🆕Your Weekly Creator Marketing Update
17/03/2024
Happy Sunday & welcome to your Weekly Creator Marketing Update
RAZORFISH LAUNCHES IN-HOUSE CREATOR OFFERING AS AGENCISE GROW CONTENT PRACTICE
TL;DR
Creator Colab will focus on five areas: using trends with their in-house creators to create content, honing brand voices with audience engagement playbooks, creating tailored experiences for different social platforms, optimizing clients’ business objectives, and increasing efficiency through its cross-disciplinary specialists to form a one-stop shop on social and creative.
HEADLINE QUOTE
“[Creators] can ride culture, connect with culture and really break through news feeds, especially with some of our younger demographics — Creating an offering like that was really helping us to kind of supercharge the way that we can meet those moments authentically, and really meet consumer mindsets on the behalf of our clients.”
OUR TAKE
I want to focus on a larger topic that comes with the trend of bringing content-creators in-house. The fact that it is widely accepted that the creator industry has developed beyond a pay-to-play IGC space only. You’ve probably seen an increase in the words “cultural relevance” and “cut-through” in relation to the creator economy, and the idea that you can “buy” your way into a vertical with sponsored posts is officially outdated - I would urge everyone to consider these two points before committing to any long-term creator activation or strategy:
How are we as a brand adding value to community and audiences that we’re trying to reach?
Relationships with creators often take centre stage - but it’s incredibly important to think about the type of relationship you want to have with their audiences. They’re the people you’re trying to “influence” after all. It’s appealing to deliver a carefully crafted and controlled message through a creator to reach audiences -but if that’s the goal you might as well stick to delivering brand-led assets to targeted audiences through paid media instead.
How are we as a brand adding value to the creators we are working with?
Avoid being seen as the brand that shows up with a pay-check. There might be agencies out there that will gladly take your money and shoehorn an activation in just to provide a source of income to their clients. Ensure your team has the structure and resources to facilitate long-term relationships with both agencies and creators. Imagine you’re the creator that you’re pitching to - why would YOU work with the brand you represent?
The idea of agencies hiring content-creators and tapping into their expertise + productising a service to deliver relevant content at scale can be incredibly appealing to brands. However, I do think there’s space for a bigger conversation around the potential impact that comes with agencies being able to own “creator collectives” and sell them accordingly.
🏭 This week’s must-reads
As the US TikTok ban advances, what does it mean for brands?
The House passed a bill that could mean an all-out US TikTok ban if it doesn’t divest from its Chinese owner, Bytedance.
Why Ronnie2K Is The Prototype For Reimagining Influencer Marketing
During my interview with Ronnie, I found that neither his official title nor his colloquial moniker fully captures his contribution to 2K. His role transcends the traditional conventions of marketing and sits at the crosshairs of sports, gaming, music, and fashion—embedding 2K into the heterogeneous cultural spaces of the community of gamers who flock to its games.
Element Human expands influencer ad testing platform to YouTube Shorts
Over 200 million creators are creating content for an audience over 4 billion people each day, however as creator content becomes increasingly commercialised, more brands are asking for proof of campaign success beyond the usual impressions and share rates,” Element Human founder and CEO, Matt Celuszak said.
Logan Paul’s Prime Hydration Offers Lessons On Influencer Marketing
Forget sponsored posts, the influencer game has leveled up. Today manufacturers and influencers are joining forces to create new brands. This win-win situation leverages content creators’ reach and expertise to develop innovative products that stand out from the crowd.