Creators Are Becoming ‘The Core of Cultural Shifts’

Authenticity is key. The phrase appears in virtually every conversation about influencer marketing. And while it remains accurate, panelists at a group chat at ADWEEK House during Advertising Week New York, sponsored by creator marketing agency The Shelf, dove deeper into how working with creators is changing. “Four or five years ago, it used to be, ‘What are influencers doing? Can we just get somebody to pay them and get them to produce content?’” The Shelf co-founder and CEO Atul Singh said. But now, creators impact both the top of the funnel (awareness) and the bottom of the funnel (conversion). “They are not just standing on the sidelines. They are becoming the core of the cultural shifts that we are seeing," Singh added Comedian and content creator Tess Tregellas, senior video producer at women-focused media and entertainment brand Betches Media, noted the move from videos being 30 seconds or shorter to one minute or longer. On the brand side, Maram Aoudi, senior director of consumer engagement at hair repair brand K18 Biomimetic Hairscience, said influencer marketing “used to be a lever you activate, and then you move on. It's part of marketing. But for us at K18, they're integrated into everything that we do.” Singh also noted a shift in aesthetics. “Some people three, four years ago, looked so beautiful, photogenic, and now it's all raw because that's what is working now.” Finding the fit The panelists discussed finding the elusive fit between brands and creators. “I love when [brands] boost my ego," Tregellas said. "Tell me you love this video. Tell me you're obsessed with me. Then I'll fall in love with you, and then we'll work together. So, it's like dating. Tell me you love me first, please.” K18 handles its influencer marketing in-house, zeroing in on both its professional hairstylist community and consumer influencers who use its products. The relationships those creators have with their communities are more important to Aoudi than follower counts. Involving creators The role of creators in the development process crept into the conversation, with Singh saying that brands should ask creators for their input. "You will be shocked. They will take a lot of your work away from you, and they will do the majority of the brainstorming for you because that's what they like to do.” Aoudi takes a similar approach, adding, “We look to the creator to come up with the concept, the creative. (We give them) three points that set the product apart that we really want to focus on, and we just kind of let them run with it.” Dealing with failure Finally, the panelists spoke about their mindset when a campaign or part of a campaign flops. “I always say, ‘Don't be afraid to flop,’ because with social, it's there and then it's gone,” Aoudi said. “A huge cool part about working in social is that you test and learn a lot, and you are allowed to flop, and it lasts 30 seconds, and it's over, and then no one really cares.” “It still hurts, guys,” Tregellas added. “The pain is real. The lows are low, and the highs are freaking high. When you hit a video that does well, you can feel your dopamine shift. And then when you get one that does 1,000 views or something, you're just like, ‘Who am I?’” She concluded, “The algorithm is a dirty, dirty man.”

Influencers & Creators

Creators Are Becoming ‘The Core of Cultural Shifts’

Panelists at an ADWEEK House chat discuss finding the right fit and dealing with failure

David Cohen

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David Cohen