How Brands Are Utilizing Clubhouse a Drop-in Audio App

Key Takeaways

Clubhouse is a new invite-only, drop-in audio app that launched in July 2020. The app was designed for users to meet, talk and share ideas in real-time.  You can create and join "rooms" - which are similar to a conference call. These topic-based rooms often feature influencers, thought-leaders or celebrities.

The app spiked in interest and downloads in Nov. '20, peaking in Feb. '21. Clubhouse recently launched worldwide on Android in May '21 and is anticipating a general release for this summer. 

Currently, Clubhouse does not offer any paid advertising within the platform. Here are some of the ways brands have organically been utilizing the platform:

1. Q&As: CEOs/Founders have been hosting or appearing on clubs to answer questions and engage with customers. These Q&A panels can increase brand awareness, position the brand as a leader, and increase its credibility and transparency. 
   

2. Sponsored Rooms: Brands have been sponsoring rooms to reach broad audiences and provide a positive brand experience.
   

3. Participating in Trends: Brands have been using trends or popular clubs to join Clubhouse. A popular room on Clubhouse (Shots on Club) was able to leverage their new fame to establish themselves as a brand. 
   

4. Hosting Rooms: Brands are hosting rooms on Clubhouse to drive engagement and promote activations. IHOP ran a successful room for the launch of their new Steakhouse Premium Bacon. 
   

5. Partnerships: Brands have been leveraging influencers and thought-leaders on Clubhouse to reach niche audiences and increase their brand's influence. Partnerships can vary from hosting clubs to mid-roll ads (similar to podcasts).

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Clubhouse — an invite-only social media platform that focuses on live discussions in virtual “rooms.” Clubhouse first launched in March 2020 by Paul Davidson and Rohan Seth. Its popularity began to skyrocket in December 2020 after several high-profile appearances on the app, including Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk.

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The app was designed for users to meet, talk and share ideas in real-time. You can create and join "rooms" - which are similar to a conference call.

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Clubhouse launched in beta version in July of 2020. The app was invite-only, meaning one had to be invited by an existing user in order to join the app. Since launching, the app has generated 362K downloads on average in the US per month. 

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This invite-only app had a significant spike in search interest increasing by +76% MoM in Feb. ‘21.

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As of Feb. ‘21, Clubhouse reports having over 10M users and that people are spending over an hour on the platform per day.

Part of Clubhouse’s appeal is its exclusivity - an existing member must invite you to join. When the app first launched, the users were mainly venture capitalists or founders. Since the platform's significant growth (Dec. ‘20 - Feb. ‘21), users demographics have started to diversify. 

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The app first launched on iOS worldwide and later rolled out on Android in the US in May ‘21. Clubhouse officially released the app on the Google Play Store worldwide in mid-May '21 and since has gained over 2M new Android users. Clubhouse is planning for a general release for summer ‘21, meaning no invite needed to join. 

Currently, Clubhouse does not offer any paid advertising within the platform. Here are some of the ways brands have organically been utilizing the platform:

1. Q&As

Brands are hosting or appearing on clubs to open up the conversation with their audience in a Q&A panel format.

CEOs/founders have been hosting Q&A sessions on Clubhouse to increase awareness, position the brand as a leader in the industry, increase credibility and transparency, humanize and organically engage with customers. 

2. Sponsored Rooms

Brands have been sponsoring events/rooms on Clubhouse by partnering with established clubs and using these platforms to interact with a wider audience. Sponsored events can reach larger audiences and allow for the user to have a positive experience with the brand. 

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Clubroll is a website that launched in Jan. ‘21 that connects clubs/events with brands or influencers on Clubhouse or vise versa. 

3. Following Trends

Brands are hopping on trends to get noticed by a broad range of users and participate in conversations on Clubhouse. Recess, a beverage brand, moderated the trending room - “NYU girls roasting tech guys”.

Recess promoted the event on their Instagram and Twitter account. “peach ginger” is one of Recess’ flavour personas who acted as the room moderator during the show starring Elon Musk.

“NYU girls roast tech guys” aka “Shots on Club” was created as a interactive comedy/dating game on Clubhouse. The club went viral and has since featured many celebrities and tech industry leaders. From this trend, they were able to create and establish the room as a brand. 

They now have a website, newsletter, chat forum, and have established a significant following on Twitter and Instagram. 

4. Hosting Rooms

Brands are hosting rooms on Clubhouse to drive engagement and promote activations. 

IHOP took a creative approach to promote their new Steakhouse Premium Bacon on Clubhouse. They hosted a 8-hour room on Clubhouse which featured the sound of their sizzling bacon all day. 

5. Partnerships

Brands are leveraging influencers and thought-leaders to target engaged listeners, reach niche audiences and increase their brand’s influence.

Influencer marketing on Clubhouse offers a unique opportunity for brands to reach niche audiences. Brands can leverage influencers to promote their brand with strategic partnerships or with mid-roll ads similar to those on podcasts. By choosing to join a room, listeners have shown a vested interest in the topic and likely views the speaker as trustworthy and credible.

Pernod Ricard cognac Martell partnered with Karen Civil to celebrate black female entrepreneurs during Black History Month. The partnership entailed a weekly Clubhouse show during Feb. ‘21, which was hosted by Martell and Civil and featured black female entrepreneurs. 

There are already hundreds of influencers on Clubhouse that brands can partner with. Here are some of the top accounts: