When a brand like Carls Jr. launches a product at this year’s Super Bowl, and goes with a creator spokesperson (i.e., Alix Earle’s hangover burger) over a traditional celebrity, it’s worth taking notice. As influencers and creators have taken over marketing budgets, brands are beginning to understand how to get the biggest bang for their influencer buck — we’re seeing creators show up in bigger ways than ever before.
Representing millions of jobs and valued at $250B globally, creators are no longer a niche, and authenticity is a big reason marketers point to for the industry’s growth. On average, about half of Gen Z audiences feel a stronger personal connection to their favorite creator than a traditional celebrity. And across all ages, as we spend more time on social media, we are also more inclined to value the recommendation of someone we know — or feel we know — when making a purchase. But even with all of these indicators, not all brands are seeing a strong ROI from their creator program and not all creators are able to deliver for every brand — so what marks the difference between a successful campaign and a flop? To unlock the full benefits of creator partnerships, the best marketers are learning to treat creators as true creative partners.
Creators Should Not Be Contractors, but Collaborators
To start, creators with smaller followings but a strong creative vision are in-demand and performing well.In Deloitte’s Creator Economy in 3D report, researchers found that the brands reporting at least a 40% return on investment or more from their creator initiatives were also 1.4 times more likely to place the highest importance on choosing creators for their creative vision.
Look no farther than March Madness, where brands ranging from Under Armour to Nyx and Skims flocked to sign up college students for NIL contracts — some of whom have relatively minimal followings. In the case of the water brand Niagara, they partnered with a waterboy who started the tournament with under 3K followers. This tracks with the vast majority of NIL deals: one HBR study found that over 50% of the student-athletes whom top brands partner with have under 50K followers and 14% between 2K and 5K, which pales in comparison to a pro or celebrity. Rather than high-visibility being the be-all end-all, the bet brands increasingly make with their creator marketing strategy is one of content resonance and high audience engagement. Which is far from being in lock step with the size of a creator’s following.
When working with brands at Pearpop, we’ve found the best campaigns strike a perfect balance of finding the right creators, and then co-developing branded narratives and the right amplification strategy.
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We recently collaborated on a lineup of products powered by new processors. After narrowing in on a target audience (less tech-savvy consumers) and goal (product awareness), we landed on a collaboration with the creator best known for cinema-quality videos simplifying complex concepts.
Drawing inspiration from his existing work, we pitched him on developing an edu-tainment video series. The resulting campaign — three explainers delving into the tech behind processor speed and battery life — reached a receptive audience offline at physical retail locations and on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok, well exceeding our goals for reach and driving a hyper efficient cost-per-click. A huge part of the campaign’s effectiveness goes back to knowing the creator, their brand and serving as the client’s bridge to a symbiotic creative concept.
When a collaboration works, creators drive influence wherever they are — which can be outside of socials. As marketers recognize the impact of creator authenticity, the very structure of creator brand partnerships are changing, evolving away from endorsements and towards shared creative ownership.
Final Thoughts
An overwhelming majority of U.S. marketers plan to launch a co-created product or service with a creator in the coming months, giving creators room not just to amplify a message but actively map out new points for customer acquisition. We’re also seeing greater investment in ambassador programs and a turn to more sustained, episodic content – partnerships that are longer-lasting and give room for more ambitious content. Think of brand collaborations with creators like Kareem Rahma of the “Subway Takes” series or Sean Evans of YouTube’s Hot Ones, which in essence are positioning brands less as product recommendations and more like a one-episode guest character arc.
With the growth of creators as true creative partners, we’re seeing a new phase of evolution in the creator economy, one in which brands access and better resonate with new audiences, and creators are building new revenue streams on the strength of not only their following but incomparable insight into niche audiences.
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