Hollywood Agencies Bet on Social Media Influencers to Woo Gen Z
In a crowded marketplace, it seems that major Hollywood agencies are betting on social media stars, especially from the young-skewing TikTok, to mine for new talent. Brandon Blake, Hollywood insider and entertainment lawyer with Blake & Wang P.A, looks into the phenomenon of us.
Courting Gen Z
Judging by some second-hand reports of prospective signees first hearing of major talent agencies when they were approached, it’s not being driven by hopefuls from the social media side, either. Instead, it seems the agencies, CAA very prominent among them, are banking on the existing followings and age demographics of these young ‘influencers’ to reinvent themselves for a younger generation.
Obviously, they have talent. But it’s also undoubtedly their large and loyal young followings, that traditional Hollywood films are courting as a potential gold mine. After all, they come to the table with insider knowledge of digital marketing tactics, making them a perfect demographic to mine for new mini-media empires. And, of course, bolster the careers of existing agency talent as we move forward into a new media era they will shape.
Gen Z, typically defined as the current 6-year old to 25-year old demographic, is becoming a critical consumer base for companies. They both set trends that now impact older demographics, too, and are freshly entering the consumer markets directly. And they will continue to for years to come.
Remedying Disconnection
The preceding Millennials- now between 25 and 40- are often seen as a missed generation for brands and entertainment. It was assumed (wrongly) that the social media and mobile devices they first embraced would be a fad fast replaced with the traditions of previous generations. Instead, they demolished many traditional spheres, including how entertainment is consumed. Gen Z is the media marketing landscape’s critical chance for a redo.
TikTok stars are often mentioned, but that’s solely because it gained traction right as we entered the pandemic, and specifically among this key demographic. Gen Z on social media bring not only their own talent but a wealth of data on their in-built audience. And data is the new king. If it comes with mineable talent included, so much the better.
It’s an interesting trend, and one we’ll doubtless see hot up as other entertainment genres move in on the space as well. As always, we’ll be watching with interest.
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