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HAS AI KILLED OFF THE CREATIVE?

dall-e 2 takes on the role of creative and designer

By Joel Newman

Thursday, 14th of June 2022

AI has taken another scalp, and this time it’s come for us Creatives.

This might not be wholly true (cue a collective sigh of relief), but OpenAI are getting mightily close. They’ve created a system called ‘DALL-E 2’ that uses AI to create images and art based on a collection of descriptive words inputted by its users.

The service has already seen its first brand involvement with Cosmopolitan, the entertainment magazine, using it to create a bespoke front cover for their latest edition. Although the service is still quite clunky – it took Cosmo quite a few hours (and a few hundred prompts) to perfect the combination of descriptive keywords – it does take on the role of both Creative and Designer. This streamlines the creation process and opens us up to the possibility of endless outcomes mere mortals may never have considered.

For years I’ve fought the case that Creatives are a sacred species (admittedly I am perhaps a bit biased) and something AI could never replace. The creation of DALL-E 2 however, has potentially derailed my theory, bringing it crashing down to earth in a burst of flames, sharpies, and precious tantrums – creative stereotypes the OpenAI team have overlooked for some reason.

This doesn’t necessarily mean the end is nigh for us Creatives. I’m sure when services like Photoshop were first launched, similar questions were likely to have been asked. Similarly throughout history whenever new creative innovation came about, uncertainty arose on the necessity of the older, less shiny version, but ultimately it just creates the opportunity for collaboration between the two.

For example, DALLE-2 can be used by us as a creative tool; hours of endless searching on Google Images for that one incredibly niche, impossible to find, reference for a pitch deck has now been reduced to a quick search and a few key words. In the same vein, this could also be a quicker, sleeker, partner to specialist skills such as scamping and storyboarding – both of which are seen as necessary requirements for all Creatives to have in their arsenal.

Ultimately the OpenAI team have created more questions than they’ve answered, which I suppose is the goal when launching industry defining projects. The big question though, is what is next for AI in creative? Personally, I’ll start getting worried when the waitlists to use services like DALL-E 2 are shorter than my lifetime.

The Fifth talks community at cannes

wHAT’S NEXT FOR THE CREATOR ECONOMY?

By Esra Gurkan

Wednesday, 29th of June 2022

Last week, THE FIFTH held a lunch for leaders from across the industry to discuss what’s next for the creator economy.

Our guests joined us waterside in Antibes for an afternoon escape away from the mayhem of La Croisette and the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.

One hotly debated topic during the lunch is what to call the people, animals and even robots we work with. One thing we all agreed on is that we’re clearly all too hung up on titles. ‘Creator’, ‘Influencer’, ‘Talent’, ‘Social Content Producer’ all have a place and each represent a category within the ecosystem.

Another subject heavily discussed was of course the #Metaverse. No one was in dispute over the fact that creators will be key to building it.

“Cannes confirmed what we have long known” explained THE FIFTH’s CEO Oliver Lewis, continuing, “creators will shape the future of creativity, disrupting traditional advertising as their cultural role strengthens across both real world and virtual”.

Reflecting further on Cannes-conversations Oliver said: “Community is often the word missing from conversations in influencer marketing meetings. Qualitative metrics will begin to overtake followers, impressions and engagement rates as the value of the craft is realised and paid media and brand channel asset generation become the primary vehicle for audience acquisition. In the near future, we will see transactional campaigns replaced with partnerships as creators establish themselves as brands in their own right, boosting creativity.

“The Metaverse is the word on everyone’s lips; it must be built by creators, not techies and big business, or the community will never arrive. The vision for the Metaverse should be one of inclusion, human connectivity and blended reality. Brands will increasingly lean on creators when building their experiences in the Metaverse, creating worlds that represent and reflect their communities.”

We’d like to say a big thank you to Meta’s Becky Owens, Brandtech Group’s Oliver Walls, Influencer Marketing Trade Body lead Scott Guthrie, The Barber Shop’s Dino Myers-Lamptey, New Digital Age’s Justin Pearse, Storyful’s Lisa McDonald and T Brand Studio’s Arif Durrani for your contributions. We’re looking forward to continuing the conversation at MAD//FEST LONDON next week!

The Fifth wins four awards at the influencer Marketing Awards

iNCLUDING GOLD FOR BEST CAUSE LED CAMPAIGN

By Esra Gurkan

Friday, 10th of June 2022

THE FIFTH has won four awards at the Influencer Marketing Awards 2022.

🏆 GOLD for Best Cause-Led Campaign for our work with YouTube for Pride Month

🏆 GOLD for Best Use of YouTube for our work with YouTube for Pride Month

🏆 SILVER for Best Team in Influencer Marketing

🏆 BRONZE for Best Large Influencer Marketing Agency

It was an evening filled with good food, great company and huge celebrations all round.

Describing why we were chosen as the winners for the Best Cause-Led Campaign category, the judges said we had an “Out of the box approach for a very relevant topic which is at the centre of a number of campaigns in the last months, well executed”.

When talking about our Best Use of YouTube win, the judges commented: “What a fantastic campaign – bringing together diverse talents, creativity and a strong strategy, all with an important purpose.

“The results speak for themselves. Well done YouTube and THE FIFTH!”.

We are absolutely delighted with the results of the night and are happy that we were recognised for both the Best Team and Best Large Influencer Marketing Agency categories with Silver and Gold.

As always, we want to say a big thank you to the entire FIFTH team for their hard word and to our clients for entrusting us to tell their brand’s story.

It was a real joint effort and the awards were an amazing celebration of the work that we do.

Congratulations to everybody who won and was shortlisted. What an industry to be a part of!

Trendsetters

BINLEY MEGA CHIPPY

How A Local Chippy Turned Into A Viral TikTok Sensation

By Laina Claydon

Wednesday, 1st of June 2022

If you have TikTok you’ve probably heard of Binley Mega Chippy. The fish and chip shop in Coventry has blown up on TikTok (currently at over 200m views) and even has its own trending song.

A series of videos and memes based around Binley Mega Chippy started popping up on everyone’s FYP, and now there are queues of people eager to try the ‘Morbius Meal’. It has been quoted to have a ‘festival atmosphere’ as there is such a buzz surrounding the shop; sounds like a pretty great experience to go and collect your takeaway, right?

Who doesn’t love the British sense of humour? Surely no other country would make a random suburban chip shop a viral sensation.

While the randomness is what makes it funny, is there something else going on underneath the surface?

It can be tricky to understand the origins of a viral trend on TikTok, when there’s so much related content and chronologically ranking isn’t an option (except on a profile page). However, with the Binley Mega Chippy trend playing out in real time we are able to unpick it.

@craigskebabhouse (currently 2k followers) started posting videos on the 20th April. Heavily leaning into the lo-fi aesthetic of the platform, it is essentially a budget slideshow of budget UK food and drink items like Rustlers burgers and K Cider. The audio on these posts is a mix of drum’n’bass and happy hardcore, appealing to an audience who like to celebrate the irony of budget British things.

One of these posts on 26th April was a slideshow of chip shops and kebab outlets including ‘Jason Donervan’ (genius), ‘Phil’s Yer Tum Fish & Chips’ and, of course, ‘Binley Mega Chippy’.

From here, on 18th May, an account called @binleymegachippyfan53 (currently 8k followers) started an appreciation account of BMC, with each video consciously utilising viral sounds, referencing Stella Artois, Anime and also tapping into macro mainstream British news – with references to Prince Philip (341k views). Combined with the Queen’s imminent Platinum Jubilee celebrations, this awareness of topical news may be a factor.

@binleymegachippyfan53 #fyp #fypシ #fishandchips #voiceeffects #megachippy #chippy #binley #phillip #princephilip #funny ♬ We'll Meet Again - Vera Lynn

Further to this, there is another trend that has been taking place for a while; ‘Blokecore’ – recently picked up by fashion magazines as well as mainstream media, the trend took a foothold on TikTok, and has spilled out onto the streets, with young guys in particular wearing 90s football shirts to go to the pub even when there is no football on TV. There is some psychology behind this too; in a time when people are coming back together ‘post-covid’, wearing clothes that are nostalgic and a celebration of coming together as a group of friends feels relevant.

@nicksfits My guide to Bloke Core! Love this “trend” because I love the sport!U should get into it too! I’ll tag Lukas in the comments as well! #greenscreen #fashion #fashiontiktok #blokecore #fashioninspo #fyp #fashion101 ♬ original sound - Nick Ramos 🃏

Another aspect, which plays a part, is that Coventry, where Binley Mega Chippy is located, happens to have just hosted Radio 1’s Big Weekend and is also this year’s UK Capital of Culture. With increased attention on the city, while surely deserving, Coventry on the surface is potentially not an obvious choice for celebrating culture, so perhaps the timely rise in fame of Binley Mega Chippy comes with a sense of irony.

As for the audio (sonic branding can do wonders for a brand FYI), there is a feeling of familiarity to it, but it’s quite hard to place. Upon closer inspection it sounds very close to ‘For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow’ – another British classic (side note: this song is originally French, but adopted by the British). This is combined with the familiar text-to-audio voiceover making it feel native to TikTok.

A viral video is hard or even impossible to predict and engineer, however, wider trends and macro news events can provide the foundations and relevance that enable virality. Being aware of these is key to being agile. Who knows, maybe Binley Mega Chippy chips will collab with McCain and soon be available to buy in supermarkets. You heard it here first.

The Fifth shortlisted for 6 imas

including best large influencer marketing agency

By Esra Gurkan

Thursday, 12th of May 2022

We’re absolutely delighted to be shortlisted for not one, not two or even three but SIX Influencer Marketing Awards this year.

Now in its 4th year, the Influencer Marketing Awards hosted by Talking Influence rewards and recognises brilliant campaigns, delivered creatively and transparently.

We’re incredibly proud of the hard working teams who worked across the campaigns and are grateful to our clients who put their trust in us to create effective, creative and inclusive collaborations.

The IMAs mission is to ‘reward individuals, teams and campaigns that have pushed boundaries, and above all delivered excellence across the board during the last 12 months’.

The awards, which were first established in 2018, span the breadth and depth of influencer marketing and the creator economy, and much like the industry, are constantly evolving.

Excitingly, The Fifth are shortlisted for every category entered and the categories and campaigns are as follows:

Best Cause-Led Campaign – THE FIFTH x YouTube Originals: Pride
Best Cause-Led Campaign – THE FIFTH x YouTube Originals X Don’t Panic: Seat at the Table
Best Food and Drink Campaign – THE FIFTH x Slim Chickens #ChickenOut
Best Use of YouTube – THE FIFTH x YouTube Originals: Pride
Best Large Influencer Marketing Agency – The Fifth
Best Team in Influencer Marketing – The Fifth

There is an international jury of experts and peers debating and determining who will take home gold, silver and bronze awards and we’re looking forward to the in-person awards ceremony that will be taking place in June at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in London.

Congratulations to everybody shortlisted.

To view the IMA shortlist in full, click here.

Trendsetters

The Casual Carousel

The days of posting one perfect image are gone

By Laina Claydon

Friday, 29th of April 2022

Long gone are the days of posting one perfect image on Instagram. Instead, it’s all about casual carousels.

With the term ‘authenticity’ being at the forefront of marketing, it’s no wonder why this trend has become so popular.

Casual posting is about making your feed look more authentic, carefree and less thought-out.

In actual fact, it’s just as calculated as before.

Casual posting takes the form of a carousel of images on Instagram that some people call a ‘photo dump’.

Instead of simply posting one picture-perfect photo of your outfit or holiday, it’s now all about showing everything: from your dinner to your dog and quirky street art. For added easygoing vibes, some are even unedited.

Influencers such as Emma Chamberlain and Olivia Neill are the queens of casual posting and so it’s easy to see why everybody is doing it.

Photo-dumping is a great way to show a more realistic version of your day and to come across more ‘casual’ on your social media, which is in stark contrast to the ‘perfect’ ways in which we tried to present ourselves for years on the photo-sharing platform.

With influencers’ lives quickly becoming unobtainable to followers due to their wealth and lifestyles, casual posting has allowed them to appear more relatable to us – and it even gives us a glimpse into their ‘normal’ lives that we’ve not previously seen.

Casual posting definitely saw a rise during the start of the pandemic. After all, when we were all stuck at home unable to see our friends and family, we didn’t want to see others living their best lives.

This more relaxed approach to photo-sharing sounds like a good thing, but is it?

There is now a whole new pressure to not only look super cool on your Instagram but also make sure every aspect of your day is ‘Instagrammable’. Now, more people than ever are proving to their audience how interesting their life is, and not only are people comparing their looks to their favourite influencers but their lifestyles too.

Not everyday can look as fun and colourful as these photo dumps, and they often don’t include the commute to work, rainy weather and more mundane day-to-day activities that take up our days.

With photo dumps comes a change in beauty trends too. People are now sharing their ‘clean’ makeup and glowy skin with brushed up brows. This new trend comes hand-in-hand with casual posting because everybody wants to look effortless, even if it means putting in more effort to look as if they haven’t.

Interestingly, it reminds us of how Instagram started out when feeds were full of instant snapshots of completely random things. There is even a hashtag #makeinstagramcasualagain that has been used over 48,000 times which began in 2018 and peaked in popularity in 2020.

And it’s not just influencers getting in on the trend, big name celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Dua Lipa and Bella Hadid have taken to casual posting.

That’s a sure sign that this trend won’t be going anywhere for a while.

The Fifth agency is growing and going Stateside

And the creative agency is recruiting for a whole host of new and exciting roles

By Esra Gurkan

Friday, 8th of April 2022

It’s an exciting time for The Fifth! We’re hiring for a whole bunch of new roles here at the agency, both in London and… LOS ANGELES! That’s right. We’re going Stateside.

We are rapidly expanding our dynamic team, both here and in the US, and we are looking for some amazing new recruits to join us on the journey.

Three years since launch, the agency has seen rapid growth from its creative-led influencer marketing proposition and we’ve been lucky enough to work with brands including Disney, YouTube and Square.

Building on this growth, we are now receiving a new round of investment from News UK to fund further expansion for domestic and international growth.

To manage this growth, The Fifth is restructuring its management team and we’re delighted to announce a series of key internal promotions:

Oliver Lewis, currently founder and MD, will become CEO and will lead the business across all markets and will be focussed on expansion into the US as well as the evolution of revenue streams within the booming creator economy.

Director of Operations and Marketing Jess Markwood will become COO to deliver the company’s strategic vision and 3 year growth plan, whilst helping shape a successful, diverse and rewarding culture for the agency.

Sam Coleman, currently Commercial Director, will become The Fifth’s Managing Director EMEA. Sam will lead the Fifth Agency in the UK and client services growth across the EMEA region.

All three will be supported by an expanded SLT including Katie Wallwork who continues to lead the award winning Fifth Talent business and Creative Director Candice Green.

Hayley Harrison, currently PA to Oliver Lewis and Campaign Manager, will also become EA to Oliver Lewis and PA to both Sam Coleman and Jess Markwood.

Olly Lewis, CEO of The Fifth, said: “Over the last 12 months we have continued to grow the business in line with our clients needs but we plan to double the size of the agency over the next six months.

“As a result, it’s vital that our management team is structured to cater for that level of growth. With fresh backing from News UK we’re in a position to turbocharge our expansion both domestically and internationally.

“We’ve seen a fundamental shift in influencer marketing in the last couple of years as the industry matures and takes its place as an established part of the marketing mix.

“Our mission to both professionalise and lead this space into the creative realm where we feel it belongs has positioned us well with major brands who are now investing significantly. They want a trusted, transparent and forward thinking agency partner to support their influencer strategy and that’s what The Fifth delivers.”

To help take us to the next level, we’re hiring for a number of roles both here and in the US.

We’re looking for talented, diverse and passionate people to join our vibrant team and help elevate the creative output of the agency.

If you think that’s you, then find out more and apply here.

The TikTok timeline of a music artist

What happens when your track trends on the platform?

By Nana Frimpong

Monday, 31st of January 2022

TikTok has become the place to be when discovering new artists.

Music is vital to the short-form video app, and the peak of the pandemic showed us just how big of a presence it is on the platform. This is evident by how many viral or trending tracks featured on the app have then been featured in music charts and on mainstream radio.

It’s no secret that the platform has become a haven for artists to preview their latest single, and for up-and-coming singer-songwriters to show off their talents in the hopes of being picked up as a trending track. But what happens when an unknown artist’s song goes viral?

A lot of the time, if your song takes off on TikTok then it will be because there is a challenge attached to it, whether it is a dance routine or as the backing track to a story. After hearing a track repeatedly, users will go on to wonder who the artist is who made the song and where they can stream more of their music. The app also allows users and other artists to duet, remix or collaborate by putting their own spin on the song. Singer songwriter Stacey Ryan is a great example of an artist collaborating/duetting with others on the app to create an amazing musical experience for all.

DIY music artist and student Pink Pantheress saw her music go viral on TikTok, with her song just for me inspiring dance routines. Even UK Drill artist Central Cee jumped on a sample of the track. Pink Pantheress has since signed with Parlophone Records and recently won BBC Radio 1’s Sound of 2022, making her an artist to watch out for this year. She continues to use TikTok to preview samples for users on the platform before going on to write and record a song.

Tai Verdes is another artist whose songs have gone viral on the app. Tai was working in a phone shop when he recorded his viral hit song stuck in the middle. When he posted it to TikTok, it blew up with more than 2.3 million people using the song as a soundtrack to their own content. He has since worked to turn viral success into a sustainable career which has seen him soar in US charts, release an album, and tour around the States.

It is fair to say that TikTok has become an essential tool for music artists, as well as a place for labels and listeners to discover new music.

The Fifth’s Commercial Partnerships Manager for Music Jonnie Owen says “TikTok helps break songs and emerging artists, creating ripples within an artist’s entire ecosystem driving engagement on social platforms, streams on DSP’s (Spotify, Apple, etc), seeing more people at gigs, and opens up opportunities for live streaming and e-commerce.”

Going viral on the platform has many benefits for an artist and it’s important for them to learn ways they can utilise the beneficial aspects of having a viral hit song. Jonnie says “Brands are leaning into the platform, and artists should look to having their new track used in sync placement for brand campaigns that can help create incremental revenue, rack up streams and cast the net further in growing an audience through association”.

Once a song does pick up traction, there often comes the opportunity for an artist to choose whether to sign with a label or remain as an independent artist. Whilst some might think a label might not truly represent the artist and their art, and simply be beneficial for monetary purposes, many believe the connections provided from labels support them to grow and build themselves up as a global artist.

For many up-and-coming musicians, there are lots of tools and services available to them which allows them to work as an independent artist. With complete control of their music, they can easily utilise social media platforms like TikTok, label services such as Tunecore and/or Distrokid, DSPs, live streaming services, e-commerce and even the metaverse to launch and maintain their music career.

A report in 2020 by UK-based MIDIA Research identified that, ‘the ‘artist direct’ sector (i.e. self-releasing acts using services like Amuse, TuneCore, CD Baby and Ditto) generated an estimated $821m globally in 2019” displaying a large growth in this area and a radical shift away from the traditional label model.

Jonnie says “When used in an effective way, these tools and services can provide an artist with more options. A track record of DIY success can put an artist in a very strategic position i.e to licence their music to labels on more ‘artist friendly’ shorter terms rather than the antiquated long album deals (ultimately obtaining more control). In 2021, over 70 independent artists who started sharing music and growing their audience on TikTok have signed successful record deals.”

Tom Rosenthal is a musician whose remake of Edith Whiskers’ Home went viral on TikTok. Since then, he’s shared with his followers how remaining as an independent artist has actually helped him to build his music career. Through his success, he has since started his own independent record label, Tinpot Records, which signs emerging Indie artists. He has also told his followers and fellow independent artists that “there’s never been a better time for us, believe in yourself and never give your work away on a long term basis”.

Jonnie also offered more of his thoughts on labels vs independence, and says “a label can offer support in terms of investment in infrastructure, marketing, and opening new markets, audiences and driving more sales.

“It’s an exciting time to be a musician and artists who are lucky to find themselves in this strategic position should enjoy utilising the tools they have available to them and not necessarily be in a hurry to sacrifice their independence.”

With this in mind, TikTok has truly proven its dominating effect and contribution to the music industry. With many artists choosing to preview their songs on the app in the hope of increasing streaming and reaching younger audiences, it has also taken over as the place to be for new artists to be themselves and share their talents to billions of people.

The platform has also aided the push of music of different genres and cultures going viral, with the app becoming the centre of music discovery, and has birthed countless new artists such as Coi leray, Gayle, Foushee, Lauren Spencer-Smith and many more. It really is the place to be for music.

We invited audiences to #ChickenOut of Christmas

Here’s how we turned an influencer campaign into an out of home spectacle

By Joel Newman

Thursday, 13th of January 2021

For Christmas 2021, Slim Chickens came to us with some food for thought. They wanted us to show off their personality and put a smile on customers’ faces, spreading feel good vibes in a loud and bold way throughout the holiday period.

We found that our audience members like to live their lives on their terms, and that after a year of not seeing anyone, there were some people they simply hadn’t missed. And in amongst the seasonal chaos, the ‘you-do-you’ mentality central to our positive mental health can often be at risk of being lost.

So with the power of self-love at the heart of it, we partnered with Slims (which is a part of the Boparan group) on a tongue-in-cheek mission to empower people to get their ‘me time’ back – by any means necessary!

Using Slims’ classic Southern charm and the warmest of open arms, we invited our audiences to #ChickenOut of unwanted Christmas plans.

Often used in a negative way, the term ‘chickening out’ is used to poke fun at a person who is nervous, timid or afraid of doing something. Turning this on its head, we decided to try something a little different.

Using Slims’ classic Southern hospitality paired with an uplifting comedic tone of voice, we created a go-to-guide – a chicken’s checklist if you wish – to actually empower and encourage fans to cancel their plans, and enjoy their new-found free time in the safety of their local Slims outlet.

We brought to life Slims’ go-to-guide with the help of three influencer talent, each chosen for their incredible script writing, energy, and comedic timing. This helped them stand out from the rest of the Christmas noise and be our go-to leaders to inspire and empower our Chickens to take part in festive tranquility.

Once we’d enlisted the help of our Chicken leaders, we briefed them to create a series of hilarious and relatable festive skits, taking over our fan’s Instagram and TikTok feeds with “you-do-you hen” messaging, highlighting Slims locations as being the place where you can achieve the #ChickenOut sense of inner peace.

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Our #ChickenOut messaging was extended to Slim’s other marketing channels, allowing us to scale our campaign even further and take the influencer campaign to new levels – championing the voices of our talent and turning them from festive sheep into true Chickens.

Lastly, we broke the fourth wall between consumer and the digital world by elevating the reach of the campaign, and extending the influence of our talent, into the non-digital world through out of home (OOH) billboards – spreading the message of #ChickenOut to the masses and growing our audience in the process.

Partnering with Ocean Outdoor, we leveled up our campaign using OOH as the perfect way to distribute our messaging to a wider audience, signposting Slim Chickens’ nearby new store in Nottingham, while keeping in line with the campaign tone of voice. This helped break out of the traditional viewership our social talent usually experience, and also tied in nicely with one of our objectives of increasing brand awareness.

We wanted to create synonymy between the digital and OOH elements, and so featured one of our influencers on the billboard alongside the messaging itself. This enabled us to tie all of the different parts together to deliver a real 360 campaign.

All our content was created to inspire our Chickens to put themselves and their mental-wellbeing first this Christmas. And each video always ended with a delicious and mouth-watering chicken-filled shot of their delicious restaurant offerings.

Our campaign showed our audience that the best way to put themselves first this Christmas was to take pride in doing what makes you happy. Eat at Slims. And, of course, #ChickenOut of any plans you want.

Trendsetters: the return of the noughties

forget the runway, trends now start on tiktok

By Nana Frimpong

Friday, 10 December 2021

Trends come and go. Whilst they used to originate on the runway, they now start on social media platforms such as Pinterest – with TikTok helping to push the narrative further. And unless you’ve been living under a rock for the last year and half, you’ll undoubtedly have been inundated with the nostalgia wave of the noughties.

Most millennials will remember flip phones, scarf tops and small bags. Lindsay Lohan appeared in every film, Britney Spears was on every radio station and evenings were spent updating our Tumblr account. Now, Generation Z have remixed some of the topical trends of that era and made it their own.

When you scroll through TikTok, you’ll see the very best (and worst) moments of the Y2K era on your feed. It has brought back classic musical moments such as Bring it On (“brr it’s cold in here, there must be some toros in the atmosphere”) and High School Musical (“we’re all in this together”), and the app is the place to be if you’re looking for a walk down memory lane.

The return of the noughties hasn’t just been present on TikTok. If you listen closely to some of the recent chart hits, you’ve probably heard samples of some of your favorite songs from the era. For example, T-pain’s club classic Buy you a drank was turned into a female empowerment song by Kehlani – I like Dat. And if you are into Drill, you would have heard Ardee sample a House music classic – T2 heartbroken – on his song Wasted.

Another reason why TikTok is the place to be when looking for inspiration and music recommendations is because a lot of the trending sounds are from iconic songs from the 2000s, for example Dj Unk ft T-Pain – 2 step and Wipe Me Down. These songs have definitely played a small part in millennials’ lives at one point and now they’re becoming a part of the lives of the Gen Z population too.

It isn’t just the music of the noughties making a comeback, so is the fashion. From small purses (shoutout Dior and Jacquemus) and scarf tops, to velour tracksuits (the Juicy Couture classic) and wide trousers and jeans. A few of your favourite content creators have been rocking the noughties looks for a while (Grace shadrack, Tiffanie, Debbiedarko, Aly Meghani, Parisa, Koleen Diaz, Ceirra Nia, Eyes Rodgers, Meghan Rose, Dymon, Francesca Perk, Holly Marston , and Tamika Bennett to name a few). It is also interesting that a lot of Gen Zers deem 2000s fashion to be vintage, despite it still feeling relatively contemporary to many of us.

But why has there been a comeback? They say fashion is recyclable, with trends from previous generations re-emerging after around two decades, but it’s a little hard to believe that those born between 2000-2009 are now nearly 20 years old. The real question is: why has Gen Zers taken such a liking to the music, fashion and movies from this era? Interestingly, the Y2K trend seems to have emerged from our downtime in lockdown, with Gen Zers finding the nostalgia from this era comforting and a way to escape reality and look back at simpler times. With the launch of Disney Plus at the end of 2019, this only increased the nostalgia effect as it brought back childhood memories and reintroduced people to remakes of classics like The Lion King and She’s All That.

When we look back on the 2000s, it can be seen as problematic due to its wild headlines and questionable fashion. It was, after all, the era that gave us Britney’s breakdown and subsequent conservatorship, and Janet Jackson being ‘cancelled’ for flashing Justin Timberlake at the Superbowl. We also lost 2000 icons like actor Heath Ledger and singer Michael Jackson. It is an era that millennials might not look back on wholly fondly, with some even advising Gen Zers not to repeat their mistakes.

Though the return of the 2000s hasn’t always been received favourably, with some dismissing the live action remakes of old classics, others have welcomed a resurgence of something familiar in such uncertain times. Interestingly, though fashion trends are often cyclical, what we’re seeing is different aspects of 2000s fashion and music being thrown together with current and emerging trends. As new artists get inspired by old ones, it’s fair to say that we should prepare to hear many more remixes of old tracks and hits on platforms like TikTok. And unless we have new ideas for movies and TV series, the reimagination of classics will be here to stay.

The Fifth introduces first apprentices: Ellenia Panayiotou

Ellenia joins the fifth and tells us about her dream campaign

By Esra Gurkan

Wednesday, 17th of November 2021

This September, we welcomed our first ever apprentices to The Fifth agency. Since then, we’ve been delighted at how quickly they’ve integrated into the team and we wanted you to get to know them a little better.

The apprenticeship scheme at The Fifth sees our apprentices spend the first 6 months getting to know how the whole agency works, joining each of the key departments that make up the agency including Creative, Sales, Talent and Campaigns.

After their first 6 months, we hope they will have a good understanding of how the agency works and what aspects of the different roles they enjoy or are interested in. At this point, they will join a team and spend the rest of their time specialising in this area, building on their experience and knowledge and gaining skills that they can include on their CV.

Here, we meet Ellenia Panayiotou who has spoken to us about why she applied, what her dream campaign would be to work on and what she wants to get out of the apprenticeship.

Can you describe yourself in a sentence or two for us?

I think I am a very hard working, creative and family oriented person.

What was your dream job growing up?

Ever since I was a child I have been interested in media, and having been captivated by the magic of films and television, I think I definitely wanted to work in the Film and TV industries. I slowly started expanding my knowledge of media at school and at university, which made me love marketing, and more specifically influencer marketing.

What attracted you to the apprenticeship at The Fifth?

I have been following The Fifth’s journey since the very beginning and was so excited by the opportunity to join when I saw the job ad. Something I really love about The Fifth is that we categorise talent through nine different faces of influence which means that instead of labelling creators as nano, micro, macro and mega etc, we focus on the creatives’ tone, talent, style and relationship with their audience rather than the number of their following (as this can be a vanity metric!).

I love that here at The Fifth, we advocate for favouring human relationships over automation and have a variety of talent signed to The Fifth Talent within different fields and pride ourselves on working with inclusive and diverse content creators.

Which social media channel do you use the most and why?

Hands down, it has to be Instagram. Between the variety of content formats and features, it’s an amazing tool to use to find up-and-coming music artists and content creators. It enables you to be inspired and inspire – whether you’re searching for fashion or makeup tips, a community to be a part of or food recipes – you’re guaranteed to find that on Instagram.

Which social media channel do you like the least and why?

Even though I really love Twitter for its speed at which you can react to things, along with the funny and unfiltered content you can come across, it’s definitely a platform I use the least. I mainly use it as a news source (which I then fact check with reliable and established publications).

I think Twitter is an incredibly hard platform to master and so a lot of brands have struggled to articulate and deliver their messages effectively. I also think that Twitter is an echo chamber and therefore doesn’t allow as much room for growth or inspiration in comparison to platforms such as Instagram and TikTok.

Are there any campaigns of ours that you’d have loved to have worked on and why?

There are numerous campaigns that our agency has worked on that I really love, however, I think the Lucozade #POSITIVECHAIN campaign is one I would have loved to have been a part of. This is because in the advent of the digital age where it’s so easy to consume and be surrounded by so much negativity, I think this campaigns’ themes and chosen messaging were incredibly effective. I really appreciated the careful selection of talent and thought that the chosen creators of that calibre corresponded perfectly to Lucozade’s brand identity and target market. This was also an effective way to ‘normalise’ celebrities and hear them talk about things that we all think and go through.

What would be a dream campaign or brand that you’d like to work on or with in the future?

I would definitely love the opportunity to work on or be a part of a Nike campaign because similarly to The Fifth, Nike has always tried to emphasise the importance of inclusivity and diversity and are considered to be leaders for this in the industry through not only the talent that they work with but also the products they offer.

Which content creator are you loving following at the moment and why?

I am an avid social media user and as a result I think who you follow and the content you consume is very important. I follow a great number of content creators and influencers who inspire me for a variety of reasons, but three of my favourites are: @kai_isaiah_jamal, @simran and the Fifth Talent’s very own @iza_szyszko. I have also recently started following @debrachosen, a London-based lifestyle and fashion content creator and podcast host – she shares thought provoking content to inspire and help people navigate their life journey.

the fifth introduces first apprentices to the team: meet nana frimpong

nana joins the fifth and tells us about her dream campaign to work on

By Esra Gurkan

Tuesday, 16th of November 2021

We were delighted to have our first ever apprentices join The Fifth agency in September this year.

The apprenticeship scheme at The Fifth see our apprentices spend the first 6 months getting to know how the whole agency works, joining each of the key departments that make up the agency including Creative, Sales, Talent and Campaigns.

Here, we meet Nana Frimpong who has spoken to us about why she applied, what her dream campaign would be to work on and what she wants to get out of the apprenticeship.

Can you describe yourself in a sentence or two for us?

I would describe myself as an ambitious dreamer and a highly dedicated individual. I think in every stage of my life and in all my experiences I have always given my all and worked hard to succeed – and even if I did fail, I would always take on board the lesson learned and structure it to fit my next adventure.

What was your dream job growing up?

I had a slight obsession with Ugly Betty when I was younger, in particular Wilhelmina Slater, and dreamed of working for a fashion magazine. I collected Vogue, Marie Claire, Elle and Harper’s Bazaar magazines and loved reading the celeb stories, latest fashion trends or beauty tips. I really wanted to become Anna Wintour’s protégé and then obviously take over from her as Editor and Chief!

What attracted you to the apprenticeship at The Fifth?

I originally applied for the role through Instagram; I saw the AD and was intrigued by the company. I looked at the Instagram page in more depth and loved the variety of talent that The Fifth had worked with as well as the campaigns.

The main attraction for myself was the wide scope of talent as I was then introduced to some new content creators to follow myself!

Which social media channel do you use the most and why?

I have two social channels that I interchangeably use on a daily basis; Instagram and TikTok. I religiously use Instagram to look at some of my favourite creators and also gain inspiration. I don’t like posting on Instagram but you can find me scrolling through my explore page, saving new cookie recipes or mentally taking notes of fashion tips for seasonal trends.

On TikTok, I often find myself laughing at the ridiculousness of the videos or attempting (and mostly failing) to recreate trending dance routines.

Which social media channel do you like the least and why?

Snapchat is my least favorite social media channel platform, despite loving their filters. Once upon a time when Snapchat was at the top of its game and Instagram had yet to introduce Stories, I was one of many who loved using the app. Although I still use it (mainly to look through my memories and relive some of my past antics), I don’t believe it serves the same purpose it did when it first came out and everyone was using the dog and flower crown filters.

Are there any campaigns of ours that you’d have loved to have worked on and why?

I really liked exploring the TAG Heuer campaign and would have absolutely loved to have been a part of the campaign. Having seen some of the production shots and also looking at the list of talent that was involved, I would have loved to be part of the strategy behind the campaign as well as the creativity.

What would be a dream campaign or brand that you’d like to work on or with in the future?

I actually have two dream brands/campaigns I would love to work on or with in the future. The first one being Fenty Beauty/Savage Fenty/Fenty Eau de Parfum. I like Rihanna (and yes I am waiting for her to drop her album!) and all her work, and I also love seeing some of my favourite influencers create posts around her products. I think working on any aspect of this campaign would be a great achievement and a career highlight.

My second dream collaboration is to work on a Marvel campaign. I am a huge Marvel fan and love to work on a campaign to promote one of the Marvel series/movies.

Which content creator are you loving following at the moment and why?

When choosing to follow a content creator, I don’t just look at their grid and see if it’s aesthetically pleasing but look at their content as a whole. I also like to follow wholesome, down to earth individuals. I recently followed Belgian content creator @Sileyls. I originally saw her content on TikTok and then became obsessed with her streetwear content, as well as her down to earth attitude when engaging with her followers.

The Fifth launches trade body for influencer marketing

The IMTB is a professional membership body for influencer marketing agencies

By Esra Gurkan

Tuesday, 26th of October 2021

Last week, Influencer Marketing Advisor Scott Guthrie announced that the Influencer Marketing Trade Body has launched.

The IMTB is a professional membership body for influencer marketing agencies and influencer marketing platforms. It’s dedicated to building a robust, sustainable future for the influencer marketing industry.

This is a huge step forward in our continued quest for professionalism, ethics and standards. And we are so proud that The Fifth is a founding Board Member of the IMTB alongside Whalar, Ogilvy, TAKUMI, INCA and Tagger.

What are the aims of the IMTB?

Accountability

All members are bound by our Code of Conduct, Memorandum of Association and bye-laws to protect our clients and promote the reputation of our industry to society at large.

Governance

The IMTB is overseen by a Board of Management. Comprised of senior industry leaders, the Board ensures that the IMTB operates in the best interests of its members, the industry and society at large.

Unified voice

We consult with our members to ensure they are heard and represented. We then define and articulate that unified voice to politicians, policymakers, publications, and the public.

Sharing best practice

We seek to strengthen relationships with educators, adjacent industry bodies and regulators to share industry best practice.

We are so excited that the influencer marketing industry is coming together to make a change and we’re looking forward to forging a closer tie with regulators and working to ensure we are a fairer, more respectful and inclusive space for creators.

Find out more via the IMTB website.

The Fifth wins TWO awards at the Imas

Bronze for best large influencer marketing agency

By Esra Gurkan

Friday, 24th of September 2021

The Influencer Marketing Awards shine a light on exceptional Influencer Marketing campaigns that showcase exceptional planning, execution, creativity and innovation.

The IMAs seeks to recognise and rewards agencies and platforms that are helping brands to plan, smartly execute and measure their influencer marketing campaigns. Either as a standalone campaign or as part of a multi-channel effort.

They also endeavour to recognise those within Influencer Marketing who seek to improve the wellbeing and potential of the community and elevate voices that represent the future of the channel.

This year, we were delighted to take home two awards. We won Bronze for Most Effective Campaign on a Small Budget for our successful campaign with Square, as well as Bronze for Best Large Influencer Marketing Agency.

Our campaign with Square saw us collaborate with digitally savvy SME owners and entrepreneurs Peony Vintage, Natalie Glaze, Saint Aymes and Vix Meldrew.

As an agency that has only been around for two years, we were delighted to be recognised an influencer agency making a difference in the industry.

As always, a huge congratulations to The Fifth team for their hard work – especially over the last 12 months. These awards wouldn’t be possible without them and their dedication to providing clients with the best possible campaigns.

And of course a big congratulations to all of the other winners. What a year it’s been for influencer marketing!

The Fifth talent wins agency of the year award

the fifth talent wins big at the blogosphere awards

By Esra Gurkan

Thursday, 23rd of September 2021

The Fifth Talent took home the Talent Management Agency of the Year award at the Blogosphere Awards 2021.

The Blogosphere Awards are a celebration of the amazing talent that this industry has to offer. Without the talent who have given us their trust, confidence and support this last year, we wouldn’t have been able to do it so thank you to them and everybody who voted for us.

After the Blogosphere Awards weren’t able to take place in person last year, we were delighted that the industry could come together to celebrate the achievements of the last 12 months in person.

The Fifth MD and Founder Oliver Lewis says: “I’m overwhelmed and just so proud of the team. Last time we were at the Blogosphere Awards in 2019, we were wet behind the ears and just excited to be there. Today we have arrived thanks to the undeniable talent of Katie Wallwork, Keys Pownall, Summer Swerner, Olivia Francis and everyone in the Fifth Fam past and present. Huge congrats to all the winners and to Alice Audley for bringing back such an important celebration of our industry. A huge triumph!”.

As if that wasn’t enough, The Fifth Talent’s creators Nicole Ocran, who is a writer and co-founder of The Creator Union, and sustainability consultant and creative director Emma Slade Edmondson also won the Podcast of the Year Award. Their Mixed Up podcast is for mixed race people everywhere and for anyone looking into a deeper insight on race and identity.

They say “the show is about straddling two worlds and multiple identities. Now more than ever, it feels like people of mixed heritage are seeking out their space to talk about their lived experiences. But despite searching, we could find very little to relate to. We decided to make something we would have appreciated hearing’.

A big congratulations to all of the Blogosphere Awards winners and nominees.

The Fifth takes part in the great british beach clean

where should we volunteer next?

By Esra Gurkan

Thursday, 23rd of September 2021

Every September thousands of people take to the beach all over the UK to take part in the Great British Beach Clean.

At The Fifth, we’re allocated four volunteering days per year to use as we wish and so we decided to to join the Marine Conservation Society at Littlehampton beach for the #GreatBritishBeachClean.

The Great British Beach Clean is a week-long citizen science event, where hundreds of beach cleans take place up and down the UK. Litter data collected drives the conservation work and also feeds into the International Coastal Clean-up (ICC).

As well as cleaning up our coastline, Beachwatch volunteers note down all the items they find in a 100m stretch of beach. Every lolly stick, lost toy or piece of plastic gets recorded. This data is hugely important as it helps the Marine Conservation Society track litter back to its source, and enables them to campaign for change.

In total, we collected 20kg of rubbish from West Beach and collected vital data for the Marine Conservation Society that will help them inform the government on what waste is most common on our beaches, which in turn informs policy on waste.

The Marine Conservation Society has seen some great results over the years. Their data has been used to make a positive impact on our ocean – including the introduction of the plastic bag charge, banning microplastics in personal care products, better wet wipe labelling, and supporting a tax on single-use plastic items.

We had great fun working together to help the fight for a cleaner, better protected, healthier ocean; one we can all enjoy.

Check out the #GreatBritishBeachClean for ways in which you too can get involved.

Where shall we volunteer next?

Find out more about the Great British Beach Clean here.

Barry Louth joins us as Client Growth Director

sky’s barry louth joins the team

By Esra Gurkan

Thursday, 23rd of September 2021

Creative influencer marketing agency, The Fifth, has named Barry Louth, former Director of Media Strategy, Innovation and Investment at Sky, as Client Growth Director.

Louth brings with him over 20 years experience in media strategy and innovation and will be responsible for new business, identifying new revenue generating initiatives and projects. Louth will be tasked with deepening The Fifth’s relationships with its existing clients such as Disney, Kendo Group, Facebook and YouTube, as well as increasing the agency’s presence within both the marketing and influencer marketing communities.

Under the leadership of Group Managing Director and Founder Oliver Lewis, The Fifth has steadily grown its headcount and client portfolio with recent wins including YouTube, Instagram, Disney, Square and COTY.

Louth arrives at The Fifth after 10 years at Sky, where he had the oversight of media strategy and the deployment of media investment across multiple entertainment and telecoms products and services for the UK’s largest advertiser. Previous to that he was a Media Strategist at BT, responsible for the creation and delivery of an integrated media strategy for BT’s media spend.

Louth has also been a member of the leadership group at ISBA, the body that represents UK advertisers.

Barry Louth, Client Growth Director, says: “It is thrilling to be joining The Fifth at such an exciting stage of its evolution. I’m fortunate to be working with a creative and innovative team who are pushing boundaries and producing fantastic content for brands. I’m delighted to have the opportunity to be a part of their story.”

Oliver Lewis, Group MD and Founder of The Fifth, added: “I am thrilled we have been able to add someone of Barry’s calibre and gravitas to our business at such an exciting juncture in our growth. Barry brings a wealth of strategic client and agency experience and will help the agency to rapidly scale investment into our service offering in line with our client’s expectations. He shares our values and passion for the industry and I can’t wait for our next chapter with him onboard.”

How my skills are changing the influencer marketing game

WHat makes our campaigns stand out?

By Esra Gurkan

Tuesday, 13th of July 2021

What makes an influencer marketing campaign stand out?

A brand that allows you the freedom to create innovative campaigns and a talented content creator to execute ideas is key, but so is an agency that pushes creative boundaries. And that is made possible by an agency that thinks outside of the box.

There are some roles you wouldn’t ordinarily expect to see in influencer marketing. For us, it’s our special ingredient to ensure our agency and the campaigns we create not only hit KPIs but are also groundbreaking and progressive.

Here, we speak to several members of the Fifth team to hear about what they bring to the agency and how their role is revolutionising and professionalising the space.

Creative Strategy Lead Alice Thompson

Alice Thompson explains why creative strategy is important in influencer marketing: “We know that influencers bring creative flair to content and know what their audiences love. But often brands think of them as a media channel rather than as content creators and use them for pure product placement. It’s important to find a really relevant and interesting place for the brands to naturally slot into the feeds of the influencers that we work with, which is where creative strategy comes in.

“We apply the insight gathering, audience understanding and strategic thinking that goes into creative content, then we work with influencers on the end product. The result is a great partnership that tells a deeper, more noticeable and longer lasting story”.

Graphic Designer Patricia Ascorreta

Patricia Ascoretta says that “Having in house design and production allows us to work together with creators to elevate the content with special effects, animation, editing and design. This gives us a much wider range of content creators we can work with as we don’t have to rely on their post-production skills or access to them. It also means we can push our creative ideas further and get talent to deliver innovative content for brands that is normally reserved for ads with huge budgets or specific influencers”.

Campaign Director Oliver Bond

Oliver Bond says: “Most agencies would have Account Managers and Campaign Managers as separate roles, and so being able to almost combine the two ensures we are not only servicing the talent and their respective representatives but also the client, and means there is a full 360 service. This is a great skill set to have as your approach to different conversations has to differ depending on a whole host of factors, ranging from budgets to timelines and performance.

“The Fifth empowers people to be a master-of-all-trades, encouraging you to add as many strings to your bow as possible in order to benefit your personal development. Obviously supporting resource is always important, but to be given the responsibility and accountability to manage campaigns 360 definitely gives us scope for professional and personal growth.

“This is crucial at The Fifth as each campaign is so different. One minute we can be working with talent purely on Instagram to showcase a new product range, and the next we can be hosting live streams with some of the biggest YouTubers in the country to raise money for charity. The variety of campaigns means we need to have the skills to manage full circle, something some agencies might have separate roles for”.

Creative Stefan Dezou

Stefan Dezou explains: “As a Creative at The Fifth, our job is to reimagine the possibility of a social post, pushing the client brief through innovative and exciting ideas. We don’t just think about the content, we also think about the impact that it can have and the lasting impressions we can make on behalf of the brand.

“Creativity in influencer marketing is about understanding and utilising the amazing capabilities of the creators. This allows you to create truly authentic campaigns”.

Business Strategist Rob Stevenson

Rob Stevenson says: “As Business Strategist, my role involves both an art and science approach.

“I am tasked with keeping my eyes up and ahead to spot cultural trends and commercial opportunities amongst a sea of information. A little like sitting in the crow’s nest of a ship!

My role might be unusual for an influencer agency because it enables us to build and develop services, giving our clients an edge on social media and beyond! Our creative campaigns feature talent who push boundaries and have cultural resonance – I love seeing brands allow themselves to be a part of that. It always pays dividends”.

What other roles do you see becoming a priority in influencer marketing?