Why brands like Gap Inc. and Staples are inviting their employees to be creators

“The attitude has completely flipped,” said Keith Bendes, chief strategy officer at influencer marketing agency Linqia. 

Five years ago, creators could get fired for making content on the job. Remember Tony Piloseno? He was the college student in 2020 whose TikTok channel, filled with videos of mixing paint at the Sherwin-Williams store where he worked, went viral. The company reportedly fired him for “gross misconduct”, including “wasting properties [and] facilities.” Piloseno pitched Sherwin-Wiliams on using TikTok to reach younger audiences before he was fired.

That was then. Now, the C-suite has officially caught on to employee-generated content (EGC). Sprout Social’s June state of social media report states that 40% of consumers frequently discover a product or service through EGC (and 61% of Gen Z consumers). Couple that metric with people like Kaeden “Oblivion” Rowland, whose ASMR-style TikTok videos taken while working at Staples went wildly viral, and it’s clear why CEOs have warmed to letting employees keep their phones out while on shift.

“When we first saw Kaeden’s content, our immediate reaction was genuine excitement,” said Bob Sherwin, Staples CMO. “It stood out because it was completely authentic, not a manufactured brand moment, but a real associate sharing her passion, personality and perspective on Staples.”

At the time of writing, Rowland has nearly 600,000 followers on TikTok and 17.6 million likes, with many of her videos consistently filmed at Staples, where she still works. Staples would not provide concrete metrics on how much awareness or business Rowland’s virality has brought the retail chain, but said she’s helped Staples reach new audiences and shift perspectives, while inspiring a “growing volume of customer posts.”

When asked if there was additional revenue for her content, Sherwin said Staples keeps individual compensation details private. 

“She truly reinvigorated Staples,” said Megan Vasquez, head of brand at Ecko Digital Media. “They [Staples] showed a level of care, concern, value for this employee that was showing them the same.”

The two ways to invest in EGC

Starbucks is a clear example of a company building special infrastructure to support its employee creators.

Though the company declined to comment on its new TikTok creator network pilot, which was announced this year at Cannes Lions as an expansion of the Green Apron Creators program, it’s a step beyond what companies like Gap are doing.

The Green Apron Creators program (named for the color apron baristas wear) launched in 2024 with the support of creator technology platform Brand Networks. It offers employees traditional creator tools, like briefs, editing tools, legal clearance, and cross-platform publishing support. 

But unlike other creator programs that have folded in employees, it’s an entirely separate ecosystem — though it’s unclear what kind of pay scheme, posting requirements, or guidelines apply to this program, this does allow Starbucks to tailor the program more for its employees rather than the general public. 

Starbucks built an employee-focused creative program because it recognized how uniquely motivated its employees are. Brand Networks reports they post at three times the rate of others at similarly sized chains.

The expanded program aims to grow that number further. The TikTok creator network will share briefs with vetted employees (though it’s unclear how they’re screened) and compensate a select few creators through ad revenue generated on the platform.

Gap’s SVP of marketing shared services, Damon Berger, told Digiday it was a “natural step” to include employees in its creator program, which he said has generated almost 30,000 unique posts reaching 154 million people since its launch last year.

Gap Inc. employees have to apply just like any other creator for the program, be at least 18 years old and have a minimum of 500 followers on one social media account. Once accepted, they get access to brand content, affiliate linking, social-sharing tools, and free products to craft content around.

Though they may be Gap Inc. employees, Berger is quick to clarify that the creator program is voluntary and entirely separate from their regular job responsibilities. Employees may earn affiliate commissions, but it’s not clear what benchmarks they’d have to reach to do so. When asked how creating content could interfere with their responsibilities as employees, Berger said the platform is designed around “flexibility and personal agency,” and employees can “choose the opportunities that make sense to them rather than being expected to meet prescribed quotas or performance metrics.”

That conversation is a timely one. Creators got big by being real. Then the industry industrialized around them, and automation and fragmentation crept in. What made creators valuable to brands in the first place started to disappear. Employee creator schemes are a response to that dilution.

“It’s the most durable advantage available in marketing right now,” said Ben Zawacki, vp of growth at GRIN. “A Starbucks employee who has literally tried the entire menu and has an opinion about what’s actually good is more persuasive than almost any endorsement a brand can buy.”