The Demise Of A Social Influencer Starmaker
A story told in 6 seconds? WHAT! No non-millennial could quite wrap their heads around social media platform Vine when it first launched in June 2012, and was quickly acquired by Twitter that October. The short-form video sharing service however managed to change how brands looked at social media by launching the careers of some well known digital faces today. By summer 2013, the rise of the "Social Media Influencer" truly began, with some reaching tens of millions of fans.
That six-second-long looping video clip however had some monetization challenges, and alas, this week was laid to rest when parent company Twitter chose to close the platform. In this blog, Hollywood Branded looks at some of the larger Vine social influencers, and what they think about the death of their first social media platform.
The Fall Of Vine
Twitter announced on October 27th, 2016 that it will discontinue the mobile app in the coming months. The website will still be up for people to watch and download their videos that were previously produced so that fans can still watch their favorite influencers, and account holders don't lose access to their past creative works. Twitter also announced at the same time a 9% workforce layoff as part of their restructuring plan. Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey in a statementthat the company plans to focus on driving growth by improving the core Twitter service. "We have a clear plan, and we're making the necessary changes to ensure Twitter is positioned for long-term growth," he said. Twitter stated that users will be notified before they make any changes to the app.
Normal People Turned Social Influencer Thanks to Vine
A number of social media celebrity influencers have been discovered on Vine's platform. This is the end of an era for them. And we are sure a hard goodbye as this is where they got their start.
We have highlighted four of Vine's biggest stars who started off as the girl or guy next door, developed massive fan bases due to Vine, and the platforms they have now embraced...
Gabbie Hanna
Gabbie Hanna was discovered on Vine for her comedy skits and has since moved over into the YouTube space. As of late, Gabbie has a social reach of about 10M+ people. She uploads story time videos every week and also has a vlog channel. Gabbie has won Teen Choice Awards for choice Viner, choice web star, and has also appeared on the Conan O'Brien show. Gabbie put out a sit down video on her feelings on Vine ending, and talks about Vine giving her a voice and giving her everything she has. Check out the video below:
Tonio Skits
Tonio Skits has a social reach of 3.5M + people. Antonio Ramos is a comedian and actor best known for his Vine skits and since Season 8, he has been one of the cast members of Wild 'N Out on MTV, and has also collaborated with actor/comedian Kevin Hart on multiple occasions.
Shawn Mendes
Shawn Mendes has a social reach of 38+ Million. Yep, we said that. Shawn Mendes went from posting clips on Vine to opening for Taylor Swift. Shawn credits his Vine cover of Justin Bieber's "As Long As You Love Me" as the moment his career began to take off. "The clip had over 10,000 likes when I woke up overnigh" Mendes told Teen Vogue, "It was a snowball effect from there."
See it here:
Nash Grier
Nash Grier has a social reach of 6M+ and he is a true social influencer personality. Not comedian, not actor, he became known for his online Vine videos in early 2013. Since being discovered, he has collaborated with Aéropostale on a clothing line as well as starred in a movie called The Outfield (look, now he's an actor!) which premiered November 10, 2015 worldwide on the iTunes Store. He recently shot another movie with Bella Thorne in April that will be in theaters in 2017.
It Might Be Dead, But There’s A Bright Side
Vine might be dead, but it has brought all of these young personalities to light. Only time will tell what will replace this app as the next best thing! And of course... how social influencers will continue to evolve and be famous for... being digitally famous!
Are you interested in learning more on how your brand can work with social media influencers? Download our infographic that provides case studies, rates and strategies for success when creating a social media influencer program.
