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Category: Business

THE FIFTH AT MAD//FEST 2024

 

July 2024

WOW, what an incredible three days we had last month at MAD//FEST!

We kicked off the festival with an insightful talk from our COO Jess Markwood and the talented Jesse Chuku, one of the amazing creators we’ve collaborated with for our campaign with YouTube Shorts.

They discussed ‘Short Wins for Long Gains: Chewkz has dominated YouTube’s new format and you can too.’ It was a fantastic opportunity for attendees to discover the ultimate recipe for success on YouTube Shorts.

The presentation leveraged THE FIFTH’s AI tools to analyse the relationship between Chewkz and his fans, coupled with his deep understanding of the format. Jess and Chewkz delved into the creative ingredients behind his phenomenal success.

It was great to hear such positive feedback on the session, Jess and Chewkz absolutely nailed it! You can now watch their talk on youtube which you can access below..

Here’s to MadFest 2025!

Photos taken by the talented Henry Wainwright

Yesterday, the free streaming platform, UKTV Play, rebranded to U, and we’re delighted to have been part of the journey.

Needing to drive mass awareness of U’s new brand in a crowded streaming space, our campaign is all about showing up on social media in the moments our audience are searching ‘what to watch’, responding with U’s huge range of content and personalised suggestions, and helping our audience find exactly what suits them.

Produced alongside our in-house production agency, Studio 5, the campaign will see 22 pieces of content go live across TikTok and Meta throughout July. Featuring award winning megastar Louise Boyce as our recommender-in-chief, scroll-stopping cameos from other top creators, and more viewing recommendations from TikTok’s top-searched TV creators, this campaign will leave you in no doubt that U has something for you to sink your teeth into.

“Bringing ‘#WeGotU’ to life through talent-first social content, we are revolutionising how our audience discovers what to watch. Strategically leveraging top-ranking TV influencers and key search terms, we are answering cries for perfect show recommendations and showing our audience the best place to watch them. We recruited our influencers to stop the scroll with playful content offering curated suggestions for every craving. From Vox-Pop style street recommendations through to reactive show suggestions, we’ll showcase the incredible variety of free shows available on the U platform, proving that ‘#WeGotU’ is more than a tagline—it’s U’s unwavering commitment to their audience’s entertainment satisfaction.” Candice Green – Creative Director.

The rebrand sees a fully integrated campaign from The Fifth, Havas, Taylor Herring PR and U’s internal marketing teams; the biggest and most important marketing campaign in UKTV’s history. With word of mouth being a key drive in U’s launch strategy, we knew that we had to go BIG with our social and influencer campaign – especially when the TV advert features the one and only Cher.

Untitled design (4)

Inadvertent Gatekeeping: A Modern Challenge For Whiskey Brands

By Jordan Carroll and Rob Stevenson

Thursday 13th of June, 2023

How Do You Solve A Problem Like Gatekeeping?

Inadvertent gatekeeping is the biggest challenge whiskey brands face as they forge a path to faster growth. The fanatical community that orbits around whiskey is essential in driving loyalty, with these consumers collectively celebrating the craft, experience, history, and heritage of the drink. Inadvertently, this knowledge gap intimidates those new to the category, limiting new customer acquisition.

Existing research by William Grant & Sons points to the fact that drinkers believe single malts are “too complex with intimidating choice and language,” with higher price points making trials too risky for shoppers new to the category. For the most part, UGC and owned brand content on social media leans into this language heavily, satisfying its loyal cohort of whiskey lovers, whilst creating a sense of ‘insiderdom’. The knock-on effect is clear, as whiskey is the slowest growing category in both the US and UK spirits market when forecasting from 2024 to 2029 (Statista).

Overall, a more delicate balance is required in the marketing of whiskey brands, between sharing ‘whiskeylore’ – what we’re referring to as the body of knowledge passed between whiskey drinkers – and trying to bring new customers into market through other means.

‘Whiskeylore’ and Outsider Interests: It’s A Fine Balance

To understand the extent to which whiskey brands are aiming to reference wider consumer interests, simplify language, and connect with new communities to overcome this challenge, we used THE FIFTH’s proprietary AI creative insights platform, to zone in on the topics and language present in their Instagram content in 2024. In this research, we found that 84% of whiskey brands made no interest-based references outside of ‘whiskeylore’, with content revolving around lexically dense, technical language that is proven to be intimidating to those outside of the community.

When looking at terms such as ‘distillery’, ‘malt’, ‘cask’, ‘notes’, ‘oak’, ‘finish’, and ‘peaty’, we used TF-IDF scores which measure the frequency and importance of these terms across their Instagram captions. We found that these terms have 82% higher TF-IDF score in the captions of brands that do not reference outsider interests in their content. These brands also have 80% lower lexical diversity, meaning they use these terms often, prominently, and with little variety. Not only do these brands avoid referencing outside interests, they also fixate on these insider-based terms to an extremely high degree to satisfy their loyal cohort of insiders.

 Source: Johnnie Walker

When we used our AI to zone in on the whiskey brands who are using wider consumer interests in their marketing, we saw a much healthier balance of retention and attraction in their language. For every one direct reference to ‘whiskeylore’, there were 0.73 references to consumer interests across classic cars, British, US, and Colombian rap music; Formula 1, The Met Gala, Chinese New Year, local artists, prominent architects, International Women’s Day, Rave Culture, and Music Festivals, to name a few of many.

By creating a more well-rounded brand with touch-points across wider consumer interests, these brands have been able to capture a 29% share of engagement among owned whiskey Instagram channels, despite only comprising of 16% of brands in our sample. Notably, the audience composition of these brands is also much younger, with 22% more Gen Z consumers that follow these brands and 15% more Millennials. Clearly, brands can retain the attention of these consumers once their interests are piqued, future-proofing their brands with new generations. Naturally, there is still a higher degree of ‘whiskeylore’ in their content, which then educates new consumers and invites them into the community, breaking down the gates which kept them out.

To understand more deeply how whiskey brands are connecting with new communities creatively, we used our AI tool to analyse all Instagram Reels content from our sample in the past 12 months. In this research, we have identified three key rules which are repeatedly proven to have a strong positive correlation with heightened social media engagement. These rules are as follows:

Rule one: Language is not just words! Lean authentically into iconography.

All communities and consumer passions have codes, traditions, and language which require a level of knowledge to be understood. Those with insider knowledge find joy and validation in connecting with others in the community who share the same level of curiosity and passion, and the same can be said for brands that do this in an authentic way. Of course, visual language is just as important as verbal language in community lore, which is why we found through our AI that content including iconography related to wider consumer interests receives 3.54% engagement rate. This is a +1.62pp higher engagement rate than the content posted by the same sample of brands that did not include iconography, despite in some instances referencing these interests and passions by other means. The best example of this is Ballantine’s and how they have been able to authentically engage Hip-Hop fans by embracing and championing its most iconic emblem.

Through collaborating with producer and rapper of the iconic Hip-Hop group Wu-Tang Clan across a series of drop-culture style product collaborations, the iconography associated with RZA and Wu-Tang Clan were added to a Crosley LP player in drop 1, a Neighborhood streetwear collection in drop 2, a Flying Goose sriracha sauce in drop 3, and a limited edition Ballantine’s bottle in drop 4. As a means to bring through audiences that are new to whiskey and start them on their ‘whiskeylore’ education, RZA was also documented visiting Ballantine’s distillery, immersing himself in the craft of the product which is so important to the fanatics. This authentic partnership has delivered Ballantine’s its highest ever engaged content on Instagram at a 62.4x lift vs their account median, whilst content including or mentioning RZA on average has a 5.17x engagement lift on their all-time median performance.

 Source: Ballantine’s

Rule two: Authenticity is everything! Platform real people, to tell real stories, in real settings.

When trying to connect with consumers through their passions and interests, the only way to do this authentically is through people and place. By showcasing the locations that inspire those interests and working with the people at the heart of those passions, you ensure that audiences identify shared frames of reference, creating kinship and affinity. Through our AI platform, we found that content that signals to consumer interests through incorporating authentic people and places achieve 1.93% engagement rate, +0.65PP higher than posts from brands with no references to outsider interests at all.

A brand leading the charge in this space is Monkey Shoulder who use music in their social marketing to champion local communities. The brand is collaborating with Worldwide FM to support the trailblazing communities where people connect, create and discover music, by awarding £10,000 each to five communities around the world to help bring to life an original project. As DJ and broadcaster Giles Peterson narrates detailing the project, we see clips from people dancing at festivals, nightclubs, concert venues in the UK, Nigeria, India, Miami and Taiwan.

The global initiative has people and place touch-points in every second of the video, which is why it achieves 96.56% positive sentiment and a significant 1.93x engagement lift on their median performance. This red thread is seen throughout their social content in 2024, such as when they filmed Hip-Hop DJ JFB creating a Monkey Jam Sour on his turntable, using record scratches and vocal samples to tell users how to make the cocktail. Another example is when the brand attended Amsterdam Dance Event, interviewing DJ Prime Cuts whilst he performs atop a crane, and following up by posting mixes from the festival on the brand’s Mixcloud.

 Source: Monkey Shoulder

Rule three: Blend ‘Whiskeylore’ With Outside Interests

One of the easiest and most effective way to strike a balance between attraction and retention is to clash these strategies together, by blending ‘whiskeylore’ with references to interests outside of ‘whiskeylore’. This approach helps preserve the codes and norms of ‘whiskeylore’ whilst folding in high affinity interests and educating new consumers at the same time. Our AI tool found that brands that blend attraction and retention in this way achieve a 4.52% engagement rate, a significant +3.42PP higher than content from whiskey brands who just focus on ‘whiskeylore’ in silo.

The best example of this comes Talisker who platformed artist, adventurer, conservationist and content creator Katie Tunn to tell her story about Skye, the place she lives, as well as the place the whiskey is distilled. In the content, she talks about how Skye is the ultimate inspiration for her works, as the docustyle interview shows Katie immersing herself in the sea and skyscapes as part of her process, before creating a label inspired by Skye for a new limited edition label for Talisker Skye, one of their best loved whiskeys inspired by the same place. This content achieved a 1.73x engagement lift compared to the brand’s median performance and is their best performing post of 2024.

LAUNCHING STUDIO 5, OUR FULL-SERVICE CREATIVE PRODUCTION STUDIO

Wednesday, 12th of June, 2024

The new division was formed after we brought the celebrated creative production and artist representation agency Studio PI into our portfolio late last year. 

Studio 5 will offer a comprehensive suite of visual production services spanning live-action video, photography, animation, illustration, graphic design and experiential production. 

Rooted in Studio PI’s commitment to inclusion and representation, Studio 5 centres around a set of core commitments, including the discovery and platforming of new diverse talent, inclusive crew sourcing, an empathy-led shoot culture, the creation of professional pathways for underrepresented creatives, and upskilling initiatives.

“At THE FIFTH, we’ve always been committed to engaging diverse creators and promoting inclusion in the influencer marketing space,” said Oliver Lewis, CEO of THE FIFTH. “With the launch of Studio 5, we’re doubling down on that mission and bringing industry-leading creative production capability in-house. Studio 5’s resources will allow us to create even more culturally impactful content for our clients.”

Darren Sital-Singh, Managing Director of Studio 5, previously of Studio PI, added: “I’m thrilled to integrate our production capabilities into THE FIFTH as we formally launch Studio 5. Together, we’ll combine our passion for inclusivity with best-in-class creative execution to deliver genuine, narrative-driven branded content that moves audiences.”  

The 2024 Hollywood Diversity Report revealed that only 22.9% of film directors identify as a person of color and less than 10 percent of creatives in the UK are from a working class background. While the UK’s creative economy generates more than £12 million per hour, the value is captured by a minority. A small homogenous group captures a disproportionate percentage of senior creative roles. The lack of representation has created a gap in the industry. Without lived experience behind the camera, brands struggle to tell resonant stories with niche audiences.

“There’s a huge opportunity for brands to better connect with diverse audiences by embracing authentic voices and perspectives in their marketing,” said Lewis. “Studio 5’s representation-first approach to production will allow us to craft culturally attuned campaigns that drive real brand affinity.”

The Studio 5 launch expands our end-to-end influencer and social marketing capabilities, which span influencer partnerships, social strategy, creative, campaign execution, paid media, measurement and innovation.

Check out Studio 5’s website here. 

TOMMEE TIPPEE APPOINTS SOCIAL CREATIVE AGENCY, THE FIFTH.

Tommee Tippee, the brand whose innovative designs make caring for babies easier, simpler, and more instinctive, have chosen THE FIFTH as their social creative agency to create social content for their platforms.

Tuesday, 14th of May, 2024

The appointment comes as Tommee Tippee looks to be the ultimate parent care brand, liberating parents’ intuition through empathetic design and being renowned as a ‘cultural powerhouse’ in the parent care space.

Ensuring Tommee Tippee’s social channels are a place where parents can find answers, support, and connect with others, The Fifth will work closely with the brand across both their UK & US social presence to be there for the parents! With real parents as the heart and soul of their channels, instilling confidence and empowering them to trust their intuition, supported by the smart design of Tommee Tippee products.

Oliver Lewis, founder and CEO of THE FIFTH said of the appointment, “We’re thrilled to have been appointed as Tommee Tippee’s social creative agency; we’ll work with them to apply our expertise of cultural understanding within social and influencer marketing. We can’t wait to help their next stage of growth in becoming the go-to brand for millennial and Gen Z parents.” 

Candice Green, Creative Director, added: “It’s incredibly exciting to be working with a brand who understands the importance of using TikTok creatively to become a cultural powerhouse. We can’t wait to start our work together, applying our unique approach to creating influential content to seamlessly integrate Tommee Tippee into the first hand experiences of their audience.”

Nicola Wallace, Head of Global Brand Communications at Mayborn Group Limited 

“Tommee Tippee has chosen The Fifth due to their unique ability to harness the power of both creativity and social search behaviour. This ensures that our social content not only captivates our audience by directly responding to them but also drives meaningful engagement, maximising our brand visibility and impact across platforms.”

Get to know the new FIFTH Apprentices: Carla Watts

Carla joins us on a two year apprenticeship

By Esra Gurkan

Thursday, 19th of January 2023

This January, we’ve welcomed our next intake of apprentices to THE FIFTH. 

After the success of the first cohort last year, we’re proud to announce that Carla Watts and Laina Claydon are joining the agency on a two-year basis. 

They will spend their first six weeks getting to know how the whole agency works, joining each of the key departments that make up the business including Marketing, Strategy, Creative, Accounts, Talent Research and Talent Management. 

Equipped with a solid understanding of how each part of the business works and what they do, they will then join their respective team for the duration of their apprenticeship whilst also undertaking a Level 3 Digital Marketer (Social Media Pathway) course.

Carla, who will be joining THE FIFTH Talent, spoke to us about what made her apply – and the best content she’s consumed recently.

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

I am 23 years old, from Surrey and have just completed a degree in history and politics. I am obsessed with all things social media and you’ll rarely see me without my phone (or a coffee!) in my hand! After falling in love with making content on Instagram and TikTok whilst I was at university, I knew that I wanted to have a career in the industry. 

What attracted you to the apprenticeship at THE FIFTH?

I have always had a passion for social media, but this became particularly apparent over lockdown when I started to grow my own social pages. I knew that I wanted a career in social media but was unsure where to start, especially as I had no qualifications in this sector. When I came across the apprenticeship at THE FIFTH on Linkedin, I could not believe my luck: it seemed like a dream come true! It was the perfect introduction to a career in social media as I would be working with an agency who had worked with very well-known brands, combined with having the opportunity to study for a Level 3 Digital Marketer course at the same time. 

Can you describe your perfect working day?

My perfect working day would be an early morning trip to get an oat milk vanilla latte and a catch-up with the team. Then a productive day of work, followed by a team-outing to the pub to unwind and relax.

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

I definitely use Instagram the most, but TikTok is a close second! I have practically grown up with Instagram and have been posting for over ten years so definitely feel the most confident on there! You can usually find me on Instagram posting about mental health, body positivity and other fun lifestyle content. 

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

There are so many I would have loved to have worked on – it’s hard to pick just one! I think the Lucozade #positivechain campaign would have been amazing as I thought it had such an incredible message behind it, as well as being able to work with Maya Jama and Anthony Joshua. I am hoping they do a part two!

I am definitely excited to see what campaigns I get to work on over the next couple of years!

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

Lounge Underwear would definitely be a dream brand to work with as I absolutely love how inclusive they are and how they promote body positivity! 

I would also love to work on a Coachella campaign after growing up watching all my favourite content creators go there every year. That would be a huge career achievement. 

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

At the moment I am really enjoying Lauren Tiby on TikTok and Instagram. I love her fashion content and she is always my go-to for style inspiration! I also love how down to earth she is and find her get-ready-with-me videos comforting to watch. 

Who inspires you? This can be in your personal life, or on social 

One of my biggest inspirations is Matilda Djerf. Not only is she hair and outfit goals, she is such an authentic and down-to-earth content creator who spreads positivity on her social media. Matilda, and her partner, have also built a very successful business – Djerf Avenue – which is always ahead of the fashion trends whilst also being ethically manufactured and promotes sustainability by creating ‘timeless’ pieces. 

Lastly, tell us your favourite piece of content that you’ve consumed recently?

I love watching Olivia Kirkby’s TikTok as she is always so positive and helps me feel confident in my own body. I always watch her videos when I need cheering up!

Get to know the new FIFTH Apprentices: Laina Claydon

Laina joins us on a two year apprenticeship

By Esra Gurkan

Wednesday, 18th of January 2023

This January, we’ve welcomed our next intake of apprentices to THE FIFTH. 

After the success of the first cohort last year, we’re proud to announce that Carla Watts and Laina Claydon are joining the agency on a two-year basis. 

They will spend their first six weeks getting to know how the whole agency works, joining each of the key departments that make up the business including Marketing, Strategy, Creative, Accounts, Talent Research and Talent Management. 

Equipped with a solid understanding of how each part of the business works and what they do, they will then join their respective team for the duration of their apprenticeship whilst also undertaking a Level 3 Digital Marketer (Social Media Pathway) course.

Laina, who will be joining the marketing department, spoke to us about what made her apply – and the best content she’s consumed recently.

Bella and Laina with singer-songwriter Tom Grennan

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

I am 21 years old, from Hertfordshire and love social media – especially Tiktok. I often create my own on the app and am interested in makeup and fashion. I was first introduced to social media via Instagram when it came out, and have been watching YouTube since I was about 11 years old when I was obsessed with the OG Brit Crew; Zoella being my favourite. Something I was always particularly fascinated by was when YouTubers would be with their managers, and seeing them go into their management offices in their vlogs -I think that’s where I first got the interest to work in this industry.

What attracted you to the apprenticeship at THE FIFTH?

I had wanted to get a marketing job since I left sixth form really, but I struggled as I had no experience and it’s a competitive field, so I worked other jobs whilst looking for one. Apprenticeships always appealed to me as I didn’t go to university, so being able to work while getting a qualification is perfect for me. I was attracted to THE FIFTH in particular as I love what they stand for. The fact that it incorporates influencer marketing is an added bonus for me as I have been a follower of creators for years.

Can you describe your perfect working day?

Put simply: an iced coffee to start the day, a productive day in the office, a team lunch outing – and this includes filming some office TikToks for our growing channel.

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

TikTok or Youtube. I don’t like silence so even when I’m around my house I will have a YouTube video playing on my phone. I realised how addicted to TikTok I was when I slowly replaced YouTube with TikTok videos!

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

I’d love to have worked on our YouTube Shorts Brits campaign. I’ve always watched the Brits so to get the opportunity to work on that and be there would be really cool! Preferably on a year when Harry Styles is there…

@thefifthagency I would do it again! #internship #agency #agencylife #fyp #foryoupage #marketing ♬ i would do it again kim kardashian - Tik Toker

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

At the moment, I’m loving Selena Gomez’ Rare Beauty makeup brand, so I would say working with them would be amazing!

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

Alix Earle – she is trending at the moment and has suddenly blown up on TikTok. I love the casual get-ready-with-me content, product recommendations and stories she tells. Another TikToker I love is Amelia Olivia who also creates makeup content. I’ve bought a lot of what she has recommended!

Who inspires you? This can be in your personal life, or on social 

I am very inspired by my colleagues, particularly Jess and Esra, who I am very lucky to learn from and my mum who works hard everyday and still manages to do so much for others.

Lastly, tell us your favourite piece of content that you’ve consumed recently?

Zoe Sugg’s vlogmas on her YouTube channel. It gave me so much nostalgia and cosy vibes at Christmas time. Having watched Zoe from a young age to seeing her as a mum now is so lovely – and her home gives me interior goals!

The Fifth wins two blogosphere awards

We were the Beauty Creator Campaign Winners for our work with fenty beauty

By Esra Gurkan

Monday, 26th of September 2022

We’re absolutely over the moon to have won two awards at the Blogosphere Awards last week.

We were delighted to be announced as the Beauty Creator Campaign Winner for our collaboration with Fenty Beauty and their Fenty Icon Lipstick. A special shout out to the incredible creators ALICE x T, Danielle Marcan, Candice Brathwaite, Anchal, Ava Welsing-Kitcher, Alice Dickson, Michaela and Lisa Potter Dixon who helped bring this campaign to life. THE FIFTH’s Charlie Ross, Freya Sheard and Milan Charles also deserve a special mention for working tirelessly on the campaign and for sourcing the perfect creators.

Not only that, THE FIFTH TALENT’s creator Tasha Bailey also won Health and Wellbeing creator of the year. If you don’t follow her already, Tasha is a qualified therapist and creator who uses her Instagram platform to talk about all things mental health, anxiety and wellness.

Bringing a modern and intersectional perspective to the topic of wellness, Tasha openly reflects on her experiences as a Black British, plus-size woman navigating a field which lacks diversity. Tasha is passionate about systemic change for mental health and intersectionality, and enjoys working closely with brands to encourage this. As a qualified creative psychotherapist, she brings her expert knowledge to the social media space in a “real talk” way.

Congratulations to the Fenty Beauty team, to Tasha and to all nominees. What a night!

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! 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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 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.