Creator marketing works best when brands give influencers freedom

Marketers should let creators experiment with sponsored content, a key takeaway from a recent fireside chat between YouTuber Adam Waheed and Google ad executive Sean Downey at the CMO Insider Breakfast.

Creator ad spend is projected to hit $44 billion this year and is growing faster than the broader advertising industry. As creators become the new Mad Men of the ad world, brands are increasingly giving them room to run with bold ideas.

Downey said brands work best when they start with an open-ended campaign brief; creators now run a lot of experiments rather than being handed a script. Waheed described his process as dreaming up the funniest, most relatable video he can and finding a way to 'backdoor' a brand into the content.

Both stressed that collaboration matters: brands should educate creators on products and goals, sometimes via 'brand school,' but also be willing to cede control. 'When they stop trying to control the message so overtly, they get really good magic,' Downey said.

creator marketing, influencer marketing, sponsored content, ad spend, brand school, adam waheed, sean downey, google ads, campaign brief, brand collaboration