Affiliate managers need to always be on the hunt for different things that they can use to push their programs and campaigns ahead of competitors. With clever usage, there are many ways to leverage pop culture trends to create engaging content and materials to use in your program.
Why is pop culture so important, and how can it be used effectively for affiliate marketing programs? Let’s take a closer look.
What is pop culture?
Pop culture – or popular culture to give its full name – is usually defined as a set of beliefs or practices that are dominant in a society at any given point in time. Since these objects are so prevalent in society at that point, they can reach and have an influence on a vast portion of the population.
Common components of pop culture include music, film and television, sports, fashion, and more. Individual countries and cultures can also have a massive effect on pop culture, as can be seen by the British Invasion of the mid-1960s and the Korean Wave since the turn of the 21st century.
We can never tell where or when the next big pop culture trends are going to come from as they are driven by public opinion and preference. What we can do, however, is look for ways in which we can take advantage of these trends.
Why is it important to pay attention to pop culture?
Affiliate managers and other marketers should pay close attention to pop culture as it is the perfect showcase of what the public’s mindset might be. Pop culture icons are things that are enjoyed by a lot of people, so if you are trying to make a genuine connection with an audience, making use of these icons might give you the leverage you need.
Every marketer wants to be able to drive engagement for their brands. While there are many ways to do this successfully, attention can initially be captured through the use of pop culture icons.
How do we see commerce take advantage of pop culture trends?
Big brands take advantage of pop culture trends all the time. They look at some of the biggest trends that the public are engaging with at the time, and then see how they can create merchandise and other ways to profit off this interest.
One only needs to look to Netflix and Walmart’s new collaboration to see how this can be used to a brand’s full advantage. Netflix is one of the biggest streaming platforms on the planet, with over 200 million subscribers around the world. However, they have relied on the single revenue stream that has come from their subscriptions and DVD rentals until this point.
What is Netflix doing?
It now appears that Netflix wishes to diversify their interests. In addition to launching their own gaming platform, they are getting ready to produce their own official merchandise based around some of their most popular shows such as Stranger Things and latest viral hit Squid Game.
Jeff Evans, Walmart’s EVP, Entertainment, Toys and Seasonal, said in a blog post: “Through this new partnership, Walmart will not only offer products that bring the imagination of Netflix creators into reality, but Walmart customers and Netflix superfans will also find a new, exciting entertainment destination.
“The Netflix Hub brings together some of its most popular shows in its first digital storefront with a national retailer, and we’re proud to partner with them on this new adventure that will let our customers dive even deeper into their favourite stories and characters.”
This comes ahead of what might be some of the biggest launches on Netflix’s platform. The company bought the Roald Dahl catalogue for over $700 million, with which they are rumoured to be creating a multi-show universe similar to what we see in the MCU. They also have the last season of Stranger Things and the second season of The Witcher releasing soon – both incredibly popular shows in their own right – and the much-anticipated release of The Sandman adaptation.
These are all pop culture icons already, and so it only makes sense that Netflix would want to capitalise on these through official merchandise. Partnering with Walmart, the largest retailer in the USA, makes sense.
How can affiliate managers leverage this popularity?
Affiliate managers – particularly those in e-commerce or retail programs – should keep an eye out for ways they can leverage the latest pop culture trends. Creating posts and content to appeal to your audience using these trends can be fantastic, and can drive some great results – but you do need to make sure that it does not appear like you are just jumping on a bandwagon.
Are there pop culture trends that you think would tie in with your affiliate program? Try to think about how you could best leverage them for your brand’s next campaign.
