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Why TV Is Handing Out Fewer Roses to Would-Be Influencers; The Trouble With TBPN Going In-House
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Good morning. Today, a canceled “Bachelorette” is just the latest sign that aspiring influencers need a new pipeline to fame. Plus: A tech-industry enthusiast makes its enthusiasm official.
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Contestants on the new season of ‘The Bachelorette’ could miss their shot at fame after ABC pulled the premiere. Alamy Stock Photo
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The suitors on Taylor Frankie Paul’s unaired season of “The Bachelorette” can’t play it cool now if they hoped the show would make them influencers.
The influencer-entertainment complex had already become much tougher than in the days when marketers would almost automatically pay a premium for anyone from the “Bachelor” franchise, according to Lindsay Nead, founder of influencer rep firm Parker Management.
“If you know how to do social and you know how to brand yourself, then you obviously can have a much more lucrative opportunity in front of you,” Nead told the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Megan Graham during a conversation after the “Bachelorette” misfire. “But it’s not like old-school, ‘You go on a show, now you have a million followers.’”
Nead cautioned that she doesn’t know what restrictions these “Bachelorette” suitors’ contracts contain, but said any would-be influencers among them should think about ways to get out there and talk about doing a season that wasn’t aired.
I asked Megan whether the balance of power between marketers and influencers is changing. She said:
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In the olden days of the influencer marketing world—by that, I mean 10 to 15 years ago—it was so much easier to get a massive following, and consumers were a whole lot less skeptical of the whole enterprise.
But there have been so many high-profile influencer lies (about work they’ve had done, or specialty diets they’ve done to look a certain way) that consumers have a much keener eye when a creator says something about a product they’re promoting.
In turn, marketers have had to sharpen their approach. No longer can they hope someone with a massive following will automatically generate sales. I think often of the influencer with well over two million followers who tried in vain to sell 36 t-shirts. Some said that situation made clear the influencer bubble had burst. I don’t think that’s true—it’s just becoming much more ROI-driven and geared toward handing the microphone to people who are perceived as authentic and have engaged audiences.
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Content from our sponsor: Deloitte
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AI World Models: What Leaders Should Know
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By simulating the real world as a machine learning system, world models can generate fully formed, explorable 3D environments. Read More
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‘TBPN’ hosts Jordi Hays and John Coogan announce the OpenAI deal on their show.
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Could OpenAI’s surprising acquisition of TBPN, the online tech-business talk show favored by tech bros and Silicon Valley execs, undermine the qualities that made it attractive in the first place?
The ChatGPT maker called the deal partly a means to get marketing and comms help from TBPN staff, the WSJ Leadership Institute’s Katie Deighton pointed out when she broke the news.
A YouTube show isn’t your everyday acqui-hire, but sure, why not? OpenAI could use the assist after its recent run of Super Bowl roasting, “really painful” backlash and hard pivots.
The other aspect seems more dubious to me.
OpenAI ownership of TBPN will encourage “constructive conversation” about the impact of AI, according to a staff memo from Fidji Simo, who recently rebranded her role at the company from CEO of applications to “CEO of AGI deployment.”
Some of that encouragement will come in the form of more production resources and a higher profile. But also, the Journal’s Berber Jin and Isabella Simonetti write in a follow-up,
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OpenAI executives are hoping that, by giving Hays and Coogan access to the company’s latest research and culture, they will be able to absorb OpenAI’s messaging into their content.
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That ability was always there, though, along with a fair amount of the inclination; the whole tech business was already a friend of this pod.
The problem is that making TBPN a house organ—promises of editorial independence aside—could easily undercut its impact.
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Three Things I’m Watching
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“Devil Wears Prada 2” cross-marketing: The running list of tie-ins includes a Tweezerman x “The Devil Wears Prada 2” collection, limited-edition Diet Coke packaging, themed products from official #dwp2 hair brand TRESemmé and this comedic spot promoting Zillow rentals. Voluminous movie collaborations aren’t new or necessarily bad, but it seems like this franchise might work best with high-end brands.
Rising costs: Amazon said it will levy a 3.5% fuel surcharge on independent merchants that sell through its platform, a cost that sellers might pass on to shoppers. It becomes the latest company to tack on fees related to energy costs as the Iran war continues.
Bad news for Blake Lively—but also for Justin Baldoni’s PR team: A judge threw out Blake Lively’s sexual-harassment claims against “It Ends With Us” co-star and director Justin Baldoni, significantly narrowing her case as it approaches trial. The case will still consider claims including retaliation by Baldoni’s production company Wayfarer Studios and aiding and abetting by Baldoni’s public-relations operation.
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“This is not a logo where someone just keyed in some words and pressed a button!”
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— Rachel Smith, owner of The Salty Otter in Santa Cruz, Calif., after her restaurant was flooded with one-star reviews protesting her use of AI to help make a new logo. Smith said she was switching the logo again, to plain text this time, because the one-star reviews were hurting her business.
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59
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Number of chief marketing officers who were disclosed as named executive officers at Russell 3000 companies in 2025, down from 91 in 2021, according to The Conference Board, “suggesting that many companies are placing greater weight on commercial, pricing, and revenue leadership than on traditional brand and marketing leadership when determining top-tier executive prominence.”
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The community where marketing leaders drop the corporate speak and share what’s actually happening. The WSJ CMO Council unites leaders from the world’s most influential brands including Adobe, Audi, Google, IBM, Intel, Johnson & Johnson, Meta, Taco Bell, P&G and Verizon.
Tap into the connections and WSJ intelligence that move careers forward and separate the prepared from the scrambling.
Request Information
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Why filling up your Easter basket is so expensive despite much-lower cocoa prices. [WSJ]
How the CEO of Alix Earle’s new acne-care line prepared for the inevitable skepticism and criticism. [Glossy]
Adidas opened a new Manhattan flagship for its Originals brand that will feature residencies, collaborations and programming with a “Creative Class” including musicians, artists and organizers. [Footwear News]
Starbucks will begin allowing tipping for baristas when customers pay with credit or debit cards for mobile orders. Mobile tipping had been available only to people using Starbucks cards. [WSJ]
Is this company’s lead for marketing and corporate communications actually a gen-AI fiction? [FT]
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