The Daily Valet. - 10/21/20, Wednesday

✔️ The Power of Influence

October 21, 2020

Wednesday, October 21st Edition

Cory Ohlendorf, Editor in Chief of Valet.

Now I want a new TV ...

Cory Ohlendorf , Editor ⋯ @coryohlendorf

Today's edition is presented by

Today’s Big Story

How Much Influence Do Influencers Have?

With millions of followers they're often bigger than mass media and have become retailers in their own right

Being an influencer is a never-ending battle to remain relevant. Not only is the appetite for content insatiable, but platforms can emerge overnight, and new stars along with them, forcing influencers into a state of constant brand management.

But there's no doubt that they're a big part of our social media diet. And during this pandemic our social media diet has expanded significantly.

Esquire checked in on the “content houses,” that provide influencers with a lavish backdrop for the abundance of content they make each day and a business model for them to monetize it. The story proves that all that fun for TikTok isn't all that fun when you're on the hamster wheel of providing consistent content.

But it can be lucrative. In 2019, brands spent $8 billion on influencers. And it's not just sponsored content and endorsements. According to Vogue, when influencers started appearing in street style photos during Fashion Week in the early '10s, the talk was that they would soon replace editors. But they're more likely to replace traditional retailers.

While some influencers are launching their own brands, the more compelling opportunity lies in the buzziest of words: curation. Maybe that’s a pop-up shop filled with an influencer’s favorite brands—something that could become easier and more affordable as retail spaces empty and rents decrease—or, for influencers with a global audience, a similar shopping experience online.

Of course, people can debate the artistic merit of what influencers produce, but there’s no denying these kids have hustle. “The hardest part about being an influencer is the credibility of the industry,” one creator tells Esquire. “People don’t understand how hard we work. People ask, ‘What do you even do?’ It’s a fun job, but it’s not easy.”

↦ Spooky: Are you afraid of influencers? New comic I Breathed a Body shows why you should be.

545 Migrant Children Remain Parentless

The parents were likely deported before a federal judge ordered that they be found

Lawyers appointed by a federal judge to identify migrant families who were separated at the U.S. border say that they have yet to track down the parents of over 500 children, reports NBC News.

It's believed that about two-thirds of those parents were deported to Central America without their children, according to a filing Tuesday from the American Civil Liberties Union.

The Trump administration instituted a "zero tolerance" policy in 2018, separating migrant children and parents at the southern border. The White House later confirmed that it had actually begun separating families in 2017 under a pilot program.

The filing from the Justice Department and the ACLU is part of an ongoing effort to identify and reunite families separated during that pilot program, more than two years after the "zero tolerance" policy was created.

↦ Dig Deeper: Harvard's Center for the Developing Child digs deeper into the policy and the effects of separating children.

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The Third Wave of COVID-19 Is Here

And unfortunately, it’s getting worse

After weeks of spread and warnings in certain areas, a third surge of coronavirus infections has now firmly taken hold across much of the United States, reports the New York Times.

The latest wave—which is raging most acutely in the Midwest and the West, but is also growing in various areas around the country—threatens to be the worst of the pandemic yet. While more extensive testing accounts for a percentage of this increased infections, positivity and hospitilization rates are also on the rise.

According to Fast Company, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana and Wisconsin have all reached troubling new case rates: over 300 cases per 100,000 people. But the general upward trend extends beyond those states. Now, 45 states are seeing increased case numbers.

Which means the virus is spreading countrywide. It's not concentrated in any one region, as it was during the previous waves. And it's coming as cooler weather is forcing people indoors—testing the discipline of those who are finding it harder and harder to turn down invitations to see friends or plan holidays with family.

↦ FYI: A 14-year-old girl won a $25K prize for a discovery that could lead to a cure for COVID-19.

You Can Now Buy LG’s Rollable OLED TV

Or you could buy a very nice car

After years of teasing, LG is finally selling a rollable OLED TV. The RX-branded Signature OLED R launched in South Korea this week, offering a 65-inch 4K display that tucks away into its base at the press of a button.

This isn't a projection screen. And it's not a flatscreen that lowers into a deep box. Use the full view to enjoy movies, lower it to line view as a dashboard for the time and music, or roll it down completely to keep the screen nicely hidden. It's exactly what you think of when it comes to a television of the future. But that modernity comes at a cost.

The new screen rings in at $87,000. According to Engadget, for that price, it comes in an aluminum base that buyers can have engraved with a personal message, and their choice of four colors for the speaker cover. There's no word on a launch outside of Korea, but interested buyers should stay tuned.

↦ Dig Deeper: Want to really dig into the specs? LG has all the technical info and awards the screen has taken home since its announcement.

In Other News

Other Things We’re Talking About Today

Apple taking on MTV

Rules for better skin

Uncommon sources of protein

Special Promotion

Close the Orgasm Gap

If you haven’t heard of it, you might need this

Have you heard of the orgasm gap? According to Dr. Justin Lehmiller, a social psychologist and researcher at The Kinsey Institute, men orgasm more consistently during sex than women. Not exactly surprising, until you look at the hard numbers. According to a study of more than 50,000 heterosexual relationships, men said they orgasm during sex 95% of the time. Women? A little more than half of that. And these numbers mirror other recent surveys. In short, it’s a problem that should be addressed.

The solution starts by dialing up the pleasure in the bedroom. Promescent, the modern sexual wellness brand, says one of its best-sellers is the Female Arousal Gel. The long-lasting gel hybrid is silky and slippery—designed to be used with a partner or solo. It's made to target her most sensitive areas while heightening her arousal and pleasure. But what's it really feel like? Well, the company says it provides a gentle buzzing sensation that you begin feeling within five minutes of application. What's more, a little goes a long way. You'll need just a pea-sized amount, so this tiny tube can get up to 75 uses. And then there's the 100% satisfaction guarantee. So there's really no way for anyone to be left unfulfilled.

↦ Get It: $19.95 / $16.95 w/code VALET15 at Promescent

What We’re Buying

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