Page 34 - October 2020

RLI INDUSTRY INSIGHT

Best for Business

Gary Peeling, CEO at Where The Trade Buys takes a look
at how new tactics are being used to corner the social media
market, including aspects such as User-Generated Content
and the phenomenon of “unboxing”.

rom the days of flyers and telephone calls to the The answer in a nutshell - User-Generated Content
evolving world of social media content and tailored (UGC)… In simple terms, UGC is any content, whether it is
online advertising, brands and businesses are videos, text, or audio, that’s shared by social media users. For
Fconstantly thinking of new ways to gain exposure brands, it’s a means to get creative and add personal touches
and sell their products to customers. to their products and packaging. This will have people
Thanks to the power of social media, almost every reaching for their phones to post about it without hesitation.
company includes platforms like Facebook and YouTube. Personalisation has boomed in recent times, with everything
From TikTok to Instagram, it’s all part of a strategy to reach from personalised wrapping paper to personalised candle holders
new audiences and increase sales. available online. It’s a trend that even celebrities are on board with.
You’ll already know that “influencer marketing” has been the David Beckham’s 45th birthday celebrations saw Victoria give him
way forward for many marketing professionals. Tapping into his presents wrapped in paper printed with his own face!
the success of everyday people who’ve taken the internet by It’s more than plausible to say that people want more unique,
storm has been seen as the logical way to go about it. personal items these days, with the world of social media playing
But, with high follower counts comes the high price you’ll have a key role in the desire for personalisation. If you think about it
to pay to get social media users - who are bombarded by brand for a second, what is more likely to be shared on social media, a
deals - to pay attention. Even if you opt for an influencer with shopping bag with a brand name on it, or one that’s been designed
fewer followers, you can never guarantee a return on investment. to feel like it’s special to a specific individual and nobody else?
To quantify this from a financial point of view, it’s estimated that
UNIQUE TOUCHES OVER FAKE PRESENCE the global market for personalised gifts will rise to $38bn by 2021.
The traditional use of influencer marketing, where you This provides a closer look at what direction things are heading in.
pay a social celebrity to post your product on their platform,
is a dying art. The facts and figures certainly back this up, UNBOXING–THE NEVER-ENDING
especially around the use of fake followers. PHENOMENON
According to a report in 2019, fake followers cost advertisers With a continuous conveyor belt of products to choose from,
$1.9bn, with companies “ripped off” for the price they paid for there comes the opportunity for trends to emerge on social media.
sponsored posts. It’s no small cost for a market said to be One of the most popular ones right now is known as unboxing.
worth $8.5M in the same year - based on advertising spend. Recognised in the Oxford Dictionary, ‘unboxing’ is defined
But it’s not just fake followers that point to influencer as: ‘An act or instance of removing a newly purchased product
marketing being less effective than it once was. In the same from its packaging and examining its features, typically when
year, American internet sensation Ariana Renee had to cancel filmed and shared on a social media site.’
her own clothing range after failing to sell the minimum 36 Search for ‘unboxing’ on YouTube and you instantly get a
t-shirts required to start her first shipment, despite having a sense of how popular it’s become. A channel known as ‘Unbox
following of 2.6 million on Instagram. Therapy’ has amassed 17.1 million subscribers since its creation
Examples like this have got brands thinking. How can they in 2010, with over 3.7 billion views in that time, with viewers
promote their products in a way that people on social media will tuning in for the excitement of unboxing the latest products.
share it, without having to be paid a small fortune for the pleasure? Not only do unboxing videos fuel anticipation of what’s
inside, but it always gives key information on the product
itself. This is a big deal for consumers and a recipe for success
when brands think of new ways to present their latest craze.
Unboxing is not some sort of look into the future, it’s an
established way to present and digest content right now.
As of 2019, YouTube channel Ryan’s Toy Reviews, where
youngster Ryan unboxes the latest toys and reviews them
with his parents, was worth a whopping $26M.

PERSONAL REVIEWS, NOT JUST VIEWS
It’s clear to see that the days of brands relying on social
media megastars to post about how much they love the
product they’ve just been paid handsomely to share are over.
It just doesn’t yield the same results that it used to.
Now people want to see more personalised branding and
opinions from the people in the position to blog, vlog and talk
about. Not only that, but the everyday person also wants to
share what they buy on social media. Making simple changes to
packaging, adding unique touches, and even handwriting a note to
fit inside the box are all ways for companies to up their UGC game.

34 RETAIL & LEISURE INTERNATIONAL OCTOBER 2020