Dive Brief:

• Triller has pledged 50 million guaranteed views to Black creators in February in honor of Black History Month, according to a press release.
• The social video platform teamed with Walmart and NYX Professional Makeup to provide monetization opportunities and brand deals to more than 200 creators involved in its Assembly of Black Creators.
• With the pledge and partnerships, Triller is reiterating its commitment to creators — especially underrepresented and underserved ones — as it works to bridge the gap between culture, content and commerce with its platform.

Dive Insight:

Triller continues to work to establish itself as a creator-friendly platform as it tries to differentiate from short-form video competitors including TikTok, Instagram Reels, Snapchat Spotlight and YouTube Shorts. While those platforms have looked to attract creators with cash, Triller's approach revolves around exposure and facilitation of brand deals with Walmart and L'Oréal's NYX Professional Makeup.

Specifically, the initiative seeks to boost Black creators and is timed to Black History Month this February. Providing a platform, opportunities and funding for Black creators has been a frequent tactic by major marketers ever since the renewed push for racial justice began in the summer of 2020. P&G, Coca-Cola and PepsiCo brands Doritos and Lifewtr have all rolled out such efforts as a way to address systemic racism in society that also effects advertising and the arts.

"We are leading the way for social platforms to offer more equitable interactions and rewards for Black creators, who have a major impact on culture but are largely overlooked and underserved in opportunities to monetize their success," Triller CEO Mahi de Silva said in a press release. "This pledge furthers our mission to help creators optimize and monetize every piece of content and every experience they build, while bridging the gap between culture, content, and commerce that are so deeply intertwined today."

The triple point of culture, content and commerce has generated increased attention, especially as the pandemic accelerated trends that have brought all three closer together, with the global social commerce industry expected to grow three times as fast as traditional e-commerce, per Accenture. Like other social platforms, Triller has developed features that tap into the social commerce trend; NYX in July 2021 became the first brand to pilot Triller's social-selling capabilities. Similarly, retailers have looked to boost their offerings in the area, with Walmart partnering with TikTok, Twitter and TalkShopLive as part of its investment in social commerce.

In its partnership with Triller, Walmart will tap the Assembly of Black Creators, including the Collab Crib creators, to launch a "Black & Unlimited campaign" that focuses on intersectionality in Black identity. The retailer will also sponsor a summit that brings together Black creators for a slate of programming from industry leaders, cultural figures and emerging creators. The specifics of NYX's partnership with Triller are scarce, but the L'Oréal brand recently launched its Queens Celebrating Queens initiative to celebrate Black creator contributions in the beauty industry.

Since emerging in 2020, Triller and its parent company TrillerNet have made a series of acquisitions and partnerships as it seeks to built out its platform. Triller in December entered into a reverse merger with SeaChange International, a publicly traded video delivery software company, that extends the app's reach to cable, satellite and OTT media. Previously, TrillerNet rolled out Cliqz, an algorithm-free short message service platform that connects creators directly with fans.