Influential’s Chief Growth Officer shares 3 creator-first strategies to drive the best results for your brand
TL;DR
- Elevate creators to true partners to unlock the authentic, trust-building content that Gen Z demands
- Master the multi-format canvas by leveraging YouTube creators who can pivot across long-form and Shorts, all on one platform
- Creator partnerships and brand ads aren’t interchangeable. Leverage both to create a powerful synergy that delivers stronger performance
THE INSIGHTS
Industry perspectives: Why YouTube creators are a cultural catalyst for your brand
The challenge for brands isn’t just to reach a massive audience but to connect with them in a way that truly drives business outcomes. When a moment, like the first video premiere for Taylor Swift's latest album, stops the world, it raises a critical question for advertisers: How do you consistently place your brand at the epicenter of today’s dynamic culture? The answer is partnering with the trusted voices who define it – YouTube creators. To help us understand how top creator marketing agencies are advising brands to adopt stronger creator-first strategies, we sat down with Kim Iadevaia, Chief Growth Officer at Influential. Here’s what we learned.
Authenticity means rethinking the traditional creative brief
YouTube is where billions of passionate fans engage with the world’s biggest moments, driven by creators who possess a deep understanding of what captivates audiences. As a result, the most successful advertisers are stepping back from rigid briefs and elevating YouTube creators to strategic partners.
Iadevaia believes that the hardest, yet most necessary, hurdle for marketing leaders is “to let the reins go a little bit and to trust the process.” Younger audiences, particularly Gen Z, are highly perceptive and will immediately reject sponsored content that feels forced. As Influential’s creators often remind brands: "If it's not authentic, my followers are going to know," reinforcing that true collaboration is what builds genuine trust with audiences.
Earn trust by elevating YouTube creators to strategic partners
Today’s consumer journey is a complex mix of streaming, scrolling, searching, and shopping behaviors, so the most impactful campaigns don’t just see YouTube as a distribution channel but embrace its multi-format creative canvas.
YouTube creators are true multi-format strategists, which Iadevaia explains as their ability “to pivot and say, okay, what pieces of my content in the long form really will resonate with that audience in the short form.” Their ability to tell captivating stories across formats and screens makes creator partnerships effective for driving impact across every touchpoint.
The synergy of brand and creator campaigns drives stronger ROI
While creating a strong creator marketing strategy is essential for modern brands, Iadevaia advises not to deprioritize traditional brand campaigns. “We see two times the engagement rate…when you're pairing those things together," revealing a powerful synergy that’s unlocked when adopting various YouTube solutions. The platform isn’t just a brand driver, its impact spans from discovery to decision, delivering 2.3x higher long-term ROI than social platforms.1
To transform your creator marketing from one-off campaigns into a continuous growth strategy, reach out to your Google team today.