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Calling all Jedi. A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away, May 4th was just an ordinary day. But now (thanks to the power of eventizing), it's a global phenomenon that unites Star Wars fans from Mandalore to Tatooine. So grab your lightsabers, hop in your X-wing, and let's make this year’s celebration one to remember.
In other news… Baby names get the corporate treatment, affiliate marketing pays off, and AI “decacorns” are on the rise.
Top Trends
YouTube → Dune: Part Two
Twitter → George Michael
Google → Tori Bowie
Reddit → Frank Ocean
TikTok → “It’s Gonna Be Me” - *NSYNC
Spotify → “Seasons” - Bebe Rexha, Dolly Parton
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CULTURE
Baby name gurus are here to help
The Future. A new crop of TikTok creators have amassed large followings discussing baby names — and many now have consulting businesses where they guide parents-to-be through the name selection process. If this trend indicates anything, it could be the pressure to choose a name that reflects the parents’ personal brand — on top of the desire to give children names that reflect their individuality.
Why would anyone pay someone else to name their baby?
This trend has apparently picked up steam because of our cultural fascination with uniqueness.
Colleen Slagen, the nurse practitioner behind the TikTok account @NamingBebe, estimates that she’s done 100 consultations via three packages: a video consultation with 16 options for $99, an eight-name package with analysis for $175, and a 16-name package with analysis for $250.
Taylor A. Humphrey, who has been name consulting since 2018, works with influencers, bringing in anywhere from $350 for a handful of suggestions to $30,000 for “baby name branding.”
“You’re not just naming a baby, you’re naming a future adult”
Baby name consultants (whose DMs and emails are overflowing with requests) say that people are thinking about naming kids in the way that companies think about naming products: a person needs attention to succeed.
BUSINESS
Nano-influencers cash in // Illustration by Kate Walker
Affiliate marketing is the middle ground for brands & creators
The Future. Rather than paying flat fees to influencers for social media posts, more brands are turning to creators to promote products with affiliate links. This revenue-sharing model lets influencers earn a percentage of the conversions they drive through those links, allowing brands to track sales. If a brand’s objective is conversion, it might prioritize micro-influencers for the greatest business impact.
Feeling confident about ROI
Amid economic uncertainty, affiliate programs have become very appealing to brands.
Of 3,500 marketers, 53% say they pay creators based on the “percentage of sales” they drive through their social content — up from 42% in 2022.
19.6% say they give influencers a flat fee for their content — down from 49% in 2022.
Spending dollars on conversions
Brands are focusing on creators who meaningfully impact the consumer purchasing journey.
Remarkably, nano-influencers are emerging as marketing talents that actually convert. While mid-tier and mega-influencers contribute to brand awareness, the little guy (or girl) is driving sales in a big way. In fact, they convert 45 to 50% more than a macro-influencer. We Stan that.
TOGETHER WITH QUIMBY
WTF is trending
You’re a founder, not a social media expert. (Okay, maybe you are). But let’s be real, ain’t nobody got time for trend aggregation. And even if you do know what’s hot, it’s like, what do you even do with it?!
Enter Quimby Digital. They’ll be your social media savior, sending twice-weekly texts with Instagram Reel and TikTok concepts to keep you ahead of the game. They’ll have you feeling inspired to post instead of thinking “WTF” all the time.
Quimby’s been featured in Forbes, Business Insider, Inc. Magazine, Create + Cultivate, USA Today, Spectrum News, and more. And they’ve worked with everyone from space venture capital firms to athleisure wear brands. So, they’re pretty much the assassins of social content.
Founder burnout, meet social media slayage. 😉🔥
ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Gen AI could pull off some money magic // Unsplash
AI leaps could create “decacorns”
The Future. Recent advancements in natural language processing have already resulted in astounding AI technology like ChatGPT and Google Bard. But some believe that the tech’s about to make huge waves in other industries — potentially turning startups into $100+ billion companies.
Fantastic beasts
Tech investor Amir Khan thinks three firms are particularly well-positioned to leverage AI’s recent strides.
Healthcare firm Owkin enlists AI to study millions of patients’ medical data to help doctors make more accurate diagnoses.
Autonomous driving startup Motional has successfully completed 100k self-driving robotaxi rides since 2021 without a single accident.
Nexar, another self-driving car company, connects all its vehicles’ dash cams in a “safe driving network” that helps self-driving vehicles communicate to prevent crashes.
Hold your horses
Major hurdles remain. Many of these products are expensive and require human oversight to correct for potential mechanical errors, like data set bias or an inability to resolve 100% of driving situations autonomously. But if these issues are addressed — and given the rate of AI’s development, they’re likely to be — then these companies just might be the future of AI.
TOGETHER WITH THE GIST
The way to win in sports
Sports coverage usually has a gender bias. That’s why The GIST appeared on the scene. They’re a women-led sports newsletter taking on sports sexism like an all-star. And we’re here for it.
Their witty and insightful perspective on the latest sports news is a total grand slam. So, it's no surprise they've attracted a fan base of over 600,000 readers. With The GIST, you'll be on the winning team when it comes to fair and balanced sports coverage.
Let’s hear it: GO, TEAM, GO!
Highlights
The best curated daily stories from around the web
Hotels can be influencers, too
Palm Heights, a luxury resort in the Cayman Islands, was first known for its distinctive yellow umbrellas… and then for the famous people who came to take pictures in front of them. The hotel has turned itself into the Instagram destination for celebrities like Bella Hadid and Chloë Sevigny. Why pay for ads when your ads pay you?
Read More → wsj
Uber’s turnaround suggests ride-hailing could work after all
Uber’s put the pedal to the metal. The famous ride-hailing firm’s revenue swelled 29% this quarter to $8.8 billion, suggesting the company might finally start turning quarterly profits this year. Regardless, it’s a promising sign for the viability of the ride-hailing business model.
Read More → nyt
IBM CEO says going remote hurts workers’ careers
Not everyone’s happy about remote work — namely, employers. Arvind Krishna is the latest CEO to warn his employees that working remotely harms their opportunities for upward mobility within the company. Research increasingly supports the claim that hybrid arrangements improve worker productivity and happiness… but not if they get you fired.
Read More → bloomberg
Gmail introduces a blue checkmark for verified senders of email
Google has finally gone the way of Twitter. Gmail will start adding a blue checkmark to the names of senders verified by the company’s BIMI authentication feature so that users can more easily determine whether a message is legitimate or spam. Better yet, this one’s free.
Read More → theverge
For AMC, the show must go on
Though many shows have stopped production now that the Writers Guild of America has gone on strike, AMC isn’t worried about their programming schedule. The entertainment giant has so much content lined up that it can stand to wage a war of attrition for quite a while.
Read More → thewrap
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Today's email was brought to you by Kait Cunniff and Luke Perrotta. Editing by Nick Comney. Publishing by Sara Kitnick.