TikTok Coming To A TV Near You
By: Sergio Saucedo

TikTok has just announced a new partnership with Samsung where all smart TVs (2018 model and above) will have a dedicated TikTok app. The app will look familiar to most, by providing access to your “For You” page and videos from the accounts you follow. The main difference is that the rest of the app will be categorized according to 12 different content categories ranging from comedy to food tutorials. 

TikTok’s push into the Connected TV space comes at the perfect time for two reasons:

1. With new stay-at-home orders in effect across the globe, more people are spending time in their homes and looking for new ways to stay entertained.
    
2. The market is huge, “72% of households with wireless internet now stream video on their connected TV screens” according to a ComScore report.

For now, this new app will only be available in Europe starting with their launch in the UK. We can imagine if this is successful it will roll out globally and have many opportunities for advertisers as they roll out new ad units, similar to what YouTube has done in the Connected TV space. However, if you're anything like me, this will only aid in doubling the amount of time already spent scrolling through TikTok. 

Cyberpunk 2077: Fashioning Gaming
By: Jiho Chung 

Released December 10, the much anticipated video game Cyberpunk 2077 has made waves especially with gaming reaching new peaks in activity (creating a new record of having the highest number of simultaneous players in a single-player game) and revenue due to COVID. Reuters has reported gaming revenue at $159B just in May. In addition to its release, Cyberpunk 2077 partnered with Hypebeast via its creative arm, Hypemaker, launching a line of streetwear merchandise based on the title’s futuristic virtual world.

Teamed with Japanese Horishi Fujiwara, otherwise recognized as the “Godfather of Streetwear” with his globally-recognized Nike collaborations in the 90s and 2000s, Hypebmaker released its line in both digital and physical presence with HBX made for the endemic and non-core audience. In a matter of hours, most of the inventory has already been sold out attesting to how consumers are tuning into other venues for fashion: their consoles.

Now, this hasn’t been the first time fashion and gaming worlds have collided. Earlier this year, Louis Vuitton signed up League of Legends to unveil the capsule collection. But, none have attained such level of success.

Pinterest Predicts Interests
By: Natalie Chaney

While many social platforms and tech companies are focused on 2020 wrap-ups and years in review, Pinterest has their sights set on the future with their 2021 trend predictions: Pinterest Predicts. Or, as they like to call it, their not-yet-trending report. 

This year the list has tripled in size, and not only includes wonderful insights on why each trend has made the cut, but also tips on how brands can tap into them. Among these predictions, below are a few we can’t wait to see:

• World play 

• Rainbrows

• Invest in rest (shoutout to sleep)

• Getaway car

• Epic charcuterie

People use Pinterest to find tomorrow’s ideas, which makes them quite the credible source when it comes to what’s next. And with their 80% accuracy on 2020’s Pinterest Predicts, the list is something worth paying attention to. 

Find their full list of trends here, or a PDF version here.