Everyone is pivoting to video, and LTK is no exception.

Amber Venz Box started as a creator on Wordpress, and founded the platform formerly known as LiketoKnow.it and RewardStyle in 2011 as an affiliate platform for bloggers, which is now often cited as one of the original social commerce platforms. Today, the affiliate space is booming, but LTK has diversified beyond its original purpose as an affiliate marketing channel, and Venz Box, who is also LTK’s president, said it now drives less than half of the platform’s revenue. (Last year, LTK reportedly generated more than $5 billion in sales from creators.)

Instead of doubling down on commissionable links, LTK is working on a bigger transformation into a publishing platform, the groundwork of which was first laid around eight years ago. Last year, Venz Box said that 7 million pieces of content were created on the platform.

Why compete in the crowded social space? The short answer is volatility, from TikTok’s still-foggy future to Instagram’s changing algorithms and link-out rules. Venz Box’s goal is for LTK to be a stable platform for creators, not just a host for links in bios.

“We are definitely playing the long game as a platform,” Venz Box told us. “We have to future-proof for our creators and their businesses.”

Continue reading here about how LTK is approaching future-proofing.—KH

Serena Williams wore the same pair of socks until she lost during tournaments. Mia Hamm had to tie her right shoelace over her left when she was lacing up her cleats. And LeBron James is famously superstitious.

Athletes from pick-up players to pros have their sacred pregame rituals, or “moments of pause,” as Matrona Filippou, Coca-Cola’s president for the global category of hydration, sports, coffee, and tea, calls them. And so do La Liga’s Lamine Yamal and Rodrygo Goes, the two newest additions to Powerade’s sponsorship roster.

Yamal and Goes are both front and center in the latest campaign under Powerade’s “Pause is Power” platform, which is focused on supporting athletes’ mental health and was inspired by Simone Biles’s decision to temporarily step away from competition during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics.

In the new ads, both soccer players are shown finding moments of reflection ahead of competing.

“We really wanted to showcase how impactful that moment is in terms of how they prepare, how they hydrate, how their whole focus…comes together at a critical time to unlock their peak performance,” Filippou told Marketing Brew. “Since we started ‘Pause is Power’ in 2022, the shift has been from education, to celebration, to emphasizing that pause isn’t a weakness, but a strength.”

Read more here about Powerade’s push into soccer.—AM

It’s no longer Oscars season, not yet Emmys season, so what’s an awards lover to do? Look to the Webbys, of course.

Last week, the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences (IADAS) honored the best of the internet across more than 100 categories with the Webby Awards, with recognition ranging from prizes for AI research to advocacy work to entertainment and digital culture. As long as it took place on the web, it was probably eligible for a Webby.

In each category, two prizes are given out: one decided by IADAS, and the other by audience vote, called the people’s voice. Though a slew of A-list celebrities (including Morning Brew, which took home two wins) will pick up their slinky-shaped trophies on May 12 at a ceremony hosted by comedian and actor Ilana Glazer, several brands and creators are also taking home a prize. Below, we highlighted the Webbys that might inspire marketers to take a stab at nabbing their own slinky trophy next year.

Beautiful brands: Rihanna’s Fenty Beauty won an award for best use of a filter with its “Which Riri Are You?” Best Lip Looks TikTok filter, and Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty took home a Webby for general social in the fashion and beauty category. Celeb beauty brands don’t seem to be logging off any time soon, huh?

Ad lovin’: Ads and sports go hand in hand, and according to the Webbys, some spots featuring athletes were made particularly well. Nike’s “Winning Isn’t For Everyone” campaign, made by agency Wieden+Kennedy, took home best copywriting, advertising, media, and PR, while Powerade’s “The Vault,” made by Ogilvy New York and featuring Simone Biles, was recognized for best video editing, craft. We’d watch these ads over and over any day.

Read more about the winners here.—JN