Yesterday morning the finalists of this year’s B&T Women In Media Awards gathered for breakfast – and humour was the order of the day.
General manager of fashion and beauty at Are Media and media industry superstar, Nicky Briger, was the hostess with the mostess, quizzing guests on what the next frontier will be for reaching female audiences via social media.
The event began with a panel discussion with Briger joined by Alex-Bruce Smith, digital managing editor for Marie Claire/Elle and Bec Du, data and AI strategist at The Lab. Briger then hosted an eclectic Q&A session with viral media star Millie Ford.
Humour was the centrepiece, with Du revealing data that shows that humour and authenticity are the key to connecting with female audiences.
Smith agreed with this sentiment, saying that (post-lockdown) women wanted content that made them laugh, as opposed to more serious content.
Despite the appetite for humour, many brands still neglect women when it comes to content. Research shared by Are Media shows that just 22 per cent of ads aimed at women use humour vs 51 per cent for men.
With a total of 1.5 million followers on TikTok, humour is 27-year-old TikToker Millie Ford’s forte.
Ford’s career was not always about dressing up as teachers, however. She revealed to the audience that she’d started making videos when she worked in social media marketing at MTV.
Whilst working at home, she’d turned her hand to making content in her bedroom. Despite having a few unsuccessful attempts at stardom on YouTube, TikTok proved to be the silver bullet for Ford.
Some of her main advice for the audience was to follow your gut when it comes to making content and also to leave posts up even if they don’t have the wanted success – “failure is a great teacher,” she said.
Authenticity can often be misunderstood, she said, adding that we can all go further when it comes to being vulnerable. Some examples include showing people the behind-the-scenes reality of making content for social media.
She was also vulnerable about the realities of being a social media star, saying sometimes she feels pressure to ‘perform’ or be ‘peppy’ when she is out and about in public. It can also be a huge strain on your mental health she said.
To find out more on social media trends you can check out Are Media’s piece on social currency HERE.
Tonight the winners of this year’s B&T Women In Media Awards will be crowned at an exclusive ceremony at the White Bay Cruise Terminal! You can see who has been shortlisted HERE. And keep an eye on your inbox because we will be sharing who the winners are tonight!
