Kylie Jenner's 'Rise & Shine' Moment Proves the Power of Social Commerce and Audio

This past weekend, Kylie Jenner had the Internet bopping in unison to an unexpected “chart-topper.” The reality TV star uttered three simple words in her best falsetto to her and Travis Scott’s 20-month-old daughter Stormi Webster … and the Internet did its thing. 

“Rise & Shine” dominated meme culture, was embraced by Hollywood A-listers like Ariana Grande and Miley Cyrus, found itself remixed by DJs worldwide, spawned a trending challenge on TikTok, and racked up over 12 million views on the original YouTube video.

Within hours, “Rise & Shine” went from a content moment to a revenue opportunity when Jenner exclusively released two “Rise & Shine” hoodies priced at $65 each on @TheKylieShop. TMZ reported she is also attempting to trademark the phrase to cover apparel and cosmetics. 

While the ways in which the 22-year-old mogul and her fandom could have embraced “Rise & Shine” are endless, Jenner’s focus on developing a socially driven product to drop via Instagram, along with her fans’ penchant for audio-based UGC, prove there are two emerging trends in the landscape that marketers shouldn’t ignore—social commerce and the evolution of audio-based content marketing.

Kylie Jenner harnessed the power of Instagram to turn content into commerce.

Almost half of all 18- to 24-year-olds are shopping every time they check their social feeds, yet it is still rare that new products are developed based on the contents of said feed, like a trending tweet or Instagram comment. Kylie Jenner gave people what they wanted. 

Agility within product development is challenging for many brands, but today’s consumer demands it. In the age of personalization and being able to order just about anything “on demand,” consumers have come to expect a frictionless mobile buying experience that allows them to buy the things they want in the moments they care about them, from people they care about. The rising trend of social commerce allows brands to deliver on just that. You can allow your consumers to do just about anything, ranging from buying your product from the comfort of their Instagram feed via Instagram Check-Out to purchasing a jacket right off of their favorite influencer’s posts (i-Commerce).

The role of social is continuing to evolve, as it becomes a breeding ground for product development ideas and full-fledged points of sale. If brands can successfully blend consumer conversation insights with product development and a “single-click” mobile buying experience, social commerce can generate additional revenue and drive earned media success.

Audio was an essential tool for Kylie superfans and content creators to fuel “Rise & Shine.” 

Many may not realize that “Rise & Shine” began as video content because the standalone audio has quickly become synonymous with Kylie Jenner. With the rise of voice-enabled tech, the maturing of podcasts, the integration of Spotify music into Instagram Stories, and the emergence of TikTok as a key player, distinguishable audio is becoming crucial to brand identity.

With its roots squarely in audio, TikTok (formerly known as musical.ly) was a natural place for this trend to thrive. We crave relevance on social media, but we also want to maintain our personal brand. Social platforms provide the tools we need to express ourselves in OUR way. Audio is the newest addition to the toolkit, and people are embracing it. According to TMZ, in just a few short days, “Rise & Shine” has become the fastest hashtag to hit 1 billion views on the TikTok platform. The success is fueled by user-generated content that used the audio to express themselves through singing, dancing, comedy, lip-syncing and more. 

To tap into the rise of audio as a content creation tool, marketers can look at their audio suite and assess what is ownable to their brand. Do you have a well-known jingle that can underscore moments of nostalgia? Did your spokesperson have a signature tagline and memorable voice? What audio can you release that superfans can use to create content? 

Today’s consumers expect frictionless “single-click” buying experiences directly on social media and embrace branded audio as part of their content creation arsenal. Kylie’s “Rise & Shine” viral moment is more than just catchy—it defines the new Jenner-ation of consumers we’re marketing to.