When It Comes to Creators, Brands Have Never Had More Options

Editor’s note: This piece is part of our Columnist Network series, which explores the tactical thoughts and actions from Adweek’s community of high-level experts. Today, Collab’s Will Eagle walks us through the different types of creatives active online today. Below, in his own words, he says working with them is not a one-size-fits-all for brands. Often, brands looking to integrate creators into their marketing efforts immediately think of the biggest of names—those recognizable, soon-to-be-household names who every day become more like traditional celebrities. As the creator economy continues to grow, so do the types of people who exist within it. Let’s take a look at some of the types of creators you can consider. Each has a role in your marketing efforts, and each has something valuable to offer. Creators vs. creatives vs. copycats I like to think of creators in three different flavors. There are creators, who are platform natives. They know how to create content, grow their audience, collaborate with brands and make the algorithm work to their advantage. In contrast, creatives is the name I give to people who create, though it could easily be for a Broadway stage or a fictional novel as much as TikTok or YouTube. These creatives create first, then go to the platform that best realizes their art, without necessarily being tied to that platform. Lastly, there are copycats, who follow the lead of creators (and sometimes creatives) to eke out a reasonable career, even if there’s no original thinking at play. For them, it's not about the content, and it’s not even about the platform—it’s about using ideas to work the algorithm in pursuit of clout and money. If you’re a marketer, work with creators first. You’ll be working with people who have collaborated with brands before, and the process will be simpler. Work with creatives if the project demands it—for example, if you’re wanting creative assets that are more like art than an ad. Copycats can be used for scale if you just need more, but be careful. Watch to ensure what they produce jives well with your brand and be sure to ask about their audience engagement. Celebrity creators Diving into creators, the first big bucket is "celebrity," defined here as classic celebrities (musicians, actors, etc.) as well as those creators whose audiences are 25 million or more. My favorite example here is @Lizzo on TikTok with 19.5 million followers. Lizzo creates content based on trends, uses platform features like Duets, gives us insight into her life and work, and easily switches from full red carpet glamor to lounging in her caftan by the pool, sans makeup, sipping a cocktail. Mega (15-25 million), macro (5-15 million) and mid-tier (1-5 million) I’m not counting out the big names, so let’s cover those first. Most big brands will be working with creators in these ranges. These creators tend to command fees in the five- to six-digit ranges, have a ton of experience working with brands and have large and engaged audiences. These are your classic creators and are perfect for big campaign efforts. Micro (500,000-1 million), nano (10,000-499,000) and niche (n/a) An equally viable strategy is to work with micro, nano and niche creators. Sure, it’ll take a bit more effort on your part—on the part of your creator agency—because you’ll likely be activating more micro creators vs. just one or two macro creators, but consider integrating these smaller creators who still have sizable audiences into not only your campaigns, but also into your always-on efforts. Meme accounts You know them, you love them: Meme accounts are the backbone of the internet, providing us with thumb-stopping short-form content in those moments when we open up an app and say, “Show me something, anything. Entertain me.” Brands can work very effectively with meme accounts—have you ever seen a carousel on Instagram that features meme content and then an ad for something? Sure, it tends to be DTC products, apps or games, but brands can work with meme accounts to create compelling content integrations. A favorite example is @overheardLA: With 1.6 million followers, the account thoughtfully integrates brand sponsors into content that is very much in line with the account and what the audience wants to see. UGC If we broaden our definition of creators to the widest possible definition, then anyone who makes a piece of content and uploads it—user-generated content—is a creator, and brands can take advantage of UGC by licensing it, repacking it or simply putting media behind it to bring on-brand UGC content at scale to the market without any asset creation needed. If your audience has already created your ad, just put your media budget behind it. Brands Don’t forget that you can be a creator, too. You could just make ads—or you could make a decision to show up as an active, ongoing participant in social media platforms and culture by creating content at the intersection of what you want to communicate and what your audience wants to hear in the form of entertainment or education. Our favorites are any brands who aren’t afraid to dive into the creator world headfirst—like Takis, who did a partnership with TikTok celeb Charli D’Amelio. The takeaway To deliver a successful creator campaign, think outside the number of followers. You don’t need the budget to work with A-list creators—there’s a creator for all budget levels and marketing needs. The next time you’re developing your creator brief, consider the full spectrum of creators available.

Columnist Network

When It Comes to Creators, Brands Have Never Had More Options

Invest in the right scale for your campaign, from mega to niche

Will Eagle

About

Subscriptions

Events

Publications

WORK SMARTER - LEARN, GROW AND BE INSPIRED.

Subscribe today!

Will Eagle