insights Archive - CORQ

The Fashion Awards take centre stage and Russia launches rival short-form app Yappy: TikTok weekly roundup

Adele made headlines when she eschewed TikTok – saying she wasn’t making music for 14-year-olds but for their mums. However, now the singer is now one of the biggest trends on TikTok right now. The “Adele Back Up Dancer” trend began on Twitter when one user mused about Adele never having back up dancers. Another user decided

Influencer campaigns: Lifestyle vlogger Misha Grimes partners with e&e Jewellery to create a collection in memory of her late father

Welcome to CORQ’s weekly influencer campaign roundup – a snapshot of the most interesting campaigns and the people who are making them fly. We explore fashion, food, tech, beauty, travel and entertainment, taking a closer look at the campaigns that have made an impact this week. We examine how brands are collaborating with influencers in

Dr Alex George and his #PostYourPill campaign sparks an important discussion on mental health and medication stigma

It’s nearly 2022, and while there’s still a stigma around mental illnesses, the conversation around mental health has improved over the past few years. In the UK, former Love Island contestant and NHS doctor Dr Alex George is one of the leaders of the movement. Earlier this week, he started a mental health campaign which has been making waves on

Youth culture and the art of trend forecasting – insights from cultural commentator Samuel Trotman

As part of our Brand Briefings, our exclusive online events series, CORQ’s CEO and founder Sara McCorquodale hosted a webinar with global trend forecaster, cultural commentator and denim trend consultant at Denim Dudes, Samuel Trotman. As a denim specialist, he works with brands such as Levi and Gap to consult on denim and youth trends

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey resigns: The Newsfeed

After 16 years at the company, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey stepped down from his role as chief executive. In an email sent to staff on Monday, which he also posted publicly in a tweet, Dorsey shared he believes the importance of a company being “founder-led” is “severely limiting and a single point of failure.” With this, it was

Venture capitalists are turning their attention towards influencer founded brands – here’s why

At the beginning of November, news broke that Dominic McGregor, co-founder of Social Chain and now heading up venture capitalist firm Fearless Adventures, invested £200,000 into sustainable swimwear brand, Swim Society. What makes this particularly significant is the brand was founded and continues to be led by Montana Brown, a former Love Island contestant. Since leaving the villa in 2017, Montana has

Influencer hotlists

People embodying the zeitgeist.

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Meet the digital activists, campaigners and educators using social media to enact socio-political change offline

Social media has become an instrumental platform for individuals to raise awareness on socio-political issues around the world. During the height of the pandemic last year, it proved to be a powerful source for catapulting real-life issues and movements, such as racial injustice and climate change. The trend of infographics – though mocked by many

2022 beauty trends: 7 content creators leading the body hair conversation amid shifting consumer attitudes to grooming

The pandemic has had a transformative effect on the way we behave and interact – and one interesting impact has been on our view of body hair. During the first lockdown in March 2020, there was panic over the digital waves as people fretted over how they were going to maintain grooming to-do lists, from

8 influencers calling out the fashion industry’s sizing issues and leading the crusade by championing body confidence online

Anyone who shops women’s clothes will be familiar with the exhausting issue of sizing. A size 10 in one store could be a size 14 in another, and if you think you can buy the same size jeans from one brand to the next without trying them on – think again. Gaining traction is an

Food for thought: 8 anonymous content creators and bloggers cooking up an appealing storm across Instagram and TikTok

When it comes to consuming food content online, there’s less interest in how the cook looks (apart from maybe Selasi Gbormittah) – it all comes down to the food and how mouthwatering it looks. Some of the biggest food brands online, such as Proper Tasty and Delish, know this, and have accumulated millions of followers respectively by making the

News

The need-to-know latest from the influencer space.

Twitter co-founder and CEO Jack Dorsey resigns: The Newsfeed

After 16 years at the company, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey stepped down from his role as chief executive. In an email sent to staff on Monday, which he also posted publicly in a tweet, Dorsey shared he believes the importance of a company being “founder-led” is “severely limiting and a single point of failure.” With this, it was

Venture capitalists are turning their attention towards influencer founded brands – here’s why

At the beginning of November, news broke that Dominic McGregor, co-founder of Social Chain and now heading up venture capitalist firm Fearless Adventures, invested £200,000 into sustainable swimwear brand, Swim Society. What makes this particularly significant is the brand was founded and continues to be led by Montana Brown, a former Love Island contestant. Since leaving the villa in 2017, Montana has

Dr Alex George moves into his dream home and Lucy Edwards partners with Pantene to create an Influencer Code of Conduct: The Influencer Update

CORQ’s weekly drop of news and interesting happenings from the world of digital influence and those defining the agenda across social media. Read on for potential opportunities for your brand and information which may affect your decision making process on who to work with now. Want to receive The Influencer Update on email? Subscribe to

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri will testify before Congress following leaked Facebook documents: The Newsfeed

Head of Instagram Adam Mosseri is set to testify before Congress in December as part of a series of hearings into protecting young people online. This comes after the Wall Street Journal published The Facebook Files in September, a series of news reports covering leaked documents exposing evidence Meta knew Instagram was worsening body-image issues among teenagers. As well as whistle-blower Frances Haugen’s revelations about

Campaigns

The creativity driving the industry.

Influencer campaigns: Lifestyle vlogger Misha Grimes partners with e&e Jewellery to create a collection in memory of her late father

Welcome to CORQ’s weekly influencer campaign roundup – a snapshot of the most interesting campaigns and the people who are making them fly. We explore fashion, food, tech, beauty, travel and entertainment, taking a closer look at the campaigns that have made an impact this week. We examine how brands are collaborating with influencers in

Black Friday 2021 influencer campaigns: key takeaways from the year’s biggest shopping event

Once a strictly American tradition, Black Friday has gone global with each year growing bigger than the last. For 2021, shoppers had already spent 20% more than in 2020 by mid-morning and the total UK consumer spending is estimated to top last year by over £1 billion. This year we’re seeing content creators split into two camps; those who

Influencer campaigns: Love Island winner Millie Court announces major six-figure deal with ASOS

Welcome to CORQ’s weekly influencer campaign roundup – a snapshot of the most interesting campaigns and the people who are making them fly. We explore fashion, food, tech, beauty, travel and entertainment, taking a closer look at the campaigns that have made an impact this week. We examine how brands are collaborating with influencers in

Black Friday 2021: Charlotte Williams, Esther Coren and Katherine Ormerod share with CORQ its impact on influencers

In this world, so the saying goes, nothing is certain except death and taxes, and now it would seem, Black Friday. Yes, a deluge of Black Friday deals is flooding inboxes and social media feeds everywhere, as the marketing calendar gears up for the busiest commercial free-for-all of the year. However with changing attitudes on

Industry insights

Exclusive sessions with modern thought leaders.

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Youth culture and the art of trend forecasting – insights from cultural commentator Samuel Trotman

As part of our Brand Briefings, our exclusive online events series, CORQ’s CEO and founder Sara McCorquodale hosted a webinar with global trend forecaster, cultural commentator and denim trend consultant at Denim Dudes, Samuel Trotman. As a denim specialist, he works with brands such as Levi and Gap to consult on denim and youth trends

Facebook is a recipe for success for food content, as micro communities drive engagement

Facebook is not the social platform of choice for Gen Z, yet it’s still the most widely used and most engaged social platform in the world – with around 2.8 billion monthly active users. The largest demographic on the site are those aged between 25-34, but Facebook’s continued success and user increase can be traced to the influx of boomers joining

“Time is a luxury, selfcare is a luxury” – insights from Harper’s Bazaar’s digital editor Sarah Karmali

As part of our Brand Briefings – an exclusive online events series – CORQ’s features director Emilie McMeekan hosted a webinar with Sarah Karmali, digital editor of Harper’s Bazaar. Sarah oversees the digital and social media strategy for the brand, has previously worked for the Vogue, InStyle and Marie Claire online teams and has also written about fashion and beauty for Huffington

Case study: insights into VIEVE’s success from CEO Emma Dawson as the breakthrough beauty brand turns one

In an oversaturated beauty industry—seriously, which influencer or celebrity doesn’t have their own makeup line?—few brands truly stand out. Especially influencer-founded brands. Scottish makeup artist and beauty vlogger Jamie Genevieve’s cosmetics brand VIEVE is one of those rarities and the brand’s first pop up shop in Glasgow earlier this month is the cherry on top of its successful first year. To

Comment

Smart takes on digital culture.

Dr Alex George and his #PostYourPill campaign sparks an important discussion on mental health and medication stigma

It’s nearly 2022, and while there’s still a stigma around mental illnesses, the conversation around mental health has improved over the past few years. In the UK, former Love Island contestant and NHS doctor Dr Alex George is one of the leaders of the movement. Earlier this week, he started a mental health campaign which has been making waves on

Thanks to rewatch culture and TikTok, the Sex and the City reboot is set to be every bit as successful as its predecessor

Cosmopolitans, Manolo Blahniks, tutu skirts, and Brazilian waxes – there are very few references in Darren Star’s hit comedy-drama Sex and the City that didn’t shape the cultural zeitgeist. Following two films, a spin-off series, and now the reboot, And Just Like That… (airing on Sky Comedy and NOW on December 9th), I couldn’t help

Harry Potter turns 20: how the magic of the franchise is kept alive through online communities and fandoms

20 years have passed since Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, the first of the eight films, had its premiere and started a new era of Potterhead fandom. Since then, the series, both books and films, have stayed relevant – despite author J.K. Rowlings’ divisive comments about trans rights, which many of the fans and

Twitter Spaces continues its live audio dominance as Monday night’s Sing Your Dialect room attracts 50,000 users

Last night (November 22), while many were tuning in to the newest season of I’m A Celebrity, others were participating in a mediocre talent show on Twitter that went viral and held the number one trending spot in the UK for over five hours. “SING YOUR DIALECT” – which felt reminiscent of the unpolished Noughties X

Trends

Understand the present, forecast the future.

The Fashion Awards take centre stage and Russia launches rival short-form app Yappy: TikTok weekly roundup

Adele made headlines when she eschewed TikTok – saying she wasn’t making music for 14-year-olds but for their mums. However, now the singer is now one of the biggest trends on TikTok right now. The “Adele Back Up Dancer” trend began on Twitter when one user mused about Adele never having back up dancers. Another user decided

Putting pen to paper: meet the influencers addressing issues of race, gender and relationships through essays and anthologies

Memoirs and autobiographies are usually the standard formats for influencers and celebrities to tell their stories. But now, more influencers are working with publishers to create essay collections and anthologies (a collection of essays by different authors) to bring their stories to life. The latest person to engage with this trend? None other than model Emma

Influencers’ influencers: meet the content creators leading workshops and tutorials to help others build an online platform

For a long time, being an influencer wasn’t taken seriously as a profession, however, children today are three times more likely to aspire to be a YouTuber than an astronaut, and a 2019 report from Morning Consult revealed 86% of young Americans would post sponsored content for money, and 54% would become an influencer if they were given the

The Great British Bake Off sees success on TikTok as contestants create inspiring and accessible content for Gen Z audiences

The Great British Bake Off season 12 saw Italian baker Giuseppe Dell’Anno take the crown, in what was one of the closest finals the show has ever seen. As the show’s winner, Giuseppe is now in a good position to have an illustrious and successful career online as a food influencer, and in doing so, he would join other

Culture

The evolution of digital storytelling.

Case Study: how Nella Rose’s highly acclaimed digital formula on YouTube earned her a loyal mass audience cross-platform

No one has quite the hold on the internet like Nella Rose. From YouTube to TikTok, her presence is widely adored by a mass digital audience. With almost 700,000 followers on YouTube, long-term collaborations with influencer-driven brands such as PrettyLittleThing, and notable personalities singing her praises, Nella has established herself as one of the most innovative and interesting

Case Study: How Rio Ferdinand successfully pivoted from being one of England’s biggest football players to a digital media mogul

Hailed as one of England’s “greatest ever players”, Rio Ferdinand has now turned his sights to social media. In fact, the former football player-turned-TV pundit has made one of, if not the most phenomenal transitions from sport into digital this generation has arguably ever seen. After hanging up his boots in 2015, Ferdinand become the face of

Influencer podcast summer roundup: new shows, series returns and trends

The British Podcast Awards 2021 powered by Amazon Music saw over 140,000 votes cast for its Listeners Choice award (ultimately won by RedHanded, the true crime podcast hosted by Suruthi Bala and Hannah Maguire) confirming the growing grip podcasting is gaining on the British listening experience. Other big winners on the night included Fearne Cotton with

The impact of Drag Race UK: how drag queens became the face of fashion in 2021

Drag culture is constantly influencing trends – from audio tracks on TikTok, makeup looks to the very social vernacular itself. While the focus was on the US scene, the second season of RuPaul’s Drag Race UK has proved that we are all “UK Hun”. The first series – released in 2019 – was an instant hit, delighting

Reports

In-depth research across the digital landscape.

Crypto influencers: the top creators and digital currency enthusiasts on Twitter, YouTube and TikTok

Enter: cryptocurrency influencers, a growing group of entrepreneurs and cryptocurrency enthusiasts using their social platforms to spread information and advice on how to start buying cryptocurrency, how and where to store it, and most importantly, how to use it. They are leading millions across social media in their crypto journey. Within the last few years, this online community has

Clubhouse and the audio revolution: key influencers and drivers of this trend

The race to capture consumers’ hearts via their ears has been on ever since Clubhouse started to show significant traction in 2020. The platform emerged during the first lockdown and produced a raft of native influencers who seemed to instinctively understand what it takes to make live chat content work. Not only were users tuning

The home report: digital stories about living in 2021 and key influencers

The past 12 months have elevated the home above everything else. It’s where we live, work and play. The spaces we call home have changed – adults have drifted from cities back to their parents’ homes. Urban families have relocated for more square feet and a natural environment. Rooms which were previously dedicated to eating

Influencers 2021: a digital culture, trends and creator forecast

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated adoption of influencers as routes to communication, entertainment and sales across many verticals. These individuals and their platforms are key when it comes to successful ecommerce via traditional websites and social commerce via tools such as Instagram and TikTok. Understanding the people and stories who are dominating and creating serious ripple

ASA guidelines

Insights on the regulation of influencer platforms.

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Influencers who repeatedly flout the ASA guidelines have been named publicly

The Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) has followed through on its promise to name and shame influencers who repeatedly ignore guidelines on how to signpost commercial content. The first individuals to be singled out on a new dedicated page revealing repeat offenders are Chloe Ferry, Jodie Marsh, Lucy Mecklenburgh and Chloe Khan. According to the regulator,

ASA influencer guidelines: CORQ’s masterclass for brands working with influencers

In 2018, the Committee of Advertising Practice (CAP) released a set of guidelines for influencers working commercially with brands and since then, these have been enforced by the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA). A second edition of these guidelines was published in 2020, and essentially, these rules seek to ensure that consumers are aware when influencers

Influencers and brands breaking ASA rules could end up in court

Influencers and brands who don’t comply with guidelines on signposting commercial content clearly could end up in court and face fines. After an investigation into influencers’ rigour in following its mandatory guidelines, the Advertising Standards Agency (ASA) noted it discovered “disappointingly low compliance” and is ready to enforce severe sanctions if the situation does not

Influencers must use #ad despite Insta’s paid partnership rollout

Instagram has revealed new plans to flag sponsored influencer content when it is not labelled clearly as advertising, following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA). This includes rolling out its “paid partnership” header but brands should be aware they risk action from the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) if influencers fail to use

Influencer Marketing 101

Foundation knowledge for influencer marketers.

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Influencer marketing 101: glossary of influencer and social media terminology

Social media platforms are a world of their own and the influencers who dominate the different communities in each one have a language which reflects this. Here are some key terms, which are not only referenced on platforms such as Instagram, YouTube, Twitter and TikTok, but are – in some cases – becoming part of

Influencer marketing 101: six details that should be in every brand’s briefing template

Having a perfectly constructed influencer briefing template means that no matter what the project is or who is coordinating it, the expectations of your company when it comes to talent producing content will be uniform. It will also ensure that even if a junior member of staff is tasked with communicating with the influencer, they

Influencer marketing 101: what are the risks associated with influencer marketing?

The risks associated with influencer marketing are numerous and ever increasing. This is due to the nature of this kind of advertising – people are innately volatile and using their lives as commercial platforms will inevitably throw up unexpected issues. Since CORQ was developed in 2017, we have been tracking the areas that make influencer

Influencer marketing 101: how much do influencers cost for brands to work with?

The biggest recurrent question about influencer marketing? How much do influencers cost – what do they charge and can this be categorised by audience size or industry. The short answer is no – there is no standardisation when it comes to influencer fees. Unlike display advertising, when you work with influencers you are not booking