Why advertising industry professionals are considering becoming creators

Schauble has since racked up nearly half a million followers on Instagram (411.9K) and almost a quarter million on TikTok (203.4K). Nine months ago — 18 months after he started learning the platform — he left corporate America to become a full-time content creator, branding himself “the internet’s creative director.”

Schauble is one of a number of advertising professionals who’ve recognized the potential of becoming creators to better understand the current marketing landscape. 

The question of whether to become a creator is common in advertising and marketing circles, according to creators, marketers, agency execs and creatives, who say that fears about the current job market, potential layoffs and the economy have driven some of the conversation.

“If you have that content creation background, if you can speak that language, whether or not you’re an influencer or creator, if you know how to create content you’re going to be thinking in a certain kind of way that is social-first and that can be tremendously helpful,” said Jocelyn McCanles, executive creative director at social agency Swift.

Sam Ogborn, a marketing consultant and content creator, also learned “by doing,” she said. She started making content on TikTok in 2020, testing ideas to see what content format would catch fire with the algorithm. Once she landed on a content style, her account grew by 20,000 followers in a month, according to Ogborn. She now has 132.7K followers on TikTok and 22.8K followers on Instagram, but that doesn’t mean she’s set in her ways. “As a marketer, I’m constantly chasing the algorithm,” said Ogborn.

As consumption habits change and ad spend has shifted to social, so too has the marketing and advertising industry’s views on social. It’s moved from pithy tweets to videos of tiny talking heads in front of a green screen on TikTok and Instagram where a niche of creators like Schauble and Ogborn, among others, are now driving some of the advertising industry dialogue, discussing what’s working and what isn’t in advertising today. Sometimes that can even inform how brands are thinking about their approach to social with marketers sharing the videos with teams and wondering if creators’ POV should inform what they’re doing.

It’s not just a matter of industry dialogue, though. “Every friend I have in the industry, every contact, has thought [of becoming a content creator],” said Ogborn. “They’re thinking about, ‘What do I need to do?’ because things are so competitive. There’s so many unknowns in the job [market] right now that people are trying to figure out what to do to keep a job.”

That desire to showcase skills beyond a portfolio or resume can be common in advertising today even if it’s not content creation. “There’s more of a push or inclination to PR yourself today — be a voice, be a thought leader,” said Andrea Ogunbadejo, president of VaynerMedia’s production company Eva Nosidam. “There’s always a view of trying to add value or find ways to add value, something to help distinguish you from others.”

Still creators, marketers and agency execs, say it is not a requirement to be a creator today — or shouldn’t be. EP+Co, an ad agency based in Greenville, South Carolina, doesn’t require staffers to identify as creators, though it supports staffers who do pursue being a creator on the side, said John Cornette, CCO at ad agency EP+Co in an email.

“The requirement is that everyone, and I mean everyone has to think and be versed in content creation. You can no longer claim ‘I’m not a social person’ as it’s too wide a bucket now,” Cornette said.

For those who work in social media, in particular, it can help in getting a better grasp on what the hooks, trends and more that work today that brands should employ. “It’s helpful to have someone who is super fluent in the day-to-day of what that work looks like to help with translating it [to brands and agency execs],” said Amber Burns, who handles creator relations and social media at independent ad agency Allen & Gerritson, as well as creates content herself. (Burns has 8.2K followers on YouTube.) 

For those looking for a new gig, it can help you stand out and gain recognition as an authority — if your ideas are strong enough — to get a leg up on the competition, according to creators who say that doing so has led them to new opportunities and gigs they likely wouldn’t have been able to get without becoming creators. 

Nathan Jun Poekert, content creator and fractional CMO at General Idea, didn’t realize the potential of his LinkedIn following (with 37.8K followers) until he announced he was quitting a former job, but was open to freelance or consulting work. “I had about 13 senior vice presidents or CMOs from multiple [big name] brands in my inbox asking me for a meeting,” he said.

Creators, agency execs and marketers say that content creation isn’t always a plus. “We’re still a very traditional industry at the core,” said freelance creative Aisha Hakim. “The way that we judge, collectively, what makes a great creative, I don’t think yet that being a popular influencer does that yet.”