Behind the Numbers: an eMarkETER Podcast

Special Edition: The New Creator Video Play – Moving From Shorts to CTV
Recorded at the eMarketer Creator Trends 2026 Virtual Summit
Release Date: March 12, 2026
Host: Emmy Lederman, eMarketer Analyst
Guests:

• Nicole Marcus, Manager of Influencer Strategy, Dick’s Sporting Goods
• Alison O’Keefe, Senior Manager, Influencer and Creator Marketing, Best Buy

Episode Overview

This special edition episode focuses on how short-form creator video is evolving and extending from social media onto connected TVs (CTV), opening fresh opportunities for brands to engage audiences. Emmy Lederman leads a dynamic panel discussion with retailer marketing leaders Nicole Marcus (Dick’s Sporting Goods) and Alison O’Keefe (Best Buy), exploring the changing definitions of creators, influencer partnerships, the blending of celebrity and creator, and tactical insights into how brands are integrating creator-led content into CTV and other emerging digital spaces.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Evolutions in Creator Partnerships

Best Buy’s Strategy

• Flexible and Nuanced Partnerships: Collaborates with creators across all tiers, from micro to mega, matched to differing product categories and audience niches (01:17).
  • “Our kind of North Star strategy is that we look to pair the right partner with the right product at the right time.” – Alison O’Keefe (01:31)
• Agility Over Annual Planning: Fewer upfront annual commitments, more reactive partnerships to align with rapidly changing retail cycles and consumer trends (01:52).
• Long-term Relationships: Maintains a roster of top-performing and recurring partners while selectively engaging major influencers/celebrities for tentpole campaigns (03:58).
• Creator Program: Always-on affiliate links and custom storefronts for select creators; structured but adaptive deliverables for larger celebrity partners (03:58).

Dick’s Sporting Goods’ Approach

• Storytelling Over One-Offs: Shifted from transactional, one-off deals to prolonged storytelling partnerships (05:32).
  • “We really want to work with the influencers who are filming their content every day.” – Nicole Marcus (06:41)
• Dick’s Varsity Team Program: One-year ambassadorships open to all who ‘make sport great’ (Olympians, NIL talent, coaches, employees) – no minimum follower count (05:45, 09:23).
  • “There’s influential people out there and then there’s influencers. So we really want to work with the influencers who are filming their content every day.” – Nicole Marcus (06:41)
• Content Creator + Community Builder: Looks for athletes who create authentic, trend-savvy content and engage communities, focusing on the full journey, including setbacks (07:39).
• Emphasis on Nano and Employee Creators: Passionate about “those nano creators and even the employees,” recognizing powerful grassroots storytelling (09:23).

2. Defining Creators, Influencers, & Celebrities

• Blurred Lines: The distinction between influencer, creator, and celebrity is more ambiguous than ever (10:07, 11:21).
  • “There’s a lot of influencers who have now become so well recognized, they are celebrities and starting to become household names. And there are celebrities who built these massive social followings.” – Alison O’Keefe (11:25)
• Best Buy’s Criteria:
  • Celebrity = Fame from a distinct field (actor, athlete, chef, etc.), then social following (11:41).
  • Creator = Native ability to create engaging video content on their own alongside social presence (12:29).
• Production Differences: Celebrities often require more brand-side creative support for social/CTV deliverables; creators tend to be more self-sufficient on the content production side (12:10).

3. The Extension from Social Video to Connected TV (CTV)

• Highlight Reel Culture: The audience shifts to quick social content, consuming sports and other culturally relevant events through highlights and behind-the-scenes narratives rather than traditional broadcasts (13:59, 15:57).
• Creator-Led CTV Campaigns (Best Buy Example):
  • First time integrating a creator into a CTV holiday campaign, based on consumer desire for “lo-fi, relatable content across screens” (20:37).
  • Creator produced custom content for CTV (not repurposed social video) using remote production and added brand bumpers for a premium but authentic feel (20:51).
    • “We didn’t just take her social video and place it on CTV. She created that asset based on our brief inputs.” – Alison O’Keefe (21:22)
  • Early results show performance on par with traditional CTV assets (22:37).
• Strategic Testing: Start small, learn, and expand based on campaign outcomes, tightly aligning influencer, creative, and media teams (20:37–23:14).
• Social-First Mindset, With Extensions:
  • “Meet people where they are. So for us this means...prioritizing live events, cultural moments, real life moments where people want that connection.” – Nicole Marcus (23:44)
  • Exploring omnichannel presence: e-commerce, LinkedIn, longer-form YouTube content for additional reach (24:23).

4. Sports Content: Bridging Broadcast and Social

• Influencers Fueling Live Moments:
  • Traditional sponsorships ("official partner" spots, commercials) now paired with influencer activations on the ground, extending brand impact around big events without massive media spend (13:59, 14:54).
  • “Influencers are the new storytellers. That’s where you’re getting your news, that’s where you’re getting your entertainment. They become your friends and your besties.” – Nicole Marcus (14:54)
• Savannah Bananas Phenomenon:
  • The viral baseball team illustrates how sports now bridge local, social, and CTV/streaming audiences (16:02).
    • “Now we’re partnering with the people on their team...social-first athletes rather than traditional MLB players.” – Nicole Marcus (16:36)
• Expanding Sports Fandom:
  • Targeting not just “TV guys” but broader audiences with relatable storytelling (18:27).
  • For Best Buy: Partnered with football fans’ wives/girlfriends as creators to bring humor and authenticity to the game day experience (18:44).
    • “Where we saw the gold is their humor in the rituals of the season and being a fan and getting ready for the game time experience.” – Alison O’Keefe (19:04)

5. Future-Proofing Creator Strategies

• Social and Speed First: Both brands emphasize social-first content and nimbleness in campaign activation, crucial for trend-based verticals like sports and retail (23:44).
• Deepening Local & Nano Ties:
  • Recognizing the importance of grassroots creators and employee-generated content to scale at the community level and to keep up with rapid trend cycles (24:58).
  • “How do we partner more...at a nano level...where we’re opening up new store locations?” – Nicole Marcus (25:31)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “Our approach has really evolved to not be one size fits all and lean into the nuance that our customers and also the influencers audiences are really expecting.”
  — Alison O’Keefe, Best Buy (01:31)

• “We really want to work with the influencers who are filming their content every day.”
  — Nicole Marcus, Dick’s Sporting Goods (06:41)

• “There’s influential people out there and then there’s influencers.”
  — Nicole Marcus, Dick’s Sporting Goods (06:38)

• “There’s a lot of influencers who have now become so well recognized, they are celebrities and starting to become household names.”
  — Alison O’Keefe, Best Buy (11:25)

• “Influencers are the new storytellers. That’s where you’re getting your news, that’s where you’re getting your entertainment. They become your friends and your besties.”
  — Nicole Marcus, Dick’s Sporting Goods (14:54)

• “Now we’re partnering with...social-first athletes rather than traditional MLB players.”
  — Nicole Marcus, Dick’s Sporting Goods (16:36)

• “Customers are looking for more lo-fi relatable content across screens. And that’s kind of just how popular social media is now that how do we make that premium environment feel a little bit more lo-fi and native?”
  — Alison O’Keefe, Best Buy (20:42)

• “Meet people where they are...showing up and prioritizing live events, cultural moments, real life moments where people want that connection.”
  — Nicole Marcus, Dick’s Sporting Goods (23:44)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 01:17 – Best Buy’s approach to creator partnerships
• 05:32 – Dick’s Sporting Goods on long-term partnerships & internal ambassador program
• 06:41 – Nicole Marcus on why content creation & community matter
• 09:23 – Eligibility for Dick’s Varsity Team; focus on nano/employee creators
• 11:21 – Definition blur: influencer, creator, celebrity; brand selection criteria
• 13:59 – Shifts in sports consumption and influencer-brand activation strategies
• 16:02 – Savannah Bananas: case study in viral, multi-platform sports content
• 18:27 – Best Buy’s approach to sports fandom and CTV integrations
• 20:37 – Integrating creator content into CTV holiday campaigns
• 23:44 – Social-first, local & nano creator strategies for future-proofing

Takeaways

• Creator content is crossing from social to CTV, but each channel needs unique content and creative strategies.
• Long-term, community-focused creator relationships yield brand authenticity, speed, and trust—essential for keeping pace with current digital culture.
• Innovative brands are leveraging all tiers of creators, especially nano and employee creators, to reach audiences with relatable storytelling at scale.
• Sports content exemplifies new models of fandom and storytelling, with brands now activating at both official and grassroots levels through creators.
• The line between influencer, creator, and celebrity is blurring—brands must adapt production models and selection criteria accordingly.

For marketers designing creator campaigns, this episode offers actionable insights on collaboration models, production workflow shifts, and how to ride the wave of video culture as it expands from “shorts” to CTV.