What’s In This Post on YouTube User Stats?

Lots. We gathered a ton of stats on how each generation – Generation Z, Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers – uses YouTube. We included info on the number of YouTube users who are from each generation and checked out surveys released by Google to identify those differences and even the small nuances in how older people use YouTube compared to younger users. Plus, you can find a nice roundup of general stats on YouTube usage, penetration, and trends.

Pretty compelling stuff.

Oh, and if you’re looking for more general information about the platform, click over to this post on YouTube statistics!

YouTube Audience Demographics

There are between 2.49 billion and 2.7 billion users on YouTube, making it the second most-used social media app in the world. YouTube is probably the most commonly used social media app across demographics. There’s very little variance from age group to age group in the percentage of them who are on the platform.

According to Statista:

• 94% of US internet users 13-14 years old say they’ve watched YouTube (this is a Pew Research stat)
• 77% of US internet users 15 to 35 years old watch YouTube
• 73% of 36 to 45-year-olds watch YouTube
• 70% of 46 to 55-year-olds watch YouTube
• 67% of those 56 and older watch YouTube, and
• 80% of parents say their children under 11 watch YouTube

These numbers (the ones up here ) show a consistency in use between generations. By contrast, the preferred platform may change depending on the age and gender of the users. For instance…

• Men between the ages of 25 and 44 prefer Facebook (Digital 2023 Global Overview Report – Slide 185)
• Women of the same age lean more toward Instagram (for 25 to 34-year-old women) and WhatsApp (for women 35 to 44 years old).
• Teens 13-14 years old lean more toward YouTube followed by TikTok and Snapchat.
• Teens 15-17 years old lean more toward YouTube followed by Instagram and TikTok.

Point is: most people who are online are also on YouTube, so you can rest assured the consumer you’re targeting is on the platform.

YouTube Usage Habits for the Over 60 Consumer

67% of Baby Boomers, ages 60 – 77, watch YouTube.

Many marketers seem sort of bent on getting Gen Z eyes on their products, but brands can reap huge rewards by targeting the mega-spending generation known as Baby Boomers. Baby Boomers should be a BIG DEAL to brands and marketers. According to Think with Google, they spend at least six hours a day online and own an average of five devices.

Be honest. Internet users over the age of 60 are probably the folks you expect would spend the LEAST amount of time watching YouTube videos. But in reality, the cool kids who make up the 55-and-up crowd account for 17.8 percent of YouTube viewers – that’s like 445 million folks.

HOW THIS COHORT CONSUMES YOUTUBE CONTENT

With an estimated 10,000 Baby Boomers retiring every day, you would think this generation had oodles of time on their hands. But, according to a survey run by Google of YouTube statistics, one of the big reasons more seasoned consumers love YouTube is because it helps them save time.

YouTube is a GREAT resource for getting a better understanding of a product. It’s sort of a mid-funnel buying guide they can easily use without having to go to a store, spend hours on with tech support, or call in a younger (know-it-all) relative. According to HubSpot, 26 percent of these sophisticated shoppers say they discover new products most often on YouTube.

That said… mature consumers are far more likely to respond positively to data-driven product reviews (think “here is the product, here are the specs”) than opinion-based product reviews of another YouTuber’s experience with a brand or product (such as “My boyfriend has one of these and it works really great! Blah! Blah! Blah!).

Video content serves as a vehicle by which elder consumers can learn new skills – something a lot of Boomers are really into post- empty nest. So, whether they want to learn how to play guitar, pick up a new language, or even become a social media influencer themselves, they’re turning to video to learn how to do it.

WHY BABY BOOMERS HEAD TO YOUTUBE :

• How-to videos for learning new skills
• Entertainment roundups to keep up-to-date
• Online tutorials that can save them time
• Getting up on new music
• Product demonstrations and walk-throughs (not necessarily reviews)

YouTube Usage Habits for Gen X Consumers Ages 45-59.

7 in 10 Generation Xers watch YouTube.

Born into a world that drastically changed around them as they grew up, Gen X is probably the most adaptable generation. When the older Gen Xers were the youngest people in the world, having a TV in the home was juuuuust becoming the norm.

Now, programmed TV is becoming obsolete as people spend more of their time consuming content online rather than watching live TV (and TV manufacturers were smart to make televisions essentially 50-inch monitors for watching ESPN+ and YouTube – that definitely kept electronics companies in the game).

HOW GEN XERS CONSUME YOUTUBE CONTENT

Gen Xers spend A LOT of time watching video, and especially old school content – stuff from their teen and adolescent years. In fact, 75 percent of Gen Xers use YouTube to get access to nostalgic videos.

While this generation is all about the nostalgia effect, they’re still spending more time watching video content on their computers and smartphones than they are on traditional TV. Gen Xers account for over 1.5 billion views on YouTube every day, so the incentive to engage with them is definitely there.

Gen Xers aren’t just spending time on YouTube though. While it is an important platform, Gen Xers share content – especially video – more readily to Facebook than any other site. I know. I know – doesn’t fall into the category of YouTube statistics. But…

Their propensity to want to share to Facebook is mirrored on YouTube and Instagram, showing that to reach this generation (well, any generation really), you’ll need to develop a multichannel approach.

WHY GEN XERS HEAD TO YOUTUBE :

• Nostalgia-driven video to take them back to their childhood
• DIY videos they can follow along
• Current news and trending events

YouTube Usage Habits for Millennial Consumers Ages 28 to 44

3 in 4 Millennials watch YouTube.

Millennials – YouTubers who in 2024 will range in age from their late 20s to their early 40s – make up one-third of YouTube’s audience. YouTube reaches more 18 to 34-year-olds than any of the TV networks, and that’s just on mobile devices; we’re not including browser views.

Despite Instagram and Facebook essentially becoming video platforms over the past few years, YouTube is still the video platform of choice for most Millennials. And as YouTube’s been leaning into building out more social features since the pandemic, the platform is largely seen as a social network; it’s become a place where people can connect with one another through video since you can now follow your favorite commenters, it’s a hub for synchronized activities, and it’s the perfect spot for community-focused activites. Much of that synchronicity and community is driven by the 18 to 40 crowd.

HOW MILLENNIALS CONSUME YOUTUBE CONTENT

Millennials are avid YouTubers. Fifty-four percent of Millennials check YouTube every single day. While about 1 in 10 Millennials use ad blockers, and more than half only watch YouTube ads to the Skip Ad point, 29 percent of Millennials actually watch YouTube ads all the way through. And don’t forget our earlier stat about the 90 percent of people using YouTube for product discovery.

Sponsored Content and Creators: Contrary to popular beliefs about how Millennials relate to brands, many Millennials (especially Millennial women and moms) want and expect to see sponsored content (we talked about that a bit in the What Makes Them Buy post), AS LONG AS it’s the right ad targeting the right person on the right platform at the right time. And many Millennials are actually kinda sweet on well-targeted video ads.

Entertainment: Thirty-seven percent of Millennials admit to binge-watching a block of something every day, and upwards of 65 percent of Millennials binge-watch at least once a week. So, it’s good news to marketers that 62 percent of Millennials actually take action after seeing an ad.

Social Commerce: According to Klarna, 49 percent of Millennial YouTubers have used the platform to purchase a product.

MILLENNIALS ARE AVID CONTENT CREATORS AS WELL

I was trying to scratch an itch – and that itch was just my suspicion that Millennials are probably the most active content creators on YouTube. I didn’t find any specific data to support me. But I did find a few breadcrumbs that will push me to keep searching.

There are roughly 303 million content creators in the world and the average age of a content creator is 40 years old. Millennials represent 42 percent of creators globally. And roughly one in four of those creators say they create video content. That’s according to a report published by Adobe called “Creators in the Creator Economy.” In fact, the 2023 YouTube Culture and Trends Report, says that 40 percent of 18 to 44-year-olds identify as video creators.

WHY MILLENNIALS HEAD TO YOUTUBE :

• News and human interest stories to keep up to date
• Unboxing and product review videos to influence their spending
• Quick and fun entertainment content
• Fan content

YouTube Usage Habits for Gen Z Consumers Ages 12 to 27

77% of Gen Zers, ages 12 to 27, watch YouTube.

Enter Gen Z, the largest and most diverse generation in history. These social media natives are growing up in a world of selfies, influencers, and hashtags. They know how to navigate the online world better than anyone else, and their video consumption habits reflect this. Growing up, YouTube had more influence over this generation than big names like Oreo, McDonald’s, and even Lego.

YouTube is their most used platform, closely followed by Instagram or TikTok, depending on their age – all three video-first platforms. So, it’s safe to say that if you’re targeting Gen Z, you need to be targeting them through video. On YouTube.

HOW GEN ZERS CONSUME YOUTUBE CONTENT

Fifty-nine percent of Gen Z video consumption is through social media, where they spend twice as much time as they do on streaming services, and five times as much as on traditional media. What are they watching, though?

Entertainment – While YouTube isn’t the top music streaming platform (Spotify holds this spot), it’s a key channel for new music discovery. If your mind went to TikTok, you’re onto something! TikTok is a key player when it comes to introducing new music to the masses, but YouTube has TikTok beat with the under-25 crowd: 26 percent of this group rely on TikTok for new music discovery while 40 percent name YouTube as their go-to.

When it comes to streaming – listening to your favorite music – Spotify and Apple Music are the top music streaming services, with 60 percent and 26 percent (respectively) of teens using those platforms as their go-to.

Setting the Mood – One of the HUGE shifts that came out of the pandemic was repurposing YouTube as the app you can use to find the content that brings you joy. It’s not a typical social feed driven by what’s trending, but YouTube gives its users the chance to heavily curate the kind of content they watch.

• 83 percent of Gen Z YouTubers have used YouTube to watch soothing content that helps them relax and cope.
• 90 percent say they have watched a video that helped them feel like they were in a different place.
• 53 percent of Gen Zers say like online horror content

Content Creators: This is a pretty big one – six in 10 Gen Z YouTubers say they tune into YouTube to keep up with content from their favorite YouTube creators. And we’re not always talking about your typical social media influencers. We’re talking about a pretty wide range of content creators.

• 60 percent of YouTubers say they’re open to watching content from creators who use AI to generate their content.
• 52 percent are already watching content created by virtual YouTubers
• 47 percent of Gen Zers have watched videos made by fans of a topic or person

The data is pointing to younger YouTubers creating more immersive and all-encompassing experiences for themselves on the platform, heading to YouTube for the freedom to create and to find just about anything, and find it in a variety of different content formats.

WHY GEN Z HEADS TO YOUTUBE:

• For the sheer joy and ease of it
• Humor – They love videos that make them laugh
• Following content creators
• Setting the mood
• New music discovery
• Vibing with their community (often through fandom)
• Short and snappy content to compete with their busy lives and busy minds
• Unboxing and product reviews to keep on top of trends

That’s It for Our Roundup of YouTube User Statistics!

When you’re talking about online video, you should always begin with the powerhouse – YouTube. YouTube is packed with features that can really help you elevate your video marketing. YouTube has blazed a trail that other platforms have tried to follow, but it remains distinguished for its powerful recommendation engine and serves as a go-to platform for community, entertainment, product discovery, vibing out, and digging into moments.

If you happen to be considering YouTube influencer marketing to amplify your strategy this year, reach out! We’re a BOSS YouTube influencer marketing agency.

The post 2024 YouTube Audience Demographics: User Habits by Generation appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Since then, other significant changes have happened on and around YouTube. Communities are thriving on the platform. Short-form video’s become a thing. Super long-form video? Also a thing. So, we’ve been keeping an eye on YouTube because it’s constantly changing, and marketers have to make a conscientious effort now to stay up to date with what’s happening on the platform. So, we’ve got YouTube statistics for you.

In this post, we’ve cataloged a list of YouTube stats that will help you understand all the basics about everybody’s favorite platform — how many folks are on the platform, who’s on it, how long they’re spending on the app, and what they’re doing while they’re there. We cover that, and a lot more in this post of the 2024 YouTube statistics, demographics, and usage data. Woot! Woot!!

Essential YouTube Statistics for 2024 Marketing Pushes

#1 YouTube has about 2.5 billion monthly users.

YouTube is the OG of video content platforms. Launched back in 2005 (on Valentine’s Day), YouTube now has over 2.49 billion unique users every month. I’ve actually seen this number as high as 2.7 billion on a trusted site recommended by Google.

Whether you’re leaning more toward 2.49 or 2.7, YouTube is the second most popular social media platform after Facebook. To put that in perspective, there are 5.3 billion people on the internet, and 47 percent of them are using YouTube. That is A LOT of people.

#2 Roughly 90% of YouTubers are outside the U.S.

Only about 10 percent of YouTube users are in the United States. Still, US-based users represent the second largest audience, after India, where 18.5 percent of YouTubers (462 million people) reside. The platform’s available in 100 countries and in 80 languages.

#3 YouTube is the 2nd most-visited website in existence.

Right? No surprise there. YouTube is the second most visited website in existence after Google AND the second largest search engine in the world… also after Google.

#4 A billion hours of UGC and branded content are watched on the platform daily.

And that’s not even hyperbole! The range of content across YouTube is phenomenal, namely because it’s all user-generated content. Over a billion hours of video are watched every day on the platform, and you can find videos on a crazy range of topics from…

…. Learning how to boil an egg so it’s easy to peel

…. To getting a behind-the-scenes look at a movie  you don’t want to admit you firggin’ love (Shut-up! You’re crying!).

… Or listening to the munching sounds of a guy who’s gotten kinda famous for eating on camera

… Me watching my kids watch other kids play games with their parents

… Or kids watching grownups play with dolls.

#5 YouTube reaches more young adults than all the TV networks combined.

On mobile alone a good look at YouTube statistics reveals that the platform reaches more viewers between the ages of 18 and 34 years old than any of the TV networks. In part, because…

#6 About 1 in every 15 YouTubers is watching the channel on a TV.

That’s right. On their big screens. Though 3 in 4 YouTubers access the app from their mobile devices (even when they’re at home), YouTube has 150 million connected TV (CTV) viewers in the U.S.

#7 Most Americans ages 5 and up watch videos on YouTube.

Seriously, if I’m not on there goofing off or using The Huberman Lab as the soothing white noise that blankets my day, my 1st grader is watching The Fun Squad and my 3rd grader is obsessing over episodes of Mr. Beast. And we’re the norm.

In truth, YouTube usage stats confirm that YouTube is unanimously the MOST popular social media app when you take all the age groups into account. The top preferred or top used app changes from demographic to demographic. For instance, young adult men between the ages of 25 and 44 prefer Facebook, while women of the same age lean more toward Instagram (for 25 to 34-year-old women) and WhatsApp (for women 35 to 44 years old). But YouTube is the one app that all generations use just about daily.

According to Statista:

• 77% of US internet users 15 to 35 years old watch YouTube
• 73% of 36 to 45-year-olds watch YouTube
• 70% of 46 to 55-year-olds watch YouTube
• 67% of those 56 and older watch YouTube, and
• 80% of parents say their children under 11 watch YouTube

So, your audience is probably on the platform.

.

YouTube Trends: Video Content Consumption

#8 40% of adults describe themselves as video content creators.

This is one of my favorite YouTube trends because it signals an important shift in both who is creating video and how video is being created. Similarly, four in ten YouTube users between the ages of 18 and 44 would consider themselves content creators. That’s not insignificant! The Future of Creativity: Creators in the Creator Economy, a study published by Adobe, reports that there are roughly 303 million people in the world who identify as content creators — 165 million of whom joined the creator economy since 2020.

#9 More than 500 hours of content are uploaded to YouTube every single minute.

According to the 2023 YouTube Trends Report, 82 percent of people online (18 to 44 years old) say they’ve posted video content to one of the major video platforms (YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Stories, Snapchat). What this means is that content creation is becoming the norm, not just limited to a select few content creators who do it for a living.

Technology, cool YouTube features, creative filters, and generative AI are really pushing content creation to the next level, and in so doing, making video creation a more easily accessible and widely used form of expression.

#10 87% of adults are watching at least 4 content formats on YouTube.

Shorts, long-form video, podcasts, livestreams — most adults are grabbing content from YouTube in whatever way they see fit. And that’s a good thing. And with 18 to 24 year-olds, they’ve come to expect it with 67 percent of Gen Zers saying they like when their favorite creators create content in multiple formats.

#11 YouTube Shorts are now racking in more than 70 billion views every day.

YouTube’s short-form video app first rolled out in India after the Indian government banned TikTok back in 2020. Shorts arrived in the US a few months later in the spring of 2021, and has since grown exponentially. From 2022 to the end of 2023, daily views on the app grew from 1.5 billion to 70 billion views a day. And the best part — no one’s had to complain about their YouTube feed being inundated with Shorts — YouTube just kinda went with the flow and users got a chance to discover Shorts on their own. Very cool.

#12 People watch more YouTube on their TVs than they watch Netflix.

People are watching YouTube on their TVs 80 percent more than pre-covid numbers. Over 94 percent of consumers who stream services to their TVs watch YouTube, compared to 75 percent of those who stream Netflix.

And we’re spending more than 40 minutes each session watching content on our mobile devices, too. The platform is steadily spreading throughout our lives to become one of our main sources of video content. When it comes to YouTube statistics, this is an impressive one. In fact…

#13 The data says YouTube is currently outperforming Netflix, Disney Plus, and Prime Video.

Yeah. YouTube has more users than each of those streaming services, and YouTubers spend more time watching video content on the platform than they do watching video on Netflix, Disney Plus, or Prime Video. In my Elon voice, “Hey, Bob!”

Surely, I’m not the only one who has fallen into a suggested-video-fueled rabbit hole and lost (or invested depending on how you look at it) HOURS to a random, yet interesting, parade of YouTube videos. People are watching more than one billion hours of YouTube videos every day. That’s more than Netflix and Facebook combined

#14 Nearly a quarter of the time people are watching video is now spent viewing live content.

Live streams have become an integral part of the digital environment allowing people to leverage different content formats across platforms to meet different content needs. Live video became a huge deal during the pandemic, and it’s still a staple personally and professionally:

• 42% of people in the US say they’ve watched a live stream
• 40% of marketing execs say they expect to attend work-related conferences and events that are completely virtual
• 52% of live video viewers stream live content via social media networks
• 39% of YouTubers regularly watch live streams

#15 79% of people say they achieve deeper connections when they watch YouTube TV. 

YouTube lends itself well to community building. A few years ago, the idea of virtual presence became a thing — just knowing other people are participating in the same activity. This is true even if the only way of knowing others are participating is by the view counter and the stream of comments on the right side of the screen. It’s sufficient enough to make people feel closer and more connected to one another.

Case in point…

When I grabbed this video embed , 38K people were tuned in to the live stream. At 1:33 PM on a random Wednesday.

YouTube’s Trends Report talks a bit about this: the community that vibed around Lofi Girl’s hiphop channel helped pave the way for a Lofi Girl synthwave channel to be introduced to much anticipation by leveraging the Community tab.

The creators of Lofi Girl have built a virtual community around the age-old idea of a study group. And that community engages on YouTube and Discord.

#16 Watching YouTube is considered time well spent.

76 percent of YouTubers agree the platform’s the best place to get a variety of opinions on a topic. It gives users the chance to conduct simple searches to find the content they want to watch, and provides a pretty good catalog of thoughtful perspectives and in-depth commentary. That’s according to data published by Think With Google.

Nearly 7 in 10 YouTubers (69 percent) have gone on a deep dive into a movie, music, or fan theory on YouTube. And believe it or not, 54 percent of those surveyed say they would rather watch YouTube creators break down a major event rather than watch the event itself.

I happen to be an MCU buff, but I never read comic books growing up. So, every superhero movie I watch is just a big surprise to me. “Holy crap! Is Howard Tony’s dad?” Actual quote. I’ve found that an important part of my experience connecting with the massive community of Marvel fans — many of whom watch all the things and read all the comics — is watching Easter egg videos on YouTube to help me understand what the heck I just watched, and to infuse the appropriate amount of excitement and anticipation into my experience ahead of Marvel’s new movies and shows.

Super important. Channels like New Rockstars help me decode the significance of events that transpire in the MCU and imbue me with all kinds of geek knowledge about the mythos and ethos of superhero fandom. It’s my version of filling my wine tumbler with fermented goodness.

Coincidentally, superhero movie fans — we’re the most likely fan group to watch livestreams on YouTube.

#17 Young adults lean into YouTube to help them achieve or enjoy different moods.

YouTubers — especially younger users — leverage the platform to help them find the right content for whatever mood they’re in.

• 83% of young YouTubers have used the platform to watch soothing content that helps them relax and cope
• 90% say they have watched a video that helped them feel like they were in a different place
• 53% say they like watching online horror content

YouTube Statistics: It’s Effectiveness As a Marketing Channel

#18 70% of the content people watch on YouTube are recommendations from YouTube.

YouTube’s algorithm is STELLAR when it comes to matching user behavior with the types of content they are most likely to find interesting. The beauty of this is it nicely positions brands to be found by their audience when they invest in YouTube influencer marketing. Just sayin’.

#19 YouTube is a MAJOR product discovery source for users.

It’s not going to be super shocking to learn that 90 percent of YouTubers say they discover new brands or products when they watch YouTube videos.

Case in point: I started seeing Baerskin Hoodie ads a few months ago. Yeah… no, none of these people are African American moms like me… but then I watch A LOT of content about sci-fi and action movies, off-grid living, and surviving the Northern Territories. So, I get why I’m seeing the ads. To the algorithm, I’m sure my watch habits overlap the watch habits of a dude who would be into this product.

Or a mom who would be into this. I’m actually planning to buy one for me and my little girls. Because we hate coats. And I hate carrying a bag. And… yeah… good job sizing me up.

#20 70% of people say they bought a brand after seeing it on YouTube.

Now, compare that to the 40 percent of users who said they had purchased something after seeing it on YouTube just a few years ago. That’s a pretty big jump.

#21 Video ads get 3X the eyes of regular TV ads.

This is important because people are 3X more likely to pay attention to online video ads over television ads. They are twice as likely to give their attention to a YouTube video ad, even over Instagram and Facebook video ads. No doubt that has a lot to do with the platform’s targeting capabilities.

#22 YouTube ranks 3rd with marketers as a preferred social media marketing channel.

Facebook has been the leader in social media marketing since forever. And Instagram is the primary platform for influencer marketing efforts. YouTube occupies a sweet spot that more than half of marketers say makes it worth leveraging. In fact, according to The State of Marketing 2023, a report released by HubSpot, 57 percent of marketers were leveraging YouTube as part of their marketing strategy. Because these are the type of YouTube statistics they know how to leverage.

#23 YouTube also ranks 3rd with marketers for social media platforms that offer the highest ROI.

Brands and marketers continue to allocate resources to YouTube marketing. YouTube ranked third among influencer marketers for most popular platforms and third as the social media platform that offers the highest ROI when selling products directly in the app, according to HubSpot’s 2023 Global Social Media Trends Report.

2024 YouTube Statistics in Conclusion

I’m sure this isn’t the first time you’ve seen a marketer acting like video is the only strategy out there. YouTube probably isn’t the only channel that comes to mind when video marketing is mentioned, but it’s a pretty effective one for running influencer campaigns, amplifying reach, and diversifying the content of your multichannel marketing push.

Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn all have video features that can breathe new life into repurposed content and pivot your brand from being a name in the network to being a human-centered collective of professionals that other organizations know, respect, and admire.

Take these YouTube statistics as proof. The platform can add a touch of mid-funnel magic to the sales cycles of marketers and brands. It allows for creative, high-impact storytelling that your team can personalize AND scale.

The post 23 YouTube Statistics for 2024: The Stats and Trends That Drive YouTube appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Behold! The beauty of Konstantin’s design brilliance!! You’re such a friggin’ rock star, Konstantin.

COPY and PASTE THIS CODE to EMBED THIS GRAPHIC.

Now, let’s dig into the data.

How Much Back-to-School Shoppers Are Spending in 2023

The 2023 back-to-school spending season is expected to be the biggest one yet with consumers planning to spend a total of $135 billion in back-to-school and back-to-college spending.

Despite inflation shrinking the amount of bang shoppers can get for their B2S buck, K12 back-to-school shoppers will spend an average of $890 per household on school-related items, according to the National Retail Federation. With a few adjustments:

• B2S shoppers are hitting the stores earlier this year and spending most of their budget by the end of July (upwards of 59 percent of it, according to Deloitte.
• Shopping sustainably isn’t as much a priority this year as it was last year as deals and discounts take center stage.
• While the Dalios and Kyosakis of the world insist cash is trash, 77 percent of B2S shoppers are shopping with it, in lieu of charging purchases to their credit cards.

When it comes to back-to-college shopping, households are expecting to spend right around $1,370 this year. And this includes degree-earning moms and dads. To give you a little context, when we published the 2019 back-to-school post, spending on back-to-college supplies averaged about $977 per household. So, in the last four years, back-to-college spending has jumped 40 percent over where it was before the pandemic hit. And of course, that number doesn’t include tuition or housing expenses.

Deals Take Center Stage This Back-to-School Shopping Season

Okay, we are knee-deep in an economy that is in a fist-to-fist battle with inflation. In the current environment, the majority of back-to-school purchases will be influenced by deals and promotions this year.

The official start of the back-to-school spending season kicked off with a record-breaking Prime Day event that delivered $12.7 billion in sales for Amazon and its merchants. This year, nearly 7 in 10 back-to-school shoppers were planning to take advantage of Prime Day deals exclusively. Nearly 1 in 3 planned to shop other online deals during Prime Day, and 1 in 5 planned to shop in-store deals at other retailers during the Prime Day event.

Shoppers have already seen price increases on staples like apparel and paper. And this year, the idea of deals, discounts and value include conveniences such as easy returns, free returns (no restocking fees), and free shipping with order minimums of $30 or so.

But be warned: shoppers are fully prepared to switch brands if their preferred brand is out of stock or if the price of their preferred brand jumps significantly.

And there are differences in the importance discounts play for K12 back-to-school shopping vs back-to-college shopping. For instance, 45 percent of K12 shoppers will be shopping more sales and doing price comparisons online versus 37 percent of back-to-college shoppers who are zeroed in on finding deals.

Spending Categories: Back-to-School Shoppers Prioritize Necessities

School supplies and clothing remain the top spending categories. With inflation still kinda bossing everybody around, shoppers are compensating for the price increases by boosting their spending on school supplies by 20 percent while decreasing their spending on clothing/accessories and electronics by 14 percent and 13 percent, respectively according to Deloitte.

Across the board, parents, students, and back-to-school shoppers have seen an increase in prices:

• 77 percent of B2S shoppers report higher clothing prices
• 67 percent report higher prices on school supplies
• 59 percent report higher prices for shoes
• 58 percent report higher prices on electronics
• 23 percent say they’re paying more for furniture

Spending More vs Spending Less

Regardless of whether shoppers say they’re spending more or less on back-to-class shopping this year, pretty much all of them are pointing to inflation as the cause.

For shoppers who plan to spend less this year, 51 percent of them say it’s because they have less disposable income. Of those who plan to spend more this year, 75 percent of them say it’s because prices are higher this year. The sweet spot for retailers is to understand that price is of the utmost importance, but discounts, deals, and quality (value for your money) are the big influencers this year.

In-Store vs Online Shopping

We did a little digging in our article on back-to-school trends into the opportunity that exists for brands that are putting down roots in virtual environments. In previous years, we’ve only really looked at the YoY changes in the percentage of people who are shopping online versus those who are shopping in-store.

On the heels of a global pandemic, online schools, and the rise of advanced e-commerce capabilities, four in 10 back-to-school shoppers have been taking advantage of emerging technologies to make shopping safe and convenient. We’re talking shoppable social posts, sure. But also digital wallets, interactive video, and virtual reality. Keep that in mind as you’re structuring your influencer marketing strategies.

When we first rolled out our Back-to-School post back in 2016, e-commerce accounted for just 7.9 percent of back-to-school spending (based on 2015 b2s stats). In 2018, 23 percent of back-to-school spending happened online. This year, with stores open and school in session, 55 percent of back-to-school shoppers will be making some of their purchases online.

Back to School 2023 Is Here

The bright spot for kids is that going back to school often comes with a healthy shopping allowance. The bright spot for marketers is that school shopping often starts early, climaxes with AMAZING sales in mid-July, and glides right into the holiday shopping season.

And parents, well, they (and their wallets) get sort of jammed in between kids and brands, working out the logistics of it all. Use the back-to-school statistics, trends, and strategies to kickstart your winter influencer campaigns.

The post 2023 Back-to-School Spending Infographic + Tips to Rock Your Campaign appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

For the 7 in 10 Americans who plan to celebrate Father’s Day, finding the best way to represent your undying love and appreciation by presenting Dad with a gift on the third Sunday in June can be a challenge. I mean, what doesn’t this guy already have?

I am one of millions of daughters who will have to come up with a gift idea far cooler than a new tie to go with my dad’s suits. Coincidentally, my dad doesn’t wear suits and if I stuck to buying ties, he would have dozens of ties to pretty-up the same two suits – one tan and one gray. Multiply that by 5 kids, and 11 grands and…

Too many ties.

While we have a few days before we demonstrate our love with a new fishing pole, a riding mower, or a road trip to South Beach (my dad’s a pretty good-looking guy), let’s all take a quick breather from our Groupon frenzies and set aside a few minutes to be inspired, amused and educated about fathers and Father’s Day.

No lame turn-of-the-century biographies or black-and-white photos. No mind-numbing stats that you stop paying attention to after the first few. Just awesomesauce and funky, dad-goodness.

Annnnnd since we’re actually a marketing agency, we published a more tactical Father’s Day marketing guide a few weeks ago. But you’re on the right page if you’re looking for our annual Father’s Day spending infographic – it’s at the end of this post.

Father’s Day Spending Stats

ALMOST HALF THE MEN IN THE US ARE FATHERS, AND MORE OF THOSE FATHERS ARE STAYING HOME WITH THE KIDS.

According to census numbers, there are 74 million fathers in the U.S. ages 15 years and over, and about 164 million men. Nearly 25 million fathers are part of married-couple families while 2 million fathers were single fathers. (Fatherhood.gov)

DADS DON’T REALLY WANT TIES FOR FATHER’S DAY, YET…

Let’s just go right to it. A necktie is the most popular Father’s Day gift. Not the most desired, just the most popular. Truth bomb: Your father probably isn’t looking forward to another tie. In fact, only 19 percent of dads want any clothing or apparel at all for Father’s Day. And 64 percent of dads said they don’t want anything with the words “World’s Best Dad” on it. Another quick tip: Just in general, an e-card is not the answer to any Father’s Day question.

You’re better off gifting Dad your presence for a cool family experience (think fishing or sporting event) or give him some alone time (these were equally desirable to 38 percent of dads). Most of the dads polled (71 percent) would be up for a meal with the kids.

MOST DADS BRING HOME THE BACON. LITERALLY.

More than half of the fathers polled say they are the primary grocery shoppers in their households. There are a handful of things to know about Dads who shop:

1. More dads research the products they buy than moms. About 11 percent of moms research products compared to 24 percent of dads.
2. Men will spend more on products if they are of better quality.
3. While Dad may be okay with researching products, men are not generally coupon clippers. And they are most definitely not extreme couponers. #theirloss

THIS YEAR, 25-34 YEAR-OLDS ARE PLANNING TO SPEND THE MOST PER PERSON ON DADS FOR FATHER’S DAY.

This year, adults between the ages of 35 and 44 years old will outspend other shoppers by an average of $100 on Father’s Day gifts. Last year, 25-34 year-olds were the big spenders here. Not a bad haul for Dad.

43 PERCENT OF AMERICANS ARE SHOPPING ONLINE FOR FATHER’S DAY GIFTS.

Come on, Groupon deals! Daddy needs a new pair of… ?? (That’s the part many of us are still trying to figure out.)

More than one-third of shoppers will hit up department stores to pick up their gifts, and 22 percent will head into specialty stores. Forty-three percent will keep their shopping online. More than half of Father’s Day shoppers are using their phones for everything from grabbing coupons to researching products, to getting inspo, to making actual purchases.  

WE BUY FOR MORE THAN JUST OUR OWN DADS.

It’s true that 45 percent of women and 54 percent of men buy for their own fathers and stepfathers. But women are just as likely to buy for their own husbands (47 percent) as they are for their fathers. Both men and women also shop for sons, grandfathers, brothers, friends, godfathers, and other relatives.

MOST DADS IDENTIFY AS ONE OF THESE: THE OUTDOORS TYPE, A TECH DAD, THE HOME ORGANIZER.

A good way to figure out what to get your dad may be to find out how he self-identifies. A quarter of dads consider themselves outdoor adventurers. Twenty-one percent of dads consider themselves home organizers.  Twenty-four percent think of themselves as either modern, fashionable, or gadget lovers.

My brother-in-law is like that. He once hacked my computer while I was in the middle of talking smack to him. Or more accurately, because I was in the middle of talking smack to him.

MOST DADS WHO USE SOCIAL MEDIA USE IT, AT LEAST IN PART, TO BECOME BETTER FATHERS.

Sixty-one percent of fathers who use social media apply the information and advice they get from social to be better dads.  Social media is a great parenting resource for many fathers today.

DAD WANTS TO HANG OUT WITH YOU ON FATHER’S DAY… BUT IF YOU CAN’T BE THERE, HE’LL TAKE MONEY.

It’s the truth, folks. If your father is anything like the men answering these polls, he doesn’t want the cufflinks. He doesn’t even want those expensive leather shoes with the tassels.

According to Entrepreneur, 37 percent of fathers want gift cards and 29 percent want electronics, or a gadget of some type. Only 8 percent are okay with you taking the liberty to buy a gym membership, and only 7 percent would be happy with a magazine subscription – even one to a sports magazine

AND IF YOU DON’T GIVE HIM MONEY, GET HIM A HARLEY.

Dads are loyal to the brands they know and trust, according to Adweek. Nearly half (48 percent) of dads say they are loyal to brands compared with just 39 percent of moms. That may be true, I’ve never seen my husband wear a shoe that wasn’t some form of Timberland boot.

Eighty-one percent of fathers are even okay with brands sending them location-based mobile offers, and most (58 percent) have taken action on a mobile offer they receive.

There are 10 top brands that get the Dad Seal of Approval:

1. Apple
2. UnderArmour
3. Nike
4. Netflix
5. iPad
6. Lexus
7. Lego
8. Levi’s
9. Kobalt
10. Harley-Davidson

Twenty-eight percent of dads said they always buy top brands without concern for the price.

YOUNG ADULTS ARE HANDING OUT EXPERIENCES THIS FATHER’S DAY.

Brunch, paintball, wine tastings, spa weekends, hunting trips… About 36 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 44 are planning to gift Dad experiences this year. During the pandemic.

DADS ARE SPENDING MORE TIME AT HOME.

Today’s fathers spend double the amount of time they spent with their kids in 1989, and almost triple the amount of time with their kids as fathers did back in 1965. The percentage of dads who say they aren’t spending enough time with their kids dropped from 63 percent in 2017 to 48 percent in 2020, according to Pew Research.

MEN USE SOCIAL MORE AFTER THEY BECOME FATHERS.

While moms still have dads beat on creating a digital footprint, 61 percent of men say they started using social media more after having kids. Dads report getting product tips from social media:

• 44 percent get product or service recommendations from other dads on social
• 70 percent get product or service recommendations that would benefit the entire family
• 71 percent get recommendations for stuff for their kids
• 37 percent say they ask other dads for recommendations on products and services

Seventy-one percent of dads also use social media to keep the rest of the family up-to-date on what’s going on with the kids.

THE ONE THING MOST PEOPLE WILL DO, WHETHER THEY BUY A GIFT OR NOT, IS CALL HOME.

An actual phone call – not a text – is still one of the most popular gifts to give Dad on Father’s Day. Hopefully, the call is verifying the arrival of a gift.

ONE IN THREE FATHER’S DAY SHOPPERS ARE EYEING A SUBSCRIPTION SERVICE FOR DAD.

Subscription services boomed during the pandemic as people tried to find ways to find and share a little joy in a time of social distancing. This year, 37 percent of Father’s Day shoppers said they were keen on gifting Dad a subscription of some kind, and there are all sorts of them out there.

GREETING CARDS ARE STILL A POPULAR ITEM.

This year, Father’s Day spending will include about $860,000 on greeting cards. Abotu 58 percent of us will buy them. Last year, I spent $20 just on greeting cards for my dad, my husband, and my ex-husband. It took the kids and me 2 hours to pick out the perfect Father’s Day cards, and the only card that saw any mantle action was the one my preschooler made in daycare. So…

THIS YEAR, MILLENNIALS ARE THE MOST LIKELY GROUP TO CELEBRATE DAD.

Last year, 90 percent of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 planned to celebrate Father’s Day this year. This year, Millennials and a handful of the youngest Gen Xers (35-44 year-olds) are the largest demographic celebrating Father’s Day with 89 percent of them planning to make Dad’s day special.

MOST DADS DON’T FEEL GUILTY ABOUT LEAVING THE FAMILY HOME AND GOING TO WORK.

We know that regular exercise helps you keep the extra pounds off, helps regulate your body to minimize the risk of getting metabolic disease, promotes mental clarity, helps stabilize your mood, and delivers an overall sense of well-being. Dads who don’t feel guilty about heading off to work still feel a way for using what could be family time, or time with the kids, to do something as “selfish” (many fathers view self-care as a selfish act) like going to the gym.

THE MOST POPULAR FATHER’S DAY GIFTS ARE…

Hate to say it, but even though many dads say they don’t want anybody buying them any clothes for Father’s Day, clothing is the most popular spending category. Fifty-five percent of those polled say they’ll be buying dad a piece of clothing as part of his Father’s Day haul. Fivfty-two percent will gift Dad a special outing, while 48 percent will give him a gift card.

NO MORE FATHER’S DAY AS USUAL

Father’s Day has been getting a lot more love since COVID hit three years ago. Back then, 77 percent of Father’s Day celebrants said it was especially important to celebrate the holiday in spite of restrictons and social distancing.

Quirky Facts About Dads

“DA-DA” MAY NOT ACTUALLY BE REFERRING TO DADS.

Two years in Mrs. Willie Bell Gibson’s junior high English class taught me that in order to understand a word, I must know the etymology of the word. So, I looked up the word “dad.” Most of us can see how the word “father” looks a lot like the word “pater” – noun from Old English “paeder” which refers to a man in relation to his natural child or children. Doesn’t show up in regular conversation much, but it was poetic enough for British Pop group Simply Red’s song “Holding Back the Years” (46 seconds in).

As it turns out, the words “dad” and “father” are completely unrelated. The word “dad” is believed to be adapted for use by fathers who wanted to make sure the first sounds their babies made when they began vocalizing front-of-the-mouth, consonant sounds referred to them. So, the word “dad” is actually just a remix of the sound “daaa” or “dada”, which are typically the first words babies speak.

Pretty clever move, Dad.

SIX GUYS WERE ON THE STAY-AT-HOME DAD LIST IN THE 1970S.

When Schmidt stayed home to take care of Ruth while CeCe went out and launched her own modeling agency, we were all pretty happy with Schmidt’s growth as a former d-bag, right? He had taken so much pride in his hustle – being the “bad boy of marketing” and raking in all that disposable income for hair chutneys, peacots, sushi platters, Kanye’s belt, and impulse FILA. (If you never watched the show “New Girl,” don’t worry too much about this reference.)

But Schmidt would have been one of just six men (1-2-3-4-5-6 men) in the U.S. in the 1970s who would ever fess-up to being a stay-at-home dad, according to an article by The Huffington Post.

In 2015, 214,000 married fathers with children under the age of 15 identified stay-at-home dads, staying home primarily to take care of their kids while their wives work. The National At-Home Dad Network estimates that in reality, 1.4 million men are stay-at-home dads, and 7 million are the primary caregivers for their kids.

THE AGES OF THE YOUNGEST AND THE OLDEST DADS NEW DADS WILL AMAZE – AND MAYBE TERRIFY – YOU.

Eleven years old. That’s how old one British boy was when he impregnated his 15-year-old next-door neighbor. Their baby boy was born one month after the father’s 12th birthday in 1998. I am intentionally refraining from listing their names, but I grabbed the headline for that story from Daily Mail.

The oldest first-time father, Ramjit Raghav (not to be confused with Raman Raghav, the serial killer), was 94 when his baby boy was born to him and his then-52 year-old wife in October 2010 in Haryana, India. Ramjit was 96 when he had a second child. The late, great Ramjit was laid to rest in 2020 at the age of 104.

OLD SCHOOL TV DADS ARE MORE POPULAR THAN THESE YOUNG WHIPPER SNAPPER TV DADS.

I found two surveys – one by TiVo, the other I found at Ranker.com – which sought to answer one critical questions: Which TV dad do you wish was your own?

While the lists contained essentially the same fictional characters, the order of the lists differed. Ranker.com calculated results based on more than 50,000 votes from 4,000+ voters. It looks like the list is clearly skewed toward Gen Xers. I want to share with you the top 15 answers, in no particular order:

• Sheriff Andy Taylor (The Andy Griffith Show)
• Pa Ingalls (Little House on the Prairie)
• Howard Cunningham (Happy Days)
• Ward Cleaver (Leave it to Beaver)
• Jim Anderson (Father Knows Best)
• Mike Brady (The Brady Bunch)
• Tim Taylor (Home Improvement)
• Reverend Eric Camden (7th Heaven)
• Danny Tanner (Full House)
• Philip Banks (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
• Peter Griffin (Family Guy)
• Dan Conner (Roseanne)
• Gomez Addams (The Addams Family)
• Homer Simpson (The Simpsons)

I will be honest here. I have never seen Father Knows Best as I had a very strong aversion to watching TV shows that were in black and white when I was growing up. Except for The Addams Family. My favorite TV dad, Martin Crane (Frasier), played by the late John Mahoney, just missed the list.

[INFOGRAPHIC] The Business of Father’s Day

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About the Author

Sorilbran Stone | Content Strategist

I serve as the resident content strategist and the official Head of Content Marketing at The Shelf. Marketing is my happy place. I’m as happy looking at analytics as I am actually creating a thing. I focus a lot on dreaming up and implementing the best ways to create, publish, and distribute content that will build your brand and get your audience to do a thing.

The post 24 Father’s Day Spending Stats and Quirky Facts [INFOGRAPHIC] appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Your Guide to the Business of Mother’s Day

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Moms are getting more and more monetary love each year.

There are 2 billion-ish mothers around the world, and more than 80 million in the U.S. alone.

Mother’s Day makes its rounds in more than 50 countries around the world, and this year, 84 percent of Americans are planning to celebrate. Spending on Mom will reach $35.7 billion in the U.S. this year, making Mother’s Day the second most celebrated holiday after the winter holidays, and the fourth biggest spending holiday, after the Back-to-College, Back-to-School, and winter holiday shopping seasons. 

Shoppers are buying gifts for more than just their own moms.

If there’s such a thing as the Mother’s Day spirit, shoppers certainly have it because they don’t limit their gift-giving to their own moms. 57% of Mother’s Day shoppers will, in fact, be hunting down unique gifts for their mothers and stepmothers. But…

23% of celebrants are shopping for their wives

12% are shopping for daughters

8% shop for other relatives

9% will hit the stores searching for something for their sister

8% will get a gift for Grandma

8% will get something for a friend, and

2% will gift something to a godmother

We’re spending a liiiiiiittle less on dads though.

And you know how we said $35.7 billion would be spent on Mother’s Day this year? Well, that’s more than $245 per celebrant while Father’s Day spending will average about $70 to $80 less per person.

A few of the more interesting shopping trends…

Since last year, 35% of Mother’s Day shoppers were planning to gift their moms subscription boxes. This year, personal services are all the rage, with 34% planning to give Mom the gift of self-care. Another popular category right now is special outings, with 6 in 10 shoppers planning to take Mom out for the day.

Half of people are shopping in-store, too. Capitalize on the procrastinators!

In the last few days before Mother’s Day, in-store shoppers will be heading out to buy gifts. Don’t miss an opportunity to market to them. They may be buying gifts in stores, but they’re doing a bunch of research online, too. So don’t forget to target shoppers with paid ads, Reels, Pinterest, and other platforms where consumers love to find cool ideas for Mom.

Here’s how to grab the attention of those last-minute shoppers…

PPC Campaigns: Mother’s Day clicks don’t start rolling in until the last week, so reserve enough budget for that last big push. Include keywords to target stepmoms, grandmothers, aunts, sisters, wives, friends, and daughters. — Search Engine Journal

Ads: The highest conversions are in clothing and accessories. Ensure you’re reaching the right audience in your vertical by including Mother’s Day-specific CTA’s.

User-Generated Content: Feature UGC of influencers (or consumers) directly on your site and social media. UGC is highly effective in driving conversions and is a great way to showcase new styles and products.

Pinterest: Pinterest is the top-ranking social network for Mother’s Day searches. Out of 65% of the 275 keywords, Pinterest ranks in positions 1-5 on search engines. Enlist influential mommy bloggers to curate gift guides with their favorite gift items from your brand. — Your Digital Retail

Instagram Takeover: Run an Instagram takeover with an influential mommy blogger leading up to or during Mother’s Day. Allow her to curate her favorite mommy gift items from your brand and run a giveaway at the end to get engagement flowing on your account.

The post [INFOGRAPHIC] The 2023 Guide to the Business of Mother’s Day Spending and Trends appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Back before “the big flash” (Book of Eli reference, but really, I’m just talking about the pandemic), St. Patrick’s Day celebrants (hereinafter referred to as partiers) were keen on heading outdoors in the nippy March air for parades, bar crawls, parties, and overall mild-to-severe debauchery (depending on the day of the week on which St. Patty’s Day fell).

This year, 54 percent of Americans are planning to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And we’re pleased to announce that the Chicago St. Patrick’s Day parade is back on for the first time since 2019.

St. Patrick’s Day Spending: A Shift Away from Green Decor and Back to Bar Tabs

Traditionally, St. Patrick’s Day has been a time to gather indoors for food and drinks – whether at your house, a friend’s house, or the local bar. Over the last two years, more people have spent more money on themed decor in lieu of heading out during a pandemic. This year, parties, bars, and restaurant outings have made a comeback. One in five St. Patty’s Day partiers plans to hit up parties.

Per-person spending for St. Patty’s Day is expected to be the second-highest in recorded history at $42.33 per person (2020 was the highest at $42.96). And total spending on St. Patrick’s Day will top $5.87B this year. Cha-ching!

By far, 35 to 44-year-olds party hardest… or at least they spend the most, shelling out $49.27 on average for the holiday, followed by 25 to 34-year-olds whose average spend will be $47.34 this year.

We put together an infographic on St. Patrick’s Day spending and trends that’ll provide some interesting insights on how people are marking the occasion. As always, you can copy and paste the embed code at the bottom to embed this infographic on your site.

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The post INFOGRAPHIC: Stats-a-Plenty for St. Patrick’s Day Spending appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

When we first published this post at the end of 2020, we were positioning TikTok as a viable option – a new marketing channel. Back then, the platform had 100 million monthly active U.S. users and 700 million global users. It was no Facebook, it had grown quickly and we predicted it could prove to be a valuable marketing channel because of the audience it captures — Gen Z. Roughly 60 percent TikTok’s user base at the time were between the ages of 16 and 24 years old.

As we enter the holiday season of winter 2023, TikTok is a formidable platform, supplanting both Netflix and Disney Plus to become the top app for watching video content, both in number of users and the amount of time spent on each platform, according to Digital 2023 Growth Report. Younger consumers spend more time on TikTok than they do watching TV.

TikTok now has 150 million US users and more than 1 billion users globally. And has quickly grown its user numbers, across generations.

Let’s take a look at how.

First, Some More Stats to Tickle Your Marketing Fancy

Here are some more stats to prove to you data-driven marketers why TikTok is worth checking out:

• It’s the 7th largest social network, and it’s been one of the top-downloaded apps since 2020.
• It is the go-to social media app for funny or entertaining content (nearly 78 percent of users use TikTok for this kind of content, compared to 60 percent who use IG for entertaining content and 55 percent for Facebook users).
• TikTokusers are active on more than one social platform: 8 in 10 TikTokers also use Meta apps while 7 in 10 also use YouTube.

So, from these numbers, you can see a lot of people like the platform, and it’s a nesting ground for brands looking to reach young adult consumers. And if you’re already keen on working with influencers, then you’ll find plenty of creators to reach out to on TikTok.

So, What Sorts of Tactics Are Brands Using to Market on TikTok?

TikTok is like any other social media platform — people want to be entertained, influenced, and inspired. With great content, you can attract attention, followers, and potential customers to your brand.  Here’s a look at some of the TikTok marketing strategies you can try for your campaigns. 

THE HASHTAG CHALLENGE

We know the power of hashtags. We already know they work, so why not add it to your list of TikTok marketing tricks? They’re already popular on the platform, which means users are waiting for the next challenge to jump on. Now, what’s great is that TikTok sponsors hashtags, which can help newbies get more participants. 

BRANDED CONTENT

If you think you can come on TikTok and dole out a bunch of ads for your business, then take a minute to consider a more strategic approach. Remember, TikTok started out as Musica.ly — a platform where users sing and dance to popular songs. It’s used for the same thing today, alongside other content (like skits, stories, political views, and social education). 

The idea is to first build your credibility and authenticity by posting for pure entertainment and/or education. Then, you can blend in some branded content, such as videos of people using or wearing your products.

WE ACTUALLY CREATED AN ENCYCLOPEDIA ON THIS STUFF…

The Complete Guide to Influencer Marketing

TIKTOK ADS

Social media ads can help brands maximize their visibility. You can use them to promote your content alongside your products. There are three different types of ads you can buy on TikTok:

1. Hashtag challenge ads: a banner ad that takes users to your page explaining the rules.
2. In-feed native ads: a traditional ad that links to your product or landing page.
3. Brand takeover ads: a mix of ad types (images, GIFs, video clips) that link to your hashtag challenge or landing page. 
   And these ads seem to be working — in 2019, TikTok saw $176.9 million in ad revenue.

COMPELLING VIDEOS

TikTok is a video platform, so it makes sense to center your strategy around creating compelling video content. The goal here is to make them visually appealing and worth watching. For example, if you sell Halloween costumes, you can create a video with people dancing in your costumes. You can even go as far as to have a song made. 

Think along the lines of Backstreet Boys’ “Everybody” video. 

You can have various themes to showcase the types of costumes you have available (without all the advertising). Just make sure that every video you post comes with a clear description (no teasers, please). 

BEING SMART ABOUT HASHTAGS

Like with any social media platform, you need to use the right hashtags to gain the most traction for your posts. One method of doing so is to use the search bar. Type in a relevant word and then click “Hashtags” to see a list of what’s trending. Find those that are relevant and specific. Add these to your posts to help TikTokers discover your content.  Also, don’t cram your posts with too many hashtags — try to stick to around 10. You can also use this feature to identify competitors.

PARTNERING WITH TIKTOK CREATORS

Remember those influencers we mentioned earlier? Well, you don’t have to go after the top 40 with 10+ million followers. There is a range of micro-influencers you can reach out to who may be more affordable. 

Plus, we always promote opting for influencers who are authentic and connect with followers on a more personal level. This is the audience with a higher chance of converting. Working together with an influencer (or two or three) can help build your reputation and follower list faster. Just make sure they cater to your target audience.

Related Post

Reusing Influencer-Generated Content (How To + Best Practices)

STAYING ENGAGED

Don’t create TikToks and forget about them. Be sure to check back to see if there are any comments. It’s also a good idea to comment on others’ posts to start conversations. Then, if people find your comments meaningful, they may decide to check out your profile. Do this regularly enough, and you can build connections (with followers and other TikTokers) quickly.

POSTING REGULARLY

It’s simple — the more you post, the higher the odds of someone finding your content. This is the formula on any social media platform you market on. People like to follow TikTokers who are entertaining, engaging, and offer regular content. So make sure you’re publishing multiple videos every week. 

TIKTOK EFFECTS

There are millions of creators on TikTok, so you’ll have to find unique ways to make your content stand apart.  One option is to use TikTok effects (look in the “Effects” tab). You can use these to replace the background in your video (like a green screen).  These are split into various categories, like beauty, world, funny, animals, and interactive.

Related Post

TikTok Or Reels? How To Point Your Marketing Spend To The Right Platform

CROSS-PROMOTING

By default, TikTok videos are only 15 seconds long. So you’ll have to ensure your content is short and sweet.  But don’t stop there; make sure you’re also cross-promoting your TikToks on other platforms you’re using, such as Instagram. Actually, quite a bit of the video content you see on Instagram Reels was pulled from TikTok (as evidenced by the TikTok logos at the bottom of the video). This is a smart idea because Instagram Reels are getting crazy reach and engagement right now, so reposting widens your audience. OR you can repost your content as Instagram Stories, for example.  If you already have a following of more than 10K there, then you can include a call-to-action, like “Swipe up to follow us on TikTok.”

TIKTOK ANALYTICS

It’s a good idea to set up a TikTok Pro account so you can get access to analytics data. This way, you can monitor the performance of your posts over a 7-day or 28-day period. Stats available include follower growth, views, gender, follower locations, and even the videos your followers watched and the time of day they’re watching them. Use this to help find ideas for content that’ll attract them to your TikToks (and when to post them).

Super-Cool Examples of TikTok Marketing Campaigns

Now that you have a better idea of how to use TikTok, let’s take a look at some of the brands already using the platform. 

GUESS CHALLENGE BECOMES THE FIRST BRANDED CONTENT IN THE U.S.

CHIPOTLE USES A COMPELLING HASHTAG CHALLENGE 

Joining in the hashtag trend is Chipotle, with its 2019 #ChipotleLidFlip Challenge. In this challenge, TikTokers are asked to take their Chipotle bowl and drop it on the aluminum lid so that it flips into the air.  It’s a lot like those water bottle flipping challenges you’ve seen around and about. 

Users have taken to the challenge, finding creative ways to complete the challenge. It was a six-day campaign, generating 110K submissions and 104 million video starts. It also garnered over 315 million views on videos with the challenge’s hashtag. 

ZALORA USES HASHTAG CHALLENGE, INCENTIVES, & BRAND TAKEOVER ADS

The #ZStyleNow Challenge invited TikTokers to flash a “Z” hand signal, which would then trigger an outfit change (just like magic). 
The goal was to show off the brand’s outfits and their customer’s awesome fashion sense. Then, to get more people on board, they decided to add an incentive — a $200 giveaway of ZALORA products to winners of the challenge. The brand also used different variations of Brand Takeover ads to promote the hashtag challenge. This drove more traffic to their website, and new app installs.

The result: 991K video views, 1.1K user-generated videos, and 19.75% CTR (for the brand takeover ads).

Get Your TikTok Influencer Marketing Campaign in Order

There’s enough evidence showing TikTok is definitely worth your time. At least if you’re looking to appeal to a younger demographic. 

But to make the most of your campaign, you need a solid strategy.  With the above tips, you can create content that attracts your core audience. However, if you want to speed up the process, we invite you to try out our top-notch TikTok influencers. We’ll match you with the best influencers for your brand and campaign. Reach out to us today to get started!

The post How to Amplify Your Influencer Campaign with TikTok Marketing appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

A few years ago, we were all abuzz about millennials favoring Instagram-worthy experiences over tangible items…and that’s still the case. That shift from tangible to intangible, however, made marketing to millennials way more about brands being able to create memorable shopping experiences than any of us really imagined it could.

(….except for futurists like Joseph Pine II and James Gilmore (not even sure if they’re futurists), who wrote the book The Experience Economy back in the 90s when non-futurist marketers were stocking up on Hammer pants.)

A Few Quick Points About Millennials

The Numbers. Millennials make up more than a quarter of the US Population – 83.1 million strong – and have spending power of about $65 billion a year. Just $65 billion? Yeah… but they influence more than 10x that. Nielsen reports that millennials influence about $1 trillion in spending.

That’s “trillion” with a trill.

The Trend. And, of course, we’re marketers, so we’ve talked almost nonstop about millennials for the last five years (nope, not tapped out yet). Born between 1980 and 1995ish, millennials are the current-day 24 to 39-year-olds. The eldest millennials are pushing middle age while the youngest millennials are now in their mid-20s.

The Adulting Part. Regardless, most millennials are trying their hand at full-on adulting (or at least they should be), and they’re game for spending an extra buck or two *cough* grand *cough* on travel. Bank accounts are finally out of that awkward teen phase and most millennials are at that stage in their careers where their incomes are increasing pretty steadily every year.

27 High-Impact Stats on Millennial Travelers That Will Help You Craft a Brilliant Marketing Campaign

So, let’s talk about the portion of that spending power that millennial travelers have earmarked for travel. In the next few sections, we’re going to hash out the stats on a couple of key areas of millennial travel including:

• Why millennials travel
• How millennial travelers choose a destination
• Vacation spending
• Millennial parents traveling with Gen Alpha kiddos
• How mobile and social media factor into travel spending

Millennial Travelers: Raise Your Hand If You’re On Your Vacay Grind

#1. Millennials travel more days per year than any other generation.

According to a 2017 Expedia Group Media Poll (gated), Millennials who were [then] between the ages of 24 and 35 years old took the lead on travel days, averaging 35 travel days a year. The next closest was Gen Z with 29 days, followed by Nana and Pop-Pop (Baby Boomers) with 27 days. Bringing up the rear is our time-pressed support economy all-stars, the Gen Xers at 26 days.

#2. Millennials travel for self-development.

Sometimes travel isn’t just about the pics. It’s also about the climb. More than 22 percent of millennials travel for personal development (sounds like fun, am I right?).

For many millennials, personal development is all about finding their identities and sharpening their skills while immersing themselves in a foreign culture. Good way to expand your goals and expose yourself to bigger and greater things. That there is dream fuel!

#3. Millennials are all about that Bleisure work-life balance.

We didn’t make that term up to be weirdos. Bleisure (pronounced buh LEE zhur) is an actual thing that you’re probably really familiar with. It’s when business trips are extended to leisure trips (hence the funny word Bleisure). In 2017 more than half of business trips were extended to allow business travelers to get a little me time.

#4. Millennials are twice as likely as other generations to seek travel adventures.

It’s true that many of us just want some place by the water where we can chill… but millennials are overwhelmingly interested in actually DOING non-chill stuff during their travels. Of those surveyed, 89 percent of millennials say they will go anywhere as along as they can explore the outdoors and be active.

#5. Three in five millennial vacays are now international travel.

Millennials are THE fastest-growing segment of travelers, and they’re more likely than other generations to travel the world (and even travel it solo). An older stat published by the United Nations back in 2012 reported that young travelers made up 20 percent of all international tourists. Fast forward to 2019, and three in five planned trips will have millennial travelers heading abroad.

How Millennial Travelers Choose a Destination

#6. Eighty-six percent of millennial travelers would rather experience a new culture while on vacation.

Compare that to the 44 percent of millennial travelers who want to party on vacation and the 28 percent of millennial travelers who prefer to shop. Seventy-eight percent of travelers want to learn something new while they travel, and half would pick a destination because they want to experience the culture.

“These young travellers are environmentally-aware and tend to stay longer and interact more closely with the communities they visit than the average tourist. As such, youth travel has emerged as one of the most promising paths towards a more responsible and sustainable tourism sector.” – UNWTO Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai

#7. Millennials are the MOST likely generation to book their travels using an online travel agency.

More than half of millennial travelers (53 percent) book their trips using an Online Travel Agency (OTA). When it comes to finding online content resources, OTAs are also the number one resource travel shoppers use to get info on destinations, with 54 percent of American travelers using OTAs and information sites to find get the 411 on different spots.

#8. Cost is a major deciding factor for 36 percent of American travelers.

Not surprising at all, really. A few other important factors that typically play into the destination decision are hotel accommodations (34 percent of travelers look at this), and the recommendations of friends (online and offline) and family (14 percent).

The Millennial Traveler’s Path to Purchase

#9. For 72 percent of millennial travelers, the ads they see during the planning process play a role in their decision-making process.

That’s according to Expedia Group Media Solutions. In fact, for all the talk about the growing popularity of ad blockers, millennials are more likely than other generations to notice travel ads for hotels and travel packages.

#10. The average traveler visits 140 travel sites over 45 days before making a purchase.

In total, it’s more like 290 for the number of sites American travelers visit before making vacay plans. Of that 290, about 140 of them are typically travel sites. By comparison, Canadian travelers will visit 317 travel and non-travel sites before booking a trip, while British travelers will visit 181 travel and non-travel sites before making a purchase decision.

#11. One in three US-based millennials consider multiple travel destinations.

Interestingly, this stat is actually on the low end, as 42 percent of millennials in Canada and the UK consider multiple destinations. But then, U.S.-based millennials tend to have (and take) fewer vacation days from work.

#12. American travel shoppers spend 8.7 billion minutes per month consuming travel-related digital content.

That makes sense, right? ‘

“I’ve witnessed my teenage nephew literally watching hours of destination content on YouTube that’s basically just images set to music or – and I’m really surprised I’m not kidding about this part – computer-generated walks (where you see the city from the walker’s point of view) through different cities.” Sorilbran, head content geek for The Shelf.

In general, three in five [American] digital users consume travel-related content. That’s more than 160 million users checking out travel content every month, whether or not they’re actively planning a trip.

How Mobile and Social Fit Into the Picture with Millennial Travelers

#13.“Instagrammability” is an official travel term.

Forty percent of travelers under the age of 33 prioritize the Instagrammability of a destination when making a decision on whether they want to book it. Of course, we know that Millennial travelers look to social media for guidance on everything from shoes to mobile apps. Well, 97 percent of millennial travelers also share their experiences to social media while they’re traveling.

But this tendency to rely on social media to make key purchase decisions, aka the Instagram Effect, also factors in when it comes time for people to decide where to holiday, honeymoon, and chill.

I’m about to go off on a totally related tangent… but don’t worry, I won’t do a lot of these in this post.

Here’s how Instagram x travel play out in the virtual-to-real world.

New York beats Paris as a top travel destination, according to Vogue. I know that because Vogue published a pretty lengthy roundup of top travel destinations.

And apparently this cave in Portugal…

….has 63 friggin’ POSTS!.

Kidding. Lol.

This cave has actually been tagged in more than ten thousands posts because it’s considered Instagram-worthy.

In reality, it’s this influencer…

…. who has 63 posts that she tagged at different locations in Portugal (and many of those individual posts are carousels with multiple images).

The post above is currently one of the top-performing posts under the hashtag #benagilcaves…

…. which I found skimming through a BuzzFeed article, “20 Destinations to Travel If You Want a Lit Instagram”.

…

A few years ago, Benagil was just a small fishing village on the edge of Portugal. Today, you can literally read Google reviews about the Benagil Caves. There are more than 5500 reviews of this tiny 4.7-star village, and three ideas are threaded through most of them:

• It’s a beautiful place
• It’s tough to reach without a boat
• It’s swarming with tourists

The word there is swarming.

#14. Sixty-two percent of millennials use mobile to access online resources of travel inspiration.

Inspired millennial travelers say they found ideas for their most recent trips on Instagram. I have a few stats here from Facebook’s Insights platform (which is AWESOME, by the way).

#15. Nearly half of U.S. travelers are comfortable planning and booking their entire trip using their smartphones.

It’s 48 percent, to be exact.

#16. Price and ease-of-use play a huge role in determining which hospitality companies millennial travelers book with.

While price is THE major factor when it comes to booking travel, convenience and ease-of-use are the primary factors when it comes to brand loyalty. Measure that against the previous stat about half of U.S. travelers being cool booking their entire trip on their phones.

Eighty-five percent of US travelers say convenience is enough of a reason to remain loyal to a travel brand.

#17. Eight-six percent of millennial travelers would be okay with a travel brand posting in an online group that was started by a person.

This stat actually ties in nicely with another key insight from Facebook that three in four millennial travelers who are weekly users of Facebook use the platform for travel-related activities.

Related Post

What Makes Them Buy: Millennial Men

Luxury on the Road

#18. Millennials are redefining luxury travel. And that’s pretty big.

The word luxury means different things to different people. While you may think of luxury accommodations as fancy lamps, crystal vases (pronounced VAHzis), and a skyline view that takes your breath away, for many millennial luxury travelers that “skyline view” could easily be in reference to a sea of treetops that canopy a jungle.

For millenials, the term “luxury” often doesn’t translate as a high-end lifestyle so much as it translates as prestige moments… elements of luxury. As these moments, when captured, are as good as social media gold.

#19. Six in ten millennials want the option for “full or selective” luxury travel.

LEK 2017 Luxury Travel Study (gated) states millennials want 13 percent luxury at all times, 20 percent luxury on some travel, and 28 percent option for a luxurious experience when traveling.

Okay… what?

Let’s break it down: You put 10 Millenials in a room (hopefully with their phones or they’ll get bored), and 6 of the 10 will want the option for luxury when they travel.

• Of those 6, one wants to be wined and dined all day, erryday when traveling. This one luxury millennial wants all-inclusive eat and drink, etc; you name it, they want it.
• Two of the 6 want to take some luxury vacations here and there, but don’t need all travel options to be fancy. Sure, they want to stay at a resort in Mexico or hopefully have a direct flight, but they’re also down to hop in the Jeep and road-trip to Colorado and camp in the mountains.
• Half of the 6 want a luxurious experience while on a regular vacation. That could mean going to a spa one time or splurging at a restaurant, or seeing their favorite artists on stage. They’ll select at least one elaborate activity then plan several low key options around it.

Millennial Parents:Traveling with the Fam

#20. The average millennial family with gen alpha kids take more than three family trips a year .

And the chances are pretty good these family trips will be domestic travel (they are 68 percent of the time)… even when the kids aren’t in tow.

#21. Family vacays with Gen Alpha kids under nine are a week long on average.

It’s 6.9 days, to be exact.

#22. Sixty percent of millennial parents in the process of planning a family trip that includes their Gen Alpha kids are deciding between multiple destinations.

Typically, only one in ten millennial parents will decide to go on family vacation without first having a destination in mind. Twenty-nine percent will already have their hearts set on a specific destination from the start, and the remaining 60 percent will start off eyeing multiple destinations and make a final decision later on.

#23. Fifty-four percent of family travel with kids under the age of nine are by plane.

The next most popular mode of transportation for family trips – cars by 47 percent.

#24. More than half of millennial families traveling with kids stay in hotels.

Fifty-eight percent, actually, compared to resorts (21 percent), family/friends (17 percent), or vacation rentals (16 percent).

Millennial Vacation Spending

#25. In the 45 days leading up to a trip, US travelers spend $1,255 online on average, not including travel spending.

The average vacation planning cycle is about 45 days. Travelers who book their trips scheduled to take place less than 30 days from the booking date tend to spend 50 percent more on travel preparations than those who gives themselves more time to plan, book, and prepare for their trip.

#26. Millennials spend more on travel than other generations.

One in three millennials are willing to spend $5,000 or more on vacation. Forty-two percent of millennia travelers plan to shell out between $1,0001 and $5,000 on a vacation in the following 12 months.

#27. Millennial men are more likely to outspend millennial women on their travel plans.

While 15 percent of women planned to spend more than $5,000 on their vacations in the next twelve months, 37 percent of men planned to spend more than $5,000 on their vacations.

The post 27 Millennial Travel Stats You Need to Know for a Brilliant Marketing Campaign appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

Here’s Why We’re Talking About Engaging Sports Fans

Sport is a tradition that is deeply entrenched in American culture. Long before the first Super Bowl was cobbled together back in 1967 (and it wasn’t even called a Super Bowl back then), we were downright fanatical about competitive athleticism. And nothing’s changed.

Between 2016 and 2017, Americans spent $56 billion on sporting events (including tickets, travel, food, drinks) and another $33 billion on athletic equipment. Not a huge surprise, right? People have been fascinated by athletic prowess since ancient times… Roman gladiators, Japanese Sumo matches, chariot races, Greek Olympic games, African stick fighting… We love to set up competitions and celebrate the winners.

SPORTS ARE TIED TO EMOTIONS

Sports fans LOVE their teams, and THAT’S often enough for them to do things like brave the cold weather sitting in the bleachers, stand in line in the heat, paint their faces, buy tons of branded gear, and suit-up for a match they already know their team has a pretty good chance of losing.

Many sports fans draw a bit of their identities from their teams; there’s a sense of belonging fans get by being part of a team’s fan base. Plus, they get the chance to go nuts if their team wins.. or loses.

I read an article in the Washington Post that said team affiliation is more important to fans than social groups, professional affiliations, and even religious affiliations. And because of this sports are inextricably tied to our emotions.

Marketers know that connecting a brand’s message to a favorable experience or memory can help a brand create an instant connection with audience members. This actually goes a long way toward explaining why companies invest so much money in advertising during large national sporting events like the Super Bowl or the World Series.

THE SPORTS MARKET IS MASSIVE

Statista estimates the North American professional sports market (which includes segments gate revenues, media rights, sponsorships and merchandising ) to be worth somewhere around $73 billion.

Sports fans represent a SIGNIFICANT portion of the U.S. population. Do you know that 73 percent of American men and 55 percent of American women watch NFL games on television? The NFL drew 17.79 million people to live games in 2016.

According to Statista, home games for the Dallas Cowboys were the MOST attended games in 2016 with a total of 740,318 spectators passing through the gates at an average of 92,539 fans per game.

I believe it. Why? Because my husband drove us from Atlanta to Dallas to attend a Cowboys home game last year.

To be clear, I didn’t say we attended a game when the Cowboys played the Falcons in Atlanta two months later, 30 miles from our house. I said we drove 700 miles to attend a Cowboys home game in Arlington, Texas.

We showed up in full Cowboys gear and even shelled out a few hundred bucks on more branded gear (fishing hats, baseball caps, tees, shorts, foam finger) while we were in Dallas. That’s in addition to what we spent on travel, food, drinks, and random family fun. No, we are not from Texas. No, we don’t have family there. This is Our First Post on Professional Sports Viewership – True

It’s not unheard of for us to talk about sports. The Shelf typically publishes an annual stats post on the Super Bowl (like this one on Super Bowl stats and this one on Super Bowl marketing strategy) because by and large NFL games are the MOST watched and MOST attended of all the professional sports. (Plus, the brands marketing to Super Bowl fans are as much a part of the fanfare as the actual game itself.)

But I’m talking about sports fans and sports viewership today because the tens of millions of sports fans who attend professional games and the hundreds of millions of sports fans who watch them are buying experiences that can serve as great opportunities for you to boost your brand’s visibility.

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200 Million Sports Fans: Here’s What You Need to Know to Engage Them

I’ll be honest, when I started writing this post, I was actually just putting together facts about the Finals for the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and NHL. I looked at each sport’s viewership stats, fun facts, ad revenue… that sort of thing. But about halfway in, my attention turned to the fan base because there were some really unexpected differences between the fan bases of different professional sports.

Of course, there are striking similarities. By and large, the people who self-identify as fans of the NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB, and MLS are middle class men and women who have disposable income to spend across multiple verticals (and they do spend).

Another similarity all professional sports share is that are facing the same challenges that symphonies, luxury brands, and broadcast television are facing – their core customer is aging up.

The average Major League Baseball fan is 53 years old; only 29 percent of MLB fans are between the ages of 18 and 34. The NFL is in a similar situation – the average game viewer is 47 years old and fans of professional hockey are also about 50 years old, according to MarketWatch.

I don’t think that would be so alarming if the numbers were holding steady, but between 2006 and 2016, the average age of an NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS, and NHL fans increased significantly.

Suffice it to say professional sports leagues and TV networks are scrambling to get games in front of younger audiences who have all but abandoned television in favor of devices.

So, I want to dig down into some numbers because aside from things like age and income, there are some interesting variances between fans of professional football, baseball, soccer, hockey, and basketball that may help marketers drive engagement and sales by crafting more targeted campaigns.

NBA Fans

If you’re looking to woo a younger audience, NBA fans fit the bill. The average NBA TV viewer is 37 years old while the average game attendee is about the same age – 36 years old. Like most fans of professional sports, the NBA fans are typically middle income – average household income for an NBA fan is $96k a year. Interestingly, one in four NBA fans are also fans of fantasy sports.

NHL Fans

Of the five major sports I reviewed, professional hockey has the largest distribution of Millennials behind the MLS. One in three hockey fans are between the ages of 18 and 34 years old. Hockey fans also have the highest average household income at $104k a year.  I think the thing that I found most interesting about the hockey crowd is they are described as tribal and even communal during games. The challenge the NHL has been working to overcome is in diversifying both its players and its fan base.

MLB Fans

Fans of Major League Baseball are reportedly the most family-oriented fan group of the five major professional sports in the U.S. The MLB is the second most popular professional sports league after the NFL.  

Some of my earliest memories include eating peanuts and listening to the baseball game with my grandpa… which he did a lot back in the day. Baseball, the evening news, and the 700 Club. So, thinking about him, it totally makes sense to me that baseball fans prefer to watch the games on regional networks.

Despite the fact that the average MLB fan is bumping up against that upper end of Generation X, the MLB has a massive online following of more than 20 million fans across Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

MLS Fans

Think of Major League Soccer fans as the departure from the norm. Forty-three percent of MLS fans are women, and 59 percent of professional soccer fans are under the age of 45.

As a demographic, MLS fans are the youngest professional sports fans and the most likely to stream content. Compared to fans of the other professional sports organizations, MLS fans are twice as likely to engage with MLS-related content online.

While MLS players are paid the least compared to the players of other professional sports, Major League Soccer fans tend to be big spenders. Across verticals, they spend more than your average sports fan.

NFL Fans

Statistically, just about three out of every four men in the U.S. are NFL fans. By far, professional football is America’s favorite sport. Earlier this year, Super Bowl LIII racked up 98.2 million viewers. Nearly half of all NFL fans are women (47 percent) and almost one in three NFL fans fall between the ages of 18 and 34 years of age.

But overall viewership is down. NOT because fewer people are watching the games. The problem is actually one of attention (for all you Gary Vee fans out there). Younger fans ARE tuning in to football games, but they are watching for a shorter period of time than older fans.

Here’s a little snippet of code for you to use when embedding this infographic on your own blog (if you feel so inclined)… which we hope you do

<div style=”clear:both”><a href=”https://hubs.ly/H0kSl2_0″><img src=”https://theshelf-email-marketing-images.s3.amazonaws.com/blog_graphics/sports-infographic/Full+Sports+Viewership+Infographic+with+NBA+at+top.png” title=”Summertime Sports Fan Marketing” border=”0″ /></a></div><div>Courtesy of: <a style=”text-decoration:underline; color:#11d3c8;” href=”https://hubs.ly/H0kSl2_0″>The Shelf</a></div>

Conclusion

I don’t think anyone would disagree that sports viewership is strong, even with people changing how they watch sports. Even still, I think the most interesting aspect of any professional sport is the actual fan base of that sport. Something to take into consideration for your summertime marketing strategy.

The post Marketing To Sports Fans: Viewership & Demographics [Infographic] appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.

It’s time for summer’s biggest, baddest holiday – the Fourth of July. Every year, more than 200 million Americans gear up to partake in the nationwide festivities that mark the anniversary of our country’s independence. And every year, a short list of [somewhat] patriotic products (craft beer is patriotic, right?) make their way into the hands of Americans as part of the official holiday celebration.

This year, we thought we’d take a look at some of the products that have, no doubt, already shown up either in your social media feed or as creepily intuitive smart ads following you around the World Wide Web. These are products that generate a significant amount of their annual revenue during the $6.8 billion Fourth of July holiday buying frenzy.

Hot Dogs

Summertime is hot dog season! That’s pretty straightforward right? Ball games, amusement parks, grills, and leisurely walks through the streets of New York all seem to demand we eat more hot dogs.

In 2016, we spent more than $2.4 billion buying 1 billion pounds of hot dogs, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council. This doesn’t include the hot dogs we get from street vendors or the dogs we buy when we’re out and about. This is just what we spent on the hot dogs that made it onto our grocery lists.

Americans typically eat around 7 billion hot dogs during the summer months that fall between Memorial Day and Labor Day, 150 million of those hot dogs we eat on the Fourth of July.

Since a full 10% of the year’s annual hot dog revenue is generated in July, it’s no wonder July been designated as National Hot Dog Month.

Fun fact: One-third of the hot dogs produced in the US come from Iowa. Thanks, Iowa!

Barbecue Sauce

Fun fact: Heinz put the first commercial barbecue sauce in stores in 1948 but recipes for barbecue sauces can be found as early the 17th century. Today, there are dozens of barbecue sauces lining the shelves of major grocers.

Statista listed Sweet Baby Ray’s as the top-selling brand with $151.6 million in sales in 2015. Kraft came in a distant second at $69.8 million. This gap likely contributed to Kraft’s decision to release five new sauces ahead of last year’s summer barbecue season. According to Ad Age, the new sauces could also help Kraft stay ahead of smaller barbecue sauce producers.

To get an idea of the significance of Sweet Baby Ray’s sales, consider this: Americans bought $436.7 million in barbecue sauce in 2014 and $448.56 million in 2015. Nielsen reports Americans will consume $42 million in barbecue sauce for the 4th of July.

Barbecue

About two-thirds of celebrants will attend a barbecue, cookout, or picnic for the Fourth of July. The average household spends more than $70 on food they plan to eat on the Fourth of July holiday.

In the weeks before the July 4th holiday, Americans buy 700M pounds of chicken and 190M pounds of beef. Here are some quick stats published by Nielsen. To celebrate Independence Day, Americans will consume:

• $318 million in chips
• $133 million in hamburger and hot dog buns
• $116 million in cherries
• $114 million in deli salads
• $83 million in watermelon
• $37 million in ketchup
• $36 million in corn on the cob
• $28 million in bakery pies
• $27 million in Italian sausage
• $25 million in bratwurst
• $25 million in mustard

Barbecue Grills

Three in every four U.S. adults (not households – but adults) own grills or smokers. This is as true for palatial estates as it is for inner city bungalows. Americana definitely supports the practice of cooking food outside. In fact, one article I came across actually positioned the outdoor kitchen as the next hot amenity.

Of the estimated 181 million grill owners in the US in 2015, 76% planned to fire up their grills for the Fourth of July, and 45% intended to buy a new grill within a year.  The majority of grill owners (62%) own gas grills, followed by charcoal (53%), then electric (12%).

Mosquito Repellent

The big Zika scare of 2016 sent mosquito repellent sales through the roof. Not only were stores selling more product, but the seasonal demand for repellents started earlier in the year in 2016 than it did 2015.  

Between February and April 2016, insect repellent sprays were up 323% over what they were for the same period in 2015, jumping from $1.4 million to $5.9 million in that three-month period. More units sold and the average price per unit increased from $10.28 in 2015 to $12.66 in 2016. And that was before Zika ever hit U.S. soil.

In response to the increased demand last year, SC Johnson (manufacturer of Off!) increased production by running factories around the clock.

Earlier this year, Zion Market Research published a press release that estimated the insect repellent market to be valued at $3.2 billion. That number is expected to climb to $5 billion by 2022.

Coincidently, according to Consumer Reports, if you’re looking for a way to stay bite-free this summer, skip the wearable devices and the candles. Instead, go for a repellent that contains oil of lemon eucalyptus (OLE) or deet.

Apparel

Don’t let the jet-setting super models and international fashion runways fool you. The US apparel market is the largest in the world. In 2015, the market was valued at more than $350 billion, according to Statista; the US imported $88 billion in clothes.

In 2016, July accounted for $15.15 billion in apparel sales, up from $14.82 billion in June. The increase in spending can easily be attributed to two factors – Fourth of July spending to beef up vacation and summer wardrobes, and the other side of the coin, which is the start of back-to-school shopping, which typically begins at the end of July (in the South, the kids go back to school the first or second week in August).

Soft Drinks

In 2014, the US non-alcoholic beverage market produced 30.9 billion gallons of drinks. Believe it or not, that’s less than what the industry produced just a few years before. Americans are actually buying fewer sugary drinks.

Four years ago, the average American drank 44 gallons of soft drinks per year. Nineteen years ago, the average American drank 58 gallons of soft drinks a year. Americans spent $65 billion on soft drinks in 2011. About a billion of that ($1.14 billion) we bought just to celebrate the Fourth of July.

Harvard Health reports that US beverage companies spent $3.2 billion just marketing carbonated beverages in 2006, with a significant amount of that budget allocated to marketing to kids ages 2 – 17 years of age.

So, as for the tug-of-war currently taking place between the beverage industry and nutrition-focused watchdog groups, it is true that sugary drinks have been linked to an increase in obesity. On the other hand, the beverage industry employs 240,000 people and creates $166.5 billion in annual revenue.

Hard Drinks

Welcome to the biggest drinking holiday of the year! Americans will drink plenty of beer this Fourth of July. This is particularly true of American men in their 20s and 30s, who make up the largest demographic of beer drinkers.

In 2013, more than 103 million Americans drank beer on the Fourth of July, with 68.3 million cases of beer sold over the course of the weekend. In 2015, Americans spent an estimated $1 billion on beer to celebrate Independence Day.

Just last year, Nielsen expected Americans to consume $1.72 billion in beer, flavored malt beverages, and cider (which is growing in popularity in the US, Canada, and the UK). That includes 60.7 million cases of domestic beer and 10.7 million cases of imported beer. As well, celebrants were expected to spend $568.3 million in wine for the Fourth of July 2016 festivities.

To put these random numbers in perspective, the National Beer Wholesalers Association offers these stats:

In 2015, the U.S. beer industry sold 206.7 million barrels of beer, the equivalent of more than 2.8 billion cases of twenty-four 12-ounce servings. In addition, the industry shipped approximately 2 million barrels of cider, equivalent to more than 28.3 million cases.

That’s a heck of a lot of beer. Most Americans drink domestic. Imported beers – which come from more than 100 different countries – only made up 14% of total beer consumed in 2014.

The popularity of craft beer is also gaining momentum. In 2014, more than 22 million barrels of craft beer were produced for Independence Day, according to the Brewers Association. Craft beer now accounts of 18% of the total beer market and craft beer breweries doubled production of beer from 10.1 million barrels to 22.2 million barrels between 2010 and 2014.

The beer industry is even bigger than the non-alcoholic beverage industry. According to the Beer Institute, the beer industry will add $250 billion to the nation’s economy, generate $48.5 billion in tax revenue, pay $79 billion in wages and benefits, and employ 1.75 million Americans each year.

American Flags

A friend of mine who has been a US citizen for several decades now once told me that one of the reasons he loves America is because Americans love America. My friend marveled at the fact that there is actually a market for Americans to buy the American flag at the local store for personal use. We proudly hang our flags on our front porches. He said where he’s from, the government is so corrupt and the citizens so poor, no one would dream of displaying the country’s flag.

Stateside, however, $4.4 million was spent on imports of U.S flags in 2015. American flags are still big business. Last year’s surge in demand for American flags was fueled by a tight presidential race and a rise in patriotism.

The one irony about the American flag is chances are pretty good that the flag you buy from your local store was actually made in China.

In addition to getting our fireworks from China, it seems we also import nearly 98% of our flags from China. The Defense Department is the only government agency required to use flags that were produced on US soil. The “All-American Flag Act” – which would require the US government to use American-made flags for official business – has failed repeatedly.

The government thinks American-made flags are too expensive.

As Dame Dash would say (out loud), “Pause.”

Nevertheless, of the 48 million Americans US News says will be shopping for decorations, apparel, and party supplies for the Fourth of July, 66% of them will display the American flag in honor of Independence Day.

Fun fact: At the turn of this century, Roadside America listed the late Thomas “Ski” Demski as the owner of the largest American flag. The flag was 505 feet by 225 feet, weighed 3,000 pounds, and it took 500 people to unfurl.  

Consumer Fireworks

There’s good news on the pyrotechnics front. This year, the number of states that do not allow consumer fireworks has been whittled down to three tiny states along the eastern seaboard – Delaware, Massachusetts, and New Jersey. Residents of the remaining 47 states and Washington, DC can now legally contribute to the $755 million in consumer fireworks USA Today says are purchased by regular Joes like my neighbor (because I’m still recovering from the Great Sparkler Incident of 1988) every single year.

In 2013, the average American planned to spend $28 on personal fireworks. People in the Northwest and East planned to spend about $17, while those in the South and Midwest planned to spend an average of $36 and $35, respectively. And of course, whatever Mom is spending on fireworks, expect Dad to spend twice as much (Visa, Inc. 2013 Fourth of July Spending Survey).

Display Fireworks

Last year, the kids and I skipped the municipal fireworks shows (including the light show at Stone Mountain Park, which is usually pretty awesome) in favor of what I thought would be a low-key, quick-and-dirty, cozy little fireworks display at the nonprofit around the corner.

What we saw was nothing short of amazing. I don’t remember seeing a more dynamic fireworks display in recent history and I didn’t realize “the nonprofit around the corner” could even get their hands on such a varied arsenal fire power.

I don’t even know where they could have been shooting these things off. I always though fireworks that big had to be shot from a barge in the river that separates the US from Canada (I’m from Michigan).

Local government, community organizations, and the fine folks at Macy’s (who shoots off 56,000 effects every Independence Day according to Fox Business) spend $340 million a year on large-scale display fireworks. There are approximately 15,000 fireworks displays across the country to celebrate the July 4th holiday. The U.S. imports 24.6 million pounds of display fireworks annually, most of which come from China.

That sounds big until you find out we import 260.7 million pounds of consumer fireworks every year. Altogether, we spend over a billion dollars a year on pyrotechnic displays.

Travel

Most Americans will choose to celebrate the Fourth from their home base which is understandable. The Fourth of July is one of the most popular times to travel, but it’s also one of the most expensive.

You know the drill: In the days leading up to a major federal holiday, gas prices will start to rise. Airfare usually starts going up in the weeks before the holiday. In 2014, the average price of a plane ticket was $384 one-way for Fourth of July weekend.

Still, Wallethub.com estimates more than 40 million Americans will take a trip of 50+ miles to celebrate Independence Day, and the large majority of travelers (85%) will drive.

So, there’s the skinny – our take on the traditional “Fourth of July by the Numbers” post. Whether your holiday marketing strategy focuses on social media promotions or the world’s most awesome sidewalk sale, this post should provide you with a bit more insight on who’s buying what this Fourth of July holiday season.

The post Food, Flags, Fireworks: 4th of July Spending appeared first on The Shelf Full-Service Influencer Marketing.