This week on BANKNOTES News: In marketing: Authenticity is everything! Learn about how YETI is leveraging authentic user generated content (UGC) to attract social media viewers and prove its product stands up to the worst situations.

Learn all about the new, popular app BeReal and its goal of capturing real, not curated or highly produced moments.

From mega-influencer celebrities like Kim Kardashian, Kylie Jenner, and Gwen Stefani to creators like Emma Chamberlain and the D’Amelio sisters—influencer-founded DTC brands are the next big thing in ecommerce.

This week on BANKNOTES News:

Yes it’s almost time to go back to school

The growth of the community manager role

Shopify announces losses and round of layoffs

Instagram finds itself in the crosshairs

DTC brands founded by influencers: The future is now

TikTok's Gay Bestie, Luke Franchina, talks about his content strategy, how he found his unique voice and offers his advice to fellow creators.

The cost of running ads across Facebook and Instagram continues to dip as CPMs decreased year-over-year when comparing July 1-4, repeating the CPM declines that were seen over Memorial Day weekend.

Tune in for Episode 1 of BANKNOTES news!

Each we’ll be provide a short rundown of what we’re keeping our eye on across eCommerce, retail and the creator economy. You can always check banknotes.co for daily articles and insights from across the industry and subscribe to our channel wherever you download your podcasts.

Listen in as leaders in the fintech and eCommerce space discuss the future of payment not just across websites but in retail and around the world.

Featured speakers are Osayame Gaius, founder and CEO of the mobile commerce platform, Parrot; and Mason Lin, founder of checkout platform Pockyt.

Instagram versus TikTok: Which platform is better for turning content creators into successful independent businesses?

This article was going to answer that question. But it turns out that was the wrong question—because the answer is that they both suck.

Instagram and TikTok are doing anything they can to attract creators. Anything, that is, except the one thing that would create a fair value exchange between platform and creator: partial ownership of the platform company.

They come every year without fail: Back-to-school sales and ads.

Let's be honest—most people could live without the constant barrage of ads everywhere.

With $37 billion in revenue up for grabs this season, you can bet brands are going to be all over back-to-school ads.

So how do you make your brand stand out in the noise of back-to-school ads?

One way is collaborating with creators.

Title IX has created many opportunities for women on and off the field. Fifty years after it’s been passed into law, there are still areas where equality is lacking. However, progress is being made.