Hi there,

I am SJ. Black Friday is coming and I have been updating my shopping list this week to be ready to get the best deals. While the holiday shopping season is expected to be chaotic this year due to supply chain issues, Black Friday and Cyber Monday will be exciting moments for retailers and brands as well as deal-chasing consumers. The shift to e-commerce is projected to be even bigger this year. Whoever adapted successfully to a digital shopping world (my personal favorite is Target 😉) will enjoy this long-waited season. Now, the game is on!

[Source: Squid Game]

What we talk about

More social media platforms are developing new tools to ride the big wave of creator economy. Pinterest gets into live shopping. Instagram tests new partnership features to connect brands and creators.

On the other hand, regulators are taking a closer look into the convergence of old and new business models and evolving marketing tactics to set a clear line between authentic content and advertising. According to the FTC, advertisers that engage in misleading practices could pay up to $43,792 per violation.

Authenticity is getting more critical in marketing communication not only because of the FTC guidelines but also because of the young generations’ shopping behaviors that care about brand value and identity. Musetown is working on a new program to foster long-term, authentic relationships between brands and influencers. We will share more details soon. Stay tuned.

What we read

Here are some interesting topics and articles that we don’t want you to miss out on.

• How Apples’ new OS hurts Facebook’s Direct to Consumer advertisers

• TikTok’s FireTV app is available in the US

• How to create a TikTok trend