X Tries Again with Live Shopping, This Time with Paris Hilton
X, formerly known as Twitter, has inked a first-of-its-kind deal with Paris Hilton, aiming to bolster its platform’s revenues under the leadership of CEO Linda Yaccarino. The two-year partnership will see Hilton collaborate with X to create four original video programs annually, encompassing live shopping and other exclusive content.
Hilton, who is probably the world’s first online influencer and one the biggest brands of the 2000s, will produce content across various X platforms, including the Spaces audio feature. The agreement includes a “mutually beneficial” revenue-sharing arrangement between Hilton’s 11:11 Media company and X.
Her content will cover a range of topics, such as Halloween, music, motherhood, and cooking, and she will also help promote the platform’s new products and feature releases. And in true “#sliving” fashion, X will help secure brand sponsorships for Hilton’s programs on the platform.
Hilton’s recent projects include a lot of exclusive content: on YouTube Originals for the 2020 documentary This Is Paris, which has been viewed over 70 million times, Netflix for the 2021 cooking show Cooking with Paris, and Peacock for the 2021 reality show Paris in Love. Calling her “the queen of pop culture, music, business, and TV” may be pushing it a little.
Time for Linda
Linda Yaccarino, who assumed the role of CEO in June, and has finally started sharing some of the limelight with owner Elon Musk recently, faces the difficult job of reviving the company’s revenues, which have seen a sharp 60% decline since Musk acquired it for $44 billion almost a year ago.
Yaccarino has embarked on an initiative to court Hollywood groups, including the Creative Artists Agency and United Talent Agency, as part of her strategy to attract stars, influencers, users, and advertisers to the platform. These partnerships aim to boost audiences, increase ad sales, and facilitate sponsorship and brand deals.
This week, Yaccarino is scheduled to present her strategy (or at least, her vision) to Morgan Stanley, Bank of America, Barclays, MUFG, BNP Paribas, Mizuho, and Société Générale, the lenders that funded Musk’s takeover.
X seems to like a good throwback. Then called Twitter, the company initially ventured into live shopping in 2021, to little success. They’re trying again by offering a product that allows users to watch, interact, and shop within the same window during livestreams. With the partnership, users can browse a product catalog and make purchases through the in-app browser while watching a livestream with Hilton on X.
X is entering the live shopping arena at a time when other social media giants like TikTok are also investing in this feature in Western markets. Meta and YouTube have also ventured into live shopping with limited success as Western consumers have yet to get a grasp of the format.
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