📷 Image Credit: AdAge with publishing partner Female Quotient 👆 TL;DR Gen Z and Gen Alpha have been shown to react better to companies' culture of inclusion and diversification. If you want to stay relevant, make sure to consider this authentically when creating content. Amongst the many changes in recent weeks, from the pandemic to societal changes, many marketers are left wondering what the appropriate action is to take in terms of their online presence. Inclusivity, authenticity, and diversity can help transform a company from a crisis. According to a study done last summer, consumers are more likely to purchase a product if the advertising is more inclusive and diverse. We know that advertising that represents diversity will be a major differentiator in brands and products moving out of the pandemic. We are living in a different world than we were four months ago, and marketing and advertising techniques should be shifted accordingly. The goal of marketing is to shift the mindsets and behaviors of people; it is important to note how different people experienced this pandemic due to differences in race, geographical location, and other circumstances when appealing to your audience. Brands should be aware right now of how their actions in the social climate affect their brand's image and what they can do to foster more empathy and positivity. As marketers, it is important to understand the impact that marketing has on shaping culture, as marketing does not only reflect culture but continues to define it. Sources:AdAge with publishing partner Female Quotient Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: Polygon.com 👆By: Charlie Hall TL;DR With the new generation of gaming consoles, there is a predicted increase in the price of video games. However, with all the additional perks and money that gaming companies put into their games, the consumer is really getting more bang for their buck than ever before. Both PlayStation and Xbox are constantly evolving to newer generations, and with the Playstation 5 and the Xbox X series, the rise in the price of video games and consoles are also evolving with the newer generation of games. There is an expectation that AAA console video games will increase in price for the first time in several years. We have already seen this occur with the 2K Sport's announcement that their NBA 2K21 games will increase from approximately $60 to $70 for users using the newest generation of games. The elevation in price isn't as bad as it might seem, as the price has remained steady for the past 15 years while gaming enhancements have risen. While it seems most things have risen in price in the past 15 years in the entertainment community, from movie theater tickets to even the cost of a Netflix subscription, video game prices have been among the only mediums to have their price remain relatively stable. When you think about this is surprising that pricing hasn't changed much, yet the tech has enhancements in graphics, multi-player modes, and open-world systems. In a sense, games had only been getting cheaper for their value for the past few years. Cost per megabyte, gamers are getting their best deal yet as they are getting so much with a relatively low-cost increase comparatively. These days to create a top 10 video game, it typically costs around $100 million compared to the $35 million it would have cost in 2005. The sharp increase on the producers' side and the lack of an increase on the consumer's side made this change inevitable. Sources:Polygon.com Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor

📷 Image Credit: Forbes 👆By: Emily Blotch TL;DR We talked about it last week, and this week we are back with the continuation of the Facebook / TikTok rivalry. Now, Facebook is offering to compensate creators for their allegiance to their new Instagram feature, 'Reels.' Facebook might be stealing TikTok's stars if all goes to their plan. In our article last week, we described the new feature coming to Instagram known as "Reels," a TikTok look-a-like. The rumor milling about is that the parent company of Instagram, Facebook, is offering some of the stars on TikTok lucrative offers to lure them to Reels and asking them to exclusively post on Reels or post their content on Reels first before TikTok. The creators are also allegedly being given NDAs, so we probably won't get too much info from the creators themselves. It has been said that the users who agree to post exclusively on Reels will earn the biggest pay from Facebook compared to those who agree to post first on Reels. The Reels feature on Instagram is said to be launching in early August, so for now, we will just sit back and wait to see who looks like they took the lucrative deal and how successful Instagram's new feature will be. Sources:Forbes Written by: Sofia Christensen, Intern Edited by: Lisa Knight, COO & Mentor