Brands grapple with influencer ownership internally

Case in point: A comms team spent months nurturing an earned relationship with a creator, unaware that their marketing colleagues had offered that same person a lucrative paid campaign.

What they're saying: "The biggest mistake really is allowing different departments to independently approach the same creator with different asks, budgets, messaging opportunities," says Justin Johnson, a creator economy expert who headed talent partnerships for several tech companies.

• Johnson generally favors marketing taking the lead, with one point of contact coordinating requests and keeping other departments in the loop.
• "The creator should only be hearing from one voice, or it's too many cooks in the kitchen," said Nicole Kasper, co-founder and head of management for creator talent agency Odyssey Entertainment Group.

• "It's usually influencer marketing, because they're working with the creator day to day on the campaigns," she said.

Yahoo chief communications officer Sona Iliffe-Moon said ownership should depend on the company's goals.

• "It's not about which team owns this area of engagement. It's what you're trying to accomplish," she said. "When the goal is to earn attention and a place in the cultural conversation, comms should be driving."

Between the lines: Kenny Gold, Edelman's global chief creator officer, argues companies should think beyond the traditional comms-versus-marketing divide.

• "By boxing it or nesting it underneath those areas of a company, you're kind of diminishing the full potential of what a creator strategy can do for your organization," Gold says.
• He advocates having someone responsible for both the execution and innovation of creator relationships, potentially in a role that sits alongside comms and marketing.

How it works: Internal alignment needs to happen before anyone approaches a creator.

• Teams should first establish what they're hoping to achieve, whether that's building credibility, reaching a new audience or driving sales, and agree on who manages the relationship.
• Once a creator is selected, companies also need to give them room to speak in their own voice. Overly scripted content, Kasper warns, risks undermining the audience trust that makes these partnerships valuable.
• "You can pay for a collaboration, but you can't buy genuine advocacy. The relationship comes first," Iliffe-Moon emphasized.

Zoom out: "The areas in which a creator can live go far beyond the marketing apparatus," says Edelman's Gold. "So we push to bring creators in further upstream."

• Involving creators earlier in strategy, product and messaging discussions — rather than only when it's time to promote something — can help identify what will resonate with their audiences.

Yes, but: The value of creator involvement beyond individual campaigns can be harder to measure, especially if comms and marketing define success differently.

• Even when looking at marketing-driven hard metrics, companies should consider taking a longer-term view of the relationship.
• Companies should measure value over time, said Manish Goyal, founder of Friendbuy. "A creator who drives fewer first purchases may turn out to be a better investment if those customers stay and keep buying."
• For example, TED Countdown found that creators in its Ground Crew program discussed climate change more frequently in content beyond their contracted posts. The initiative gives creators the tools and confidence to discuss the issue in their own voices.

The bottom line: Mixed messages and competing agendas can undermine the relationships and trust that make creator partnerships valuable.