platforms. In turn, this allows the user to get advertisements that they enjoy. Furthermore, it allows them to be shown products and/or services that will truly benefit them. As previously stated, social media allows consumers to directly interact with a company through likes, comments, and private messages. In particular, private messaging allows consumers to receive an immediate response to all of their dying questions which would usually take hours with the traditional “1-800” customer service number. Finally, this medium challenges advertising executives to design authentic and engaging content that would truly resonate with their target audience because this is who will want to receive it. As opposed to a synopsis of what the brand, product, or service stands for, as shown in traditional media.

Nevertheless, while social media marketing is on the rise to be the most sought-after way to advertise for most companies, traditional media and word of mouth still have a place in the advertising world. From longevity to community building to trust and credibility, traditional media offers something special you cannot get from simply scrolling. Traditional media excels in longevity as their creations can stay in a physical location for a prolonged period. Having a funny or aesthetically pleasing billboard near Exit 7 for consumers to look at makes their monotonous journey to work more joyful and exciting. In addition to this, traditional media, such as television commercials, creates a sense of community that one cannot receive from lying in bed alone swiping on TikTok. We see this every year as companies across the globe invest millions in producing the perfect commercial for families and friends to watch during their Super Bowl intermission. According to Statista, in 2023 a new record was set with advertisers “paying an average of seven million U.S. dollars to air a 30-second long commercial”. As a result, these commercials leave consumers with a sense of camaraderie and unity that transcends their viewing party. Finally, word of mouth remains prevalent because of our trust in our information outlets. Consumers are going to trust their friends and family over the word of big brands whom they have never done business with. This allows companies to reach an audience they would otherwise not have access to.

All in all, in our ever-evolving world, social media has transformed advertising. Businesses can now receive unprecedented engagement and reach that would only be possible to create with the use of the valuable social media algorithm.

References

Majidi, M. (2023, September 27). Super Bowl 30-second ad costs 2023. Statista. Retrieved October 11, 2023, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/217134/total-advertisement-revenue-of-super-bowls/

O'Brien, C. (2023, April 28). How Do Social Media Algorithms Work? Digital Marketing Institute. Retrieved October 10, 2023, from https://digitalmarketinginstitute.com/blog/how-do-social-media-algorithms-work

The Future of AI in Public Relations

The concept of artificial intelligence is becoming more and more involved in our everyday lives thanks to recent advancements in technology. In popular media, AI is something we see in movies like The Avengers or The Matrix; it’s full of wild possibilities, and it challenges the heroes. In our everyday lives, we use it to keep track of our grocery lists and even unlock our phones.

AI is becoming powerful over time as it can recognize speech patterns and create imaginative portrayals of whatever prompt you give it. Its ability to work tirelessly and complete large amounts of work makes it a desirable system to work within public relations. Countless businesses use it to help them with their work. It collects huge quantities of data, performs consumer analysis, predicts future statistics, and more. However, many question how much companies need certain employees when artificial intelligence comes into play.

 AI can complete tasks so that PR specialists can take the reins on the more ‘human’ side of the business. Since artificial intelligence programs can do so many tasks at a faster, and some could argue better, rate than the average person. With more technology on hand, businesses can gain more progress on their projects. However, there is room for error if an AI program misunderstands a prompt or comes to an incorrect conclusion about a target market. Artificial intelligence also lacks the skill to come up with something completely creative. Since it can only follow the commands that have been implemented into its system, AI’s ability to deep fake media and voices could be viewed as an invasion of privacy. Deepfaking allows AI to create a false image or video. It’s become exceptionally popular on social media with users posting the creations AI generators produce for their prompts. Public relations specialists must be careful when utilizing these types of AI, if at all, since their companies could face incredible backlash and legal issues if used improperly. AI-created images have sparked a debate over whether they should be used in professional settings, much less recreational ones. 

With all the potential hazards and consequences that come with misusing artificial intelligence in public relations, it also opens the door to opportunity. AI’s ability to assist in facilitating communication between companies and consumers through data and analysis allows companies to spend more time on the creative portion of campaigns and other projects. With AI, companies can now have a better idea of what their target markets want. The ability to accurately predict consumer patterns is a huge advantage and allows companies to form their response and future plans. With the rise in social media and its now serving as a main channel for public relations, artificial intelligence systems can work on supervising accounts and competitor accounts. 

Overall, there are good and bad factors when it comes to the future of AI in public relations. As long as companies handle technology in a responsible and ethical manner, there should be little issue. Companies should keep in mind the morals behind AI especially as it grows in power and advancements.

Word-of-Mouth Advertising for Everywhere Everything All At Once

Everything Everywhere All At Once, directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, is an absurdist dark comedy film that deals with time travel, the multiverse, and themes like nihilism and generational trauma. It premiered at South by Southwest on March 11th of 2022 and a limited theatrical release followed fourteen days later on March 25th. 

      However, this film quickly shifted from a limited released film from the production studio A24 to a film with a wide release in April of that year that grossed more than $ 50 million at the box office and it has now claimed the spot of the most awarded film of all time. 

     So, how did this happen? How did this absurdist film that opened up on ten screens reach the level of success it did? Everything Everywhere All At Once is a wonderful modern example of the powerful effects of word-of-mouth advertising. 

     So, to examine the success of this film, and how word of mouth improved its reception, we need to follow the timeline of the movie’s release. As previously mentioned, Everything Everywhere All At Once premiered at SXSW in 2022. It was the headlining picture for the festival that year, and that is where this begins. For movies, post-release advertising separate from the posters, social media, and trailers, starts in the theatre. If you are not widely releasing a movie, the venue that you premiere in is extremely important because you want to reach as many people as possible and you want to ensure you are reaching people with influence. 

     SXSW is a renowned festival, and headlining a festival like that definitely helps your film gain some footing. So, once they premiered, the positive critical reviews came rolling in. The hype began to build, and it created the perfect environment for the show to meet its first theatrical releases.    

     When the limited release hit theatres on March 25th, the reception was immediately overwhelmingly positive, and the Rotten Tomatoes score was in the high 90s (it still has a score 0f 94%). People got talking, and soon the demand to see the movie grew.

     With the demand for the movie so high, they were set for a nationwide re-release. The nationwide release brought the movie fully to the public eye. People started talking, and the movie's powerful themes and diverse cast captivated the public. There were social media trends about it, and it constantly had people talking, reviewing, and contemplating its messaging and trippy time travel science. It has now won seven Oscars and was even recently re-released on 1,000 screens across North America in honor of its Oscar nominations. 

     Everything Everywhere All At Once is the perfect modern example of word-of-mouth advertising. What was a bit of a lowkey A24 release, turned into a megahit that spoke to countless people around the world. It is a wonderful example of why you should never discount the power of people just talking. Sometimes the best investment isn’t posters and trailers and elaborate social media presence, but ensuring your film becomes a talking point in your audience’s everyday conversations. 

Why Platforms, Specifically Instagram, Are Pushing Videos

In an age of constantly evolving technology and media, the pressure is on for every social media platform to be the best. Each site “borrows” ideas from other platforms, like when Instagram took the idea to use stories from Snapchat, every other platform included its own version of the concept. Now, the same thing is happening with videos.

Posting video content is nothing new, considering that YouTube is 18 years old and still thriving, but there has been a visible trend in TikTok-esque media. The idea is to create bite-sized pieces of media that audiences can scroll through for hours on end. One doesn’t have to sit down and commit to a 20-minute conspiracy video anymore, they can watch the one-minute version and move on to the next piece of new information with a simple swipe. TikTok has experienced unheard-of growth rates that inspired all the other platforms to take notes. Perhaps TikTok’s biggest competitor, Instagram created “Instagram Reels” to follow a similar set-up of TikTok, giving users bite-sized videos they can scroll through endlessly with just a slightly altered interface. While it may have a tendency to confuse those who use both Instagram and TikTok, it invites innovation between social media apps.

Recent studies have shown that due to the accessibility of video on smartphones, it is a reliable way to grab the user’s attention. Anyone can pull out their phone and some headphones to watch a video and the visual experience that user is exposed to makes them more likely to understand the message. This increases the return on ad revenue, making video ads more profitable for both advertisers and the platform itself. Furthermore, video analytics are much more reliable to measure the engagement of a post. It’s difficult to determine if someone thoroughly read an infographic even if they liked it, but with a video, the viewing behavior of the user can be determined by how long they spent watching the video, or how many times they watched the video. Not only can this information help advertisers understand consumer behavior, but it can also help them personalize their messages to the consumer. The algorithms created by this information can help advertisers target their audience more effectively, and give consumers a unique experience that urges them to participate.

If everyone involved makes more money off of video ads, it would make sense that every platform has its own version of video content. Even YouTube, a platform known for full-length video content, has started including short clips on the site. Short-form videos have revolutionized the way users interact with their platform of choice, changing the relationship between seller and consumer.

What all started as a feature used on TikTok has turned into Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight, YouTube Shorts, Twitter Immersive Viewing, and even Facebook Reels. These features pave the way for more reliable analytics, more entertaining content, and better marketing. Evolving technology doesn’t have to be a bad thing if it is understood, and wielded responsibly.

5 Ways to Elevate your Instagram Page

Whether it is your personal account, your finsta, or your brand’s Instagram sprucing up your Instagram feed can be really easy. There is no shame in having a cluttered Instagram feed, that can be good in its own way but tidying up a few things here and there will make your profile look more put together! Having a clean profile is important for potential clients or potential employers.

1. Pick a Good Profile Picture

First impressions are important! Think about how you dress for an interview or a first date, that should be the same approach you take when you choose your profile picture. If it’s for your personal account, pick a picture of yourself so that people can easily recognize you. Always remember that Instagram doesn’t let you click and view the full image so use that to your advantage and try to stay away from posting group pictures where it is hard to tell who runs the account. For a branded Instagram, try using variations of your logo so that you can start creating some brand awareness.

2. Spice Up Your Bio

Your bio is a tool you’re going to want to use. This is especially important if you manage a brand’s Instagram. You can make it a catchy slogan, a small description of what represents your brand or a simple phrase. For your personal account, this is a space you can use to let others know your involvement or where they might be able to recognize you from, this could be the city you live in or a bible verse. 

You can also add links that can be useful to lead your followers to your brand’s website or your other social media platforms. Try to tag people in your bio so you can use that to hyperlink to another organization you are affiliated with, your sorority or even your significant other.

3. Pick a Color Palette

After touching up your profile, you can finally start thinking about your page! Start simple and then build up from there. Choosing a color palette you like and fits your aesthetic will make your page feel more cohesive. Choosing or editing your pictures can be challenging, but it is worth the hassle and you can always choose to post graphics as well.

4. Take Inspiration from Others

Take inspiration from what you want your page to look like. After you pick a color palette it should be easy to just search for that aesthetic. Creating a mood board or a visual representation of your ideas will make it a whole lot easier to fully understand what you want your feed to look like.

5. Highlight Covers

The last thing you can do to really tie loose ends and pull your whole profile together is by changing your highlight covers to match the aesthetic you have put together. This will completely change the mood of your profile. The best part of having highlights on your profile is you can post any picture that you feel doesn’t fit your vibe on your story and eventually add it to your highlights.

Altogether, this will make your page not only feel more aesthetically pleasing but will make you look more professional. Instagram is a tool that employers and potential customers look at so make it worthwhile!

How TikTok has Affected Advertising in the Music Industry

TikTok is the new hottest social media, with over one billion active users. If you're not familiar with TikTok, it is a platform that allows users to upload their own content, videos ranging from 3 seconds to 3 minutes. The app has a “For You Page” (FYP) that displays a personal, curated feed of accounts users might already follow or accounts TikTok's algorithm recommends based on past interactions. 

TikTok has many communities and niches within the app. One area that has taken off is the music side of TikTok. Because of how easy it is for videos to go viral on the app, it has become a great opportunity for smaller artists to get their music heard and has become a go-to app for discovering new music. It has also allowed older songs to have a second life. Insider reported, "Songs that trend on TikTok often end up charting on the Billboard 100 or Spotify Viral 50. And 67% of the app's users are more likely to seek out songs on music-streaming services after hearing them on TikTok, according to a November 2021 study conducted for TikTok by the music-analytics company MRC Data." The app has changed the way people interact with music. Now instead of just listening to a song you can use it to tell your own story through short videos. It allows you to participate and lean into the music.

As far as marketing, TikTok has created an entirely new demographic and stage for campaigns. It all has to do with User-generated content or UGC. All users on the app are now considered creators in some capacity and can put out content that has the ability to affect others. Influencers can be hired to promote songs in the background of their videos and when their videos take off, the music attached to them does at well. Even if a song is just used in the background of a morning routine or a "get ready with me" video, others will tend to use the same song to recreate the content. Influencers on TikTok have been able to make a profit as individuals from promo deals with labels. Due to creators' ability to easily go viral on TikTok, we have seen a rise in micro-influencers. This is crucial for labels and marketers because they are able to pay smaller influencers less money for videos to still get 10 million views. Song challenges have also gained popularity on the app. This includes choreographed dances, singing, or videos that must have a specific song to participate in the trend. TikTok users feel inspired to participate and further promote the song attached to the challenge. NPR shared consumer behavior data compiled by Cirisano showing, "TikTok users are more likely to spend money on music, and be more invested in it. 40% of active TikTok users pay a monthly subscription for music, compared to 25% of the general population. And 17% buy artist merchandise monthly, compared to 9% of the general population.”

TikTok has created many opportunities for influencers, the music industry, and marketers alike. The social media app allows labels and marketers to contact influencers, big and small, to promote their songs. The virality of the app has allowed the music industry to greatly benefit. The app has been around since 2016 and is only continuing to grow, taking the music industry along with it.