Before we say goodbye to February, let’s see what publishers and advertisers can learn from the month of love! Of course, consumers focused on Valentine’s Day, but they showed other topics some lovin’, too.
Thankfully, for the first time in a long time, we can say with data-backed confidence that COVID-related content wasn’t on readers’ minds as much as other things. What a welcome relief!
So, which hot topics drove the most clicks?
We sifted through Skimlinks’ publisher data (a Taboola company) from February 1st – 14th to reveal the trends that mattered most. Publishers, consider working these topics into your content strategy to increase readership. Advertisers, align your product messaging and ad campaigns with these topics to drive engagement.
A quick overview of trends:
- Samsung dialed up interest by announcing the Galaxy S22.
- Brides have shifted from searching to buying.
- The most popular Valentine’s Day gift guides focused on someone surprising.
- Gameday searches weren’t just about watching the game.
Below, we’ll highlight key data points, discuss what they mean, and offer ways to apply the trends to capture reader attention, generate clicks, and boost revenue.
Samsung Is a Star with Its Galaxy S22 Announcement
At its February 9th virtual Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung unveiled its latest device lineup with a video ad that channeled the hit TV show Bridgerton and took a swipe at Apple.
Galaxy S22 models dominated the Skimlinks sales charts. Across our global publisher network, we recorded almost 1,000 sales, totaling over $497,000 in order value.
The Takeaway: Create content and ad campaigns about all Galaxy S22 models. Think about review and comparison articles, highlight special features, discuss trade-in deals and point consumers to where they can purchase devices. Don’t forget to sign up for an affiliate program that works with Samsung to capitalize on your efforts.
Here Come the Brides
Brides are a busy bunch and in full-on planning mode. We saw this trend emerge last month, and in our January 2022 Publisher Trends report, and noted that articles featuring guides about the best places to buy bridesmaids and wedding dresses performed well and drove substantial traffic.
Now, in February, after a month of scouting and narrowing down their choices, it looks like brides are beginning to convert on these items. Sales related to bridalwear were up 40% month-over-month (MoM). We expect those numbers to hold steady, if not increase, as Valentine’s Day is often a popular day of the year to get engaged.
Whether brides watched Marry Me for wedding inspo from the fashion queen herself, or were in the mood for romance, articles discussing Jennifer Lopez’s film were trending.
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The Takeaway: Wedding bells will be ringing throughout the year so work this theme into your content and ad campaigns. Advertisers and publishers in almost any category can tap into this trend. The fashion vertical can focus on wardrobe shopping guides, and travel-oriented brands can promote venues and honeymoon destinations. Food brands can discuss catering trends, and design brands can explore floral arrangements and color schemes. The list goes on.
Valentine’s Day: Cupid’s Arrows Strike in Many Directions
As we see with all holidays, the top-performing content is always in the form of a guide. Titles such as Valentine’s Day Things to Do, Valentine’s Day Dinner Delivery Services, Valentine’s Day Gifts for Kids, and Valentine’s Day Gifts for Long Distance Relationships all made a strong showing in terms of generating traffic.
The top-performing content is consistently Gifts for Her and Gifts for Him, and this is where things get interesting. This year, Gifts for Him outperformed Gifts for Her for the first time ever, earning 57% of the overall clicks and 52% of the overall sales. For perspective, in 2021, Gifts for Her captured 53% of overall clicks and 61% of overall sales.
The at-home experience trend from the pandemic continued as top-selling products included DIY hot sauce and truffles kits and more traditional pre-made boxes of chocolates.
Publishers earned the most revenue from clothing, lingerie, and beauty products. The break-out trend in terms of content and products came from Gift Guides for Those in Long-Distance Relationships, which included tech items designed to connect couples across cities, states, and countries.
The Takeaway: Even though the holiday is over, these insights can help power strategies (and you can find more trends in our Valentine’s Day Gift Guide). The top-selling products imply some pandemic trends are here to stay, and you can promote them all year long. Concentrate on the at-home DIY food trend, comfy WFH clothes, and items that facilitate a connection.
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The Game: Go Big or Go Shopping
The age of cord-cutting means that many consumers may not have access to local broadcasts to watch the big game. Plenty of trends emerged around the event, and fans that wanted to cheer on their team or watch the epic commercials flocked to guides that offered viewing tips.
Regardless of which team took home the trophy, the real winners were off the field and TV screens. The greatest conversions occurred on articles that pointed consumers to sites selling fan gear. Articles with the term “super-bowl” in the URL achieved a mind-blowing 91% more sales year-over-year (YoY) and 24% greater order value YoY.
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The Takeaway: Sports are back in action, and fans are thrilled about it. Pushing out content that tells them how to watch, which networks or streaming services have deals, and where to buy tickets and fan gear should perform well, regardless of the sport.
Put Trends into Action
Valentine’s Day is over, but you can apply the emerging trends to your content strategy and ad campaigns for the upcoming months. Keep in mind that although COVID isn’t dominating headlines, some of the behaviors consumers adopted may be more ingrained now.
As we always recommend:
- Join affiliate programs and promote products that balance revenue opportunities with consumer trends.
- Guides are always winners, so be creative and don’t wait for a holiday to create some.
- The words in ad headlines and URLs matter. Choose yours with care (and consult Taboola Trends for data-backed recommendations).