Creators are taking on broader responsibilities in brand marketing, with companies involving influencers in campaign planning, product development and internal consultation. Examples involving Coach, Laura Mercier and Rhode show creators contributing beyond sponsored content, while industry experts say additional strategic responsibilities require appropriate compensation and authority.
Key Takeaways
- Brands are involving creators earlier in campaign planning and marketing strategy.
- Coach launched &Coach with Gen Z creators and talent including Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese.
- Laura Mercier created a creator group for internal consultation and external representation.
- Rhode brought Golloria George and Toni Bravo into product-consulting roles.
- Industry experts say expanded creator responsibilities should be matched with appropriate compensation, access and authority.
Creators Take Expanded Roles in Brand Marketing
Creators are increasingly being involved in brand decisions beyond producing sponsored content, with companies using selected influencers to advise on campaigns, products and marketing strategy. The expanded role was evident at the 2026 Cannes Lions festival, where creators participated in panels, meetings, lunches, dinners and other industry activities alongside advertising and marketing executives.
Shana Davis, founder of influencer marketing agency Ponte Firm, said the role of an influencer or creator has changed. Caroline Wilson of UTA’s brand advisory group described creators as a marketing strategy in themselves rather than an additional element within a larger campaign.
Nikita Walia, strategy director at brand and venture studio Unnamed, said creators understand their audiences, develop their own intellectual property and make decisions involving positioning, partnerships and growth. That expertise is prompting some companies to involve creators in determining which ideas should be developed rather than limiting them to producing content from an existing brief.
Brandon Edelman, a TikTok creator known as Bran Flakezz, is one example of a creator participating in the business side of brand partnerships. Edelman previously worked on Gopuff’s social media team before becoming a full-time creator. He has said companies have hired him and his team to advise on creator partnership practices.
The expanded responsibilities can include campaign input, audience feedback, product consultation and broader creative discussions. They differ from a conventional sponsored-content arrangement in which a creator receives a brief and produces material for a brand.
Brands have also been moving toward longer relationships with creators rather than relying only on individual sponsored posts. Long-term influencer partnerships This type of arrangement can give companies more opportunities to involve creators across multiple stages of their marketing work.
Brands Bring Creators Into Campaign Strategy
Brands are involving creators earlier in the campaign process instead of waiting until content production begins. The approach gives creators an opportunity to provide audience feedback before a campaign is finalized.
Wilson said a creator’s proximity to an audience provides information that brands cannot obtain through the same direct relationship. Bringing that perspective into strategy can help companies develop campaign briefs with greater awareness of how content may be received by a specific audience.
Walia said creators have direct feedback loops with their audiences and can identify changes in language, taste and behavior. That access can provide a different source of information from formal market research.
The strategy also changes the type of expertise brands expect from creators. Producing content in an established personal voice is different from advising on campaign planning, budgets, product decisions or broader creative strategy.
Alix Earle previously raised the issue of creative control at Vogue Business’s Gen Z Summit, where she said her strongest branded content generally consisted of less-polished, off-the-cuff videos that gave her greater freedom. The example illustrates the distinction between giving creators control over execution and involving them in decisions before production starts.
Archrival data cited in the report found that 75% of Gen Z respondents considered creator-made content more relevant than content produced by a brand’s boardroom, while 44% of marketers continued to favor brand-scripted output.
The use of creators at the strategy stage therefore does not simply involve giving them more freedom over individual posts. It can place them closer to decisions about the content itself, the audience it is intended to reach and the way a campaign is developed.
Creator marketing platforms are also giving brands more direct ways to identify potential partners. LinkedIn’s creator marketplace connects brands and creators These tools can allow marketers to assess creators based on factors such as expertise, content performance and audience characteristics before beginning a partnership.
Coach Expands Creator Collaboration Through &Coach
Coach launched &Coach at Cannes Lions as a content series co-created with Gen Z creators and talent including Paige Bueckers, Angel Reese, Malala and PinkPantheress. The project is intended to continue developing the company’s work with creators beyond individual content placements.
The collaboration illustrates a model in which creators participate in a brand initiative as contributors to the project rather than functioning only as distributors of finished marketing material.
Creator involvement can also extend to brand representation at industry events. Creators attending Cannes Lions participated in panels and business activities, giving them opportunities to interact directly with marketing executives and brands.
Edelman, who has 1.4 million followers on TikTok, posted about his experience at Cannes Lions and described the environment from the perspective of a creator attending a major advertising industry event. His experience also reflects the different expectations placed on creators when they enter business settings that traditionally center on advertising executives.
Walia said creators do not need to arrive at events such as Cannes Lions already familiar with advertising-industry language and structures. She argued that their value can come from providing direct audience and cultural knowledge rather than adopting the same practices as traditional marketers.
Ben Harms, chief growth officer at Archrival, said invited creators should receive sufficient preparation to communicate their expertise in a business environment. He also said brands should treat creators as business partners when asking them to participate in industry discussions.
Brand expectations around creator participation are also being applied to other marketing activities. Recent creator campaigns have placed greater emphasis on audience fit, reusable content and longer-term advocacy when brands assess campaign results.
Beauty Brands Add Creators to Product Development
Beauty companies have used creator expertise in roles that extend beyond marketing campaigns. Laura Mercier launched The Laura Mercier Collective, a group of creators hired to consult internally and represent the brand externally.
Rhode also brought beauty influencers Golloria George and Toni Bravo into product-consulting roles. Their work includes providing feedback on products and issues such as formulas and shade inclusivity. Bravo has contributed feedback on Rhode’s blush and bronzer launches.
These arrangements give creators responsibilities connected to the products themselves rather than limiting their involvement to promotional content after a product is ready for release.
The approach also allows creators with direct knowledge of beauty audiences to provide feedback during product development. Their role can include identifying issues that may affect how products are received by their audiences.
Luciana Fuller, another influencer cited in the report, participated in a fireside chat with consumer packaged goods company Reckitt and influencer marketing company Influential. She said the experience showed that the companies valued creators’ perspectives beyond content production.
Fuller also described participating in a retailer campaign where she developed ideas while watching the campaign being produced. She questioned whether creators could provide more useful input if they were included before campaigns had already been built.
The examples involving Laura Mercier and Rhode show that creator partnerships can extend into internal consultation and product decisions. They also establish a distinction between creators who simply promote products and creators whose audience knowledge informs the products or campaigns themselves.
Brands are also broadening participation opportunities to smaller creators. Brand programs expand opportunities for nano-influencers These programs show another way companies can structure creator relationships beyond conventional celebrity or large-influencer campaigns.
Strategic Creator Roles Raise Compensation Questions
Expanded responsibilities create questions about compensation, authority and the scope of creator agreements. Industry experts cited in the report said creators should not automatically be expected to provide additional strategic work without corresponding changes to their commercial arrangements.
Walia said advising on a company’s business, sharing audience intelligence or shaping strategy is different from producing a piece of content. She argued that additional responsibilities should come with appropriate compensation, access and authority.
The distinction is also relevant because not every creator wants to become a marketing consultant. Wilson said some creators are building their own products and businesses and want greater strategic involvement, while others prefer to focus on producing content in their own voice.
Walia also cautioned that audience proximity does not automatically mean a creator knows how to build a durable brand or business. Harms similarly distinguished between understanding the preferences of an audience and developing a strategy for an entire product category.
Compensation can become particularly important when a creator’s role expands over a long-term partnership. Davis said campaign-specific relationships can continue to use flat fees, while longer-term arrangements could involve different structures, including equity partnerships.
ESW Beauty announced that influencers Katie Fang and Aliya Rachinski became its first creator equity partners, receiving ownership stakes in the brand.
The changing responsibilities also give creators more choices about the type of work they accept. Harms said some creators are developing subscription revenue so they can rely less heavily on brand opportunities. Archrival data cited in the report found that 52% of Gen Z respondents said they like financially supporting creators directly.
The shift toward strategic participation therefore does not eliminate traditional creator work. Instead, it creates additional roles that can range from campaign consultation to product development and longer-term business partnerships. For those arrangements to work, the responsibilities assigned to creators need to be clearly defined alongside their compensation, access and decision-making authority.
Frequently Asked Questions
What role are creators taking in brand marketing?
Creators are being involved in campaign planning, audience strategy, product consultation and internal brand discussions in addition to producing sponsored content. Some are also participating in brand events and advising companies on creator partnership practices.
Which brands are using creators as consultants?
Laura Mercier created The Laura Mercier Collective for creators to consult internally and represent the brand externally. Rhode brought Golloria George and Toni Bravo into product-consulting roles, while Coach launched &Coach with creators and other Gen Z talent.
How are creators contributing to product development?
Creators can provide feedback on formulas, product concepts, shades and planned launches. At Rhode, Golloria George and Toni Bravo have provided product input, including feedback related to formulas and shade inclusivity.
Are creators paid for strategic marketing work?
The compensation structure varies by arrangement. Industry experts cited in the report said brands should not expand a creator’s responsibilities without also addressing compensation, access and authority.
How are brand partnerships changing for creators?
Some partnerships are moving beyond one-off sponsored content toward campaign consultation, product development and longer-term strategic relationships. The arrangements can also include different commercial structures, including creator equity partnerships.
