Brands Commission Creator-Created Shows Over Posts
Brands like Anthropologie are hiring creators to produce comedy series, shifting from traditional influencer marketing. This approach may lead to more engaging content and better brand integration.
Original reporting · digiday.com
Original: “Why brands like Anthropologie are commissioning creator-created shows instead of posts”
Read “Why brands like Anthropologie are commissioning creator-created shows instead of posts” at Digiday →
How this was written. GMS Agency Desk wrote this article with a language model from Digiday’s reporting (model: @cf/meta/llama-3.3-70b-instruct-fp8-fast); it describes that reporting rather than adding to it. The original, linked above, is the full story.
Key points from Digiday’s report
- Brands like Anthropologie are commissioning creator-created shows instead of posts, shifting from traditional influencer marketing.
- Creator-created content may lead to more engaging content and better brand integration.
- Putting a price on creator-created content is a puzzle, with costs including the creator's fee, production, and usage rights.
- More brands are starting to have conversations about creator-created content, with some hiring social showrunners like Tripathi.
- The difference between influencer marketing and creator marketing is a topic of debate, with some arguing that they are distinct approaches.
Brands are changing their approach to influencer marketing by commissioning creator-created shows instead of posts, according to Digiday. This shift is driven by the desire to create more engaging content and better integrate their brand into the narrative. Pooja Tripathi, creator of the comedy web series Brooklyn Coffee Shop, has been hired by Anthropologie to write and lead its first micro comedy series, a holiday party caper.
Anthropologie's marketers were already fans of Tripathi's work before they got in touch earlier this year. The brand's global CEO, Barbra Sainsurin, said they engaged Tripathi because they are fans of her work, and she 'leaped at the chance to create a series for us'. The result was the brand's first micro comedy series, 'The Holiday Party', which sits inside its 'On My Way' seasonal campaign.
The series consists of 90-second episodes that will air on the brand's social channels between November 11-19, alongside behind-the-scenes footage. Tripathi developed the characters and direction of the show, while Anthropologie's team took charge of styling. The goal was to create a setting that felt true to Tripathi's audience and also looked like 'a party that an Anthro person would throw', said Sainsurin.
Anthropologie is treating the rollout of the series like a movie launch, with trailers, teasers, and hooks at the end of each episode to pull viewers into the next. The series will be distributed on Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, Pinterest, and Reddit. Whether the series is successful will depend on the numbers, with the brand watching earned reach, non-follower views, and algorithm travel.
Putting a price on creator-created content is a puzzle, with costs including the creator's fee, production, usage rights, exclusivity, and the number of episodes. A single sponsored post from a mid-tier lifestyle creator can start at around $8,000 to $10,000, while a multi-episode series can land 'well into five figures', said Victoria Bachan, CEO of Hyphen.
More brands are starting to have conversations about creator-created content, with some hiring social showrunners like Tripathi in place of or alongside their influencer marketing spend. This approach raises questions about the difference between influencer marketing and creator marketing, with some arguing that they are distinct approaches.
The show We Are MICE, a mockumentary set at a fictional live events agency, is an example of creator-created content. The series was developed with brand partnerships strategists DASH Talent and features real brands as clients. The plan is for each new series to bring in a different brand and a different event, while the characters carry their storylines from one to the next.
Questions and answers
What is the difference between influencer marketing and creator marketing?
Influencer marketing leans on the person, whose recommendation and follower count do the heavy lifting on a post, while creator marketing heads off toward the content itself, with a focus on characters and formats that viewers get attached to.
How much does creator-created content cost?
A single sponsored post from a mid-tier lifestyle creator can start at around $8,000 to $10,000, while a multi-episode series can land 'well into five figures'.
What is the goal of Anthropologie's creator-created series?
The goal is to create a setting that feels true to the creator's audience and also looks like 'a party that an Anthro person would throw', and to distribute the series on multiple social channels.
