Episode #707: Building ROI in the Creator Economy with Brit Starr, CreatorIQ

Release Date: July 21, 2025
Host: Greg Kihlström
Guest: Britt Starr, Chief Marketing Officer at CreatorIQ

Introduction to the Creator Economy

In the latest episode of The Agile Brand, host Greg Kihlström delves into the evolving landscape of marketing, focusing on the burgeoning creator economy. The discussion centers around how major brands like PepsiCo and Unilever are shifting their marketing strategies from traditional influencer campaigns to long-term creator partnerships to enhance relevance, resonate with audiences, and drive substantial ROI.

Shift from Influencer to Creator-Led Marketing

Britt Starr, CMO of CreatorIQ, opens the conversation by distinguishing between "influencers" and "creators." She emphasizes that while influencers often conjure images of celebrities like Kim Kardashian, the creator economy encompasses a much broader and dynamic range of individuals who can profoundly impact brand strategy.

Britt Starr (02:40): "Creators as a community, as individuals can do so many things for brands and business. They can actually create... they can be flywheels for consumer insights."

Starr highlights that creators not only produce content but also foster meaningful connections and provide valuable consumer insights, which are pivotal for brands aiming to understand and engage their target audiences effectively.

Strategic Investments by Major Brands

Greg raises the point about significant investments by brands such as Unilever allocating 50% of their marketing budget to creator partnerships and PepsiCo's acquisition of Poppy as indicators of this strategic pivot.

Greg Kihlström (01:21): "Companies like Unilever plans to invest 50% of its marketing budget in creator partnerships. PepsiCo's acquisition of Poppy is another signal that brands see creators as key to their growth strategy."

Starr concurs, noting the rapid increase in investment toward creator marketing, with a 143% growth over the past four years. She explains that while many brands recognize the importance of creators, the true operational integration of these partnerships is still in its nascent stages.

Operationalizing Creator Partnerships for Scalability

The conversation shifts to the scalability of managing vast numbers of creator partnerships. Starr outlines three critical components:

1. Discovery: Identifying the right creators who align with the brand's values and audience.
2. Management: Effectively organizing and maintaining relationships to ensure creators drive desired outcomes.
3. Measurement: Utilizing sophisticated metrics to assess the impact of creator collaborations.

Britt Starr (12:00): "At its simplest form, it's understanding the outcomes you're trying to drive and then measuring your ability to achieve those or drive incremental value or lift with creators versus traditional content or channels."

She emphasizes that CreatorIQ's platform aids brands in managing these aspects efficiently, enabling them to handle large-scale creator engagements while proving ROI through data-driven insights.

Measuring ROI and Incrementality in Creator Marketing

A significant portion of the discussion revolves around evaluating the ROI of creator partnerships, especially when dealing with thousands of creators across multiple channels.

Britt Starr (14:04): "When you use creator content, say in your paid media, it is content that is somewhat pre-validated... it's so much more efficient to produce that. The ROI on those programs, those campaigns are like 10-11x."

Starr explains that creator-generated content often performs better than traditionally produced content due to its authenticity and organic nature. Moreover, the scalability and efficiency of producing content through creators lead to higher returns on investment.

Maintaining Brand Consistency with Diverse Creator Partnerships

Maintaining a cohesive brand image while collaborating with numerous creators is another challenge addressed in the episode. Starr advises that brands must first have a clear understanding of their own identity to allow creators the flexibility to authentically convey the brand's story.

Britt Starr (16:24): "The best brands are like the best humans. They know who they are, they're vulnerable, and they surround themselves with the best people."

She advocates for treating creators as business partners, providing them with context and goals rather than rigid scripts. This approach fosters authentic content creation and long-term relationships, ensuring brand consistency while allowing creative freedom.

Building Community and Long-Term Relationships

Starr underscores the importance of fostering long-term relationships with creators to build a sustainable and effective creator community.

Britt Starr (19:25): "Retention is the single most important factor for growth. Creator communities, creator relationships operate the same."

She points out that brands excelling in retaining creator partnerships see exponential growth since they avoid the pitfalls of constantly onboarding new creators, thereby maintaining consistent and impactful brand messaging.

CreatorIQ’s Role in Facilitating Creator Partnerships

When asked about CreatorIQ's role, Starr elaborates on how their platform serves as a comprehensive solution for brands to discover, manage, and measure creator partnerships.

Britt Starr (20:19): "Our software helps our customers discover the right creators for them, manage those creators effectively throughout their many multitudes of activations, campaigns, efforts, leverage the content that they're creating to drive the outcomes that they're trying to achieve, and then ultimately measure the impact of all of those programs."

CreatorIQ leverages a decade’s worth of data to provide strategic insights, helping brands understand their competitive positioning and identify growth opportunities within the creator economy.

Staying Agile in a Dynamic Marketing Landscape

In the concluding segments, Starr shares her personal strategy for maintaining agility in her role. She attributes her success to continuous learning, curiosity, and leveraging data-driven insights.

Britt Starr (22:15): "I stay flexible by learning from the people around me, by being curious, by having conversations, by investigating the data and really, again, leading with questions versus answers."

Her approach ensures that she remains adaptable and responsive to the ever-changing dynamics of the marketing and creator landscapes.

Conclusion

Episode #707 of The Agile Brand provides a comprehensive exploration of the creator economy's impact on modern marketing strategies. Britt Starr of CreatorIQ offers invaluable insights into transitioning from traditional influencer campaigns to scalable, data-driven creator partnerships. The episode underscores the necessity for brands to embrace authenticity, foster long-term relationships, and leverage sophisticated measurement tools to maximize ROI in the creator-driven landscape.

For brands looking to navigate this space, the conversation highlights the importance of understanding brand identity, investing in community building, and utilizing technology platforms like CreatorIQ to manage and optimize creator relationships effectively.

Notable Quotes:

• Britt Starr (02:40): "Creators as a community, as individuals can do so many things for brands and business."
• Greg Kihlström (01:21): "Brands like Unilever and PepsiCo see creators as key to their growth strategy."
• Britt Starr (12:00): "Measuring your ability to achieve incremental value with creators versus traditional channels."
• Britt Starr (16:24): "The best brands are like the best humans. They know who they are, they're vulnerable."
• Britt Starr (19:25): "Retention is the single most important factor for growth."

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