December 11, 2023
This week, David Beckham’s heart outdoes his left foot, coffee runs get super-charged and it pays to be creative.
David Beckham hands Instagram account to Ukrainian doctor
David Beckham’s followers got to experience a day in the life of a Ukrainian doctor after he handed over control of his Instagram. Iryna, head of the regional perinatal centre in the city of Kharkiv, took over Beckham’s account to give previously unseen, real-time insight into life as a health worker in the conflict. Throughout Sunday, she shared videos and photographs from the basement where new mothers and pregnant women were evacuated on the first day of the Russian invasion, as well as the intensive care unit where babies were being treated. “I’m going to show you how we work in times of war and who we have become during these war days,” she told his followers, showing how the war had affected the work of her team. Beckham, who is a Unicef Ambassador, said he wanted to highlight the work that medical staff are doing to save lives and encouraged his followers to donate to Unicef, which is working to support Ukrainian residents. Best Instagram account takeover ever?
TikTok’s highest earning creators
Charlie D’Amelio has been named as TikTok’s highest earning creator for 2022, making a staggering ¢17.5 million. The 17 year old shot to fame when she began recreating viral dance videos and has become one of the platform’s biggest success stories to date, also achieving the top spot for most followers. Her sister, Dixie D’Amelio, comes in second place with ¢10 million annually, with Addison Rae at third, earning ¢8.5 million.
Gone are the days where content creation was just for fun. The creator economy has exploded in recent years, becoming the fastest-growing form of small business and major social media platforms are doing whatever they can to drive that growth - especially TikTok. The platform is known for supporting and championing its creators - ‘its heart and soul’ - and regularly releases features and posts to help them turn their creativity and passions into something greater, including a dedicated Creator Portal designed to help them develop, grow and monetise their creativity.
Top 10 Highest Paid TikTok Influencers of 2022
Starbucks turns coffee shops into EV charging points
Starbucks has partnered with Volvo Cars to turn its stores into EV charging points. Well, some of them. The companies have banded together in an effort to improve charging infrastructure in the country by creating a public EV charging network that is as easy and convenient as a coffee run. The scheme, which is in its pilot phase, will see Volvo work with ChargePoint DC to install as many as 60 Volvo-branded fast chargers at Starbucks locations along a 1,350 mile route from Denver to the company’s Seattle headquarters. In an announcement, the companies said they would closely monitor and assess the usage of the chargers before deciding on the expansion of the scheme nationwide. The scheme is scheduled to begin this summer, with installation complete by the end of the year. Starbucks has been a huge player in environmental and socially responsible business for many years now, taking a number of steps on its path to becoming a resource positive, planet friendly company. And this is another pretty big one. Good going.
