Media Buying Briefing: Agencies create full-time roles for creators as ‘pirates’ of marketing

After all, why not hire influencers who have had success building their own brand and social following to do the same for a client?

Eric Dahan, founder of community-focused creator company Mighty Joy, recalled a recent creator hire that submitted a TikTok video as part of her application.

“There was a light bulb moment when we’re like, ‘why don’t we hire the person for the job for helping create content for our clients when the person actually creates content?’” Dahan told Digiday. “It was just very organic how it sort of happened, but it makes sense especially when you’re talking about [user-generated content].”

A creator lab

WPP-backed integrated agency T&Pm views creators as part of the full-funnel strategy that is “essential as any modern media plan,” explained Shula Sinclair, chief strategy officer. The agency has been hiring staff creators across strategy, creative and innovation, one of which includes food influencer Kareem Shuhaibar, who is now the creative director.

Especially given the rate at which social media and content algorithms are optimized, Sinclair said clients are asking for more native content for social, particularly in the consumer packaged goods space. The agency runs global content studios for clients including Mars, Audible and Toyota/Lexus.

“It isn’t even just a matter of social-first brands that are trying to win capital and growth quickly,” Sinclair said. “The most traditional, the most historically staid categories are now feeling compelled to enter that space with the right content.”

Sinclair did not specify how many creator positions have been added.

Working with creators on the team also allows the agency to experiment and try building different products with clients. For example, one such experiment involved creating a “meta human,” or virtual avatar for a brand, as part of a media pitch brief.

“[Creators have] a new way of thinking,” Sinclair added. “We have a lab, and we experiment. We like to think of them as pirates. The common theme around all of them is just play.”

Building a content studio

At Mighty Joy, Dahan sees the in-house creator jobs in user-generated content (UGC) being the big opportunity. This differs from the traditional approach in which agencies outsource the UGC work to creators. The agency started hiring a small team of full-time UGC staffers around three to four months ago as part of its content studio. The company was creating so much content that it made sense to bring creators in-house, Dahan explained. He did not specify the exact number of positions hired.

“The real motivation is just speed to create and also … create more familiarity and just have more control over [content],” Dahan said. “You’re able to produce a higher caliber of content and really build the in-house infrastructure around that to just create more and better content.”

While going in-house has some cost benefits, Dahan acknowledged that it is not always the case: “You’re taking on more risk … and UGC creators are not necessarily that expensive to work with, but I would say there’s some benefits economically.”

The agency also doesn’t have to choose between outsourcing or in-house creators — it depends on the client and the content’s purpose, Dahan added. Having creators in-house offers flexibility and consistency and offers more options when the team can hire both external creators and use staff.

“If we want someone to create content with someone who’s a surfer that goes to the beach and creates content on the beach, our in-house team won’t be a fit for that, right?” Dahan explained. “It’d be finding that sort of creator which makes much more sense.”

Natalie Silverstein, chief innovation officer of Collectively, Brandtech’s influencer company, also hires creators through a mix of long-term contracts and shorter, flexible jobs, depending on specific campaigns. Silverstein did not say how many creators were in full-time roles.

“Sometimes, we engage them on a longer-term contract to ensure continuity and deeper collaboration, while at other times it’s a brief engagement for a specific campaign,” Silverstein said.

Future of creator jobs

While some successful influencers (like MrBeast or the Kardashians) may not ever need to go in-house, this does open up different avenues for agencies to work with the majority of creators on a more permanent basis as content demands only grow.

In the future, Dahan believes there will be more creator jobs in community management, content creation and creative directors at agencies. Agency Mighty Joy is hiring, but it remains uncertain how many creator jobs will be added.

“As the investment in the creator economy grows, we will likely see further convergence between traditional marketing roles and content creation — the rise of hybrid content creators and marketers [will continue],” added Amy Choi, executive director of influencer marketing at agency Trade School.

Silverstein agreed that hiring creators at agencies isn’t just a trend — but rather a “strategic move” in the fast-changing media landscape.

“By embedding creators within the agency, we’re not just reacting to trends but setting the stage for more innovative, authentic and effective campaigns,” Silverstein said. “It’s about building a more dynamic, adaptive team that can navigate the fast-paced world of digital content creation.”

Color by numbers

Consumers will start shopping for the holiday soon. Performance marketing firm Tinuiti just released its holiday shopper study on what advertisers can expect this season. One surprising takeaway: Facebook was the top social platform for holiday gift inspiration. Perhaps not surprisingly, people are going to start hitting up ChatGPT for ideas on what to get their friends.

• 60% said they plan to start shopping for holiday gifts before Thanksgiving, and about half of that group said they will start in October or earlier. 48% expect to do half or more of their holiday shopping before Thanksgiving.
• 54% of holiday shoppers plan to spend about the same amount as last year, while 25% said they will spend more. Among Gen Z, 34% said they expect to spend more on holiday gifts overall this year, while 47% expect to spend more online.
• 54% of all respondents said they would use AI tools in some way for holiday shopping.
• Social media was the top channel for their gift discovery, with Facebook being the most popular social platform overall for shopping inspiration. But it ranked fifth among Gen Z, falling behind TikTok, Instagram, YouTube and Pinterest.
• Temu and Shein were popular online shopping destinations, particularly among younger respondents. Among all online shoppers, 23% plan to use Temu, with that rate jumping to 30% among Gen Z. Shein saw a larger lift from 15% among all online shoppers to 36% among Gen Z.

Takeoff & landing

• Independent full-service shop BarkleyOKRP hired Sean Corcoran away from his U.S. CEO position at IPG’s Mediahub to become its president of media and analytics, a new role at the agency. Corcoran will report to BarkleyOKRP CEO Jeff King.
• Agital promoted Sheila McAneney to division president to drive revenue and end-to-end services for e-commerce clients.
• Global tech and TV platform FreeWheel added Kris Magel as head of global agency partnerships. Magel will oversee agency collaborations and lead the company’s commercialization structure for agency partnerships globally. 
• Dentsu partnered with Sports Innovation Lab to develop sports-related insights and target addressable sports audiences, linking the sports companies’ data with Dentsu’s data and identity platform Merkury. The lab will bring audience segments from all teams across seven major sports leagues, including NFL, MLB and NBA, their entertainment venues and major sports betting platforms.

Direct quote

“We will see more agencies hiring in-house creators — but depending on their reasoning to do so, it might not be the best strategy. Hiring in-house creators is cost-effective and speeds up content production, but a benefit of working with multiple creators is access to diversity of thought.”

— Ed East, global CEO and cofounder of Billion Dollar Boy, on in-house creator jobs

Speed reading

• Marty Swant broke down the Gartner 2024 digital ad hype cycle on marketing innovation and technology adoption.
• I wrote about how smaller independent agencies are investing in their sports practices.
• Krystal Scanlon explained the signs pointing to Reddit launching its own search ads business.