4 Ways Creators are Making Money in 2026

Summary

The Colin and Samir Show: "4 Ways Creators are Making Money in 2026"

Date: July 22, 2026
Hosts: Colin and Samir (with producer Connor)
Episode Theme: Exploring modern ways creators and brands collaborate to generate revenue, particularly focusing on the evolving landscape of advertising in the creator economy and four concrete modes of brand-creator partnership emerging as we approach 2026.

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Episode Overview

Colin and Samir break down how creators make money through brand partnerships, collaboratively dissecting "the future of ads" in the creator economy. The hosts draw from their recent experiences at the Cannes Lions advertising festival and their own branded deal with Lexus, examining the changing role of creators in the advertising world. With producer Connor providing a consumer perspective, they dive deep into the nuances, effectiveness, and creative risks of modern digital advertising.

“The future of the creator economy and its growth hinges on the ability of brands and creators to work better together.”
— Samir [00:53]

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. State of Advertising in the Creator Economy

• Advertising as the Internet’s Economic Engine:
  Colin reflects on online ads' historic role in making the internet “free” and enabling the creator economy. Most creators’ main revenue comes from brand partnerships, accounting for a projected $39 billion of global ad spend in 2026.
  “Advertising is what enabled the Internet to be free and...the economic engine for creators.” — Colin [01:18, 01:30]

• Cultural Tension and Anxiety:
  Brands feel pressure to harness creators’ cultural influence while coping with anxiety about relinquishing control. This is a visible challenge at major industry gatherings (Cannes Lions).
  “There’s this palpable anxiety around solving creator.” — Colin [01:37]

2. The "Four Ways" Creators Work with Brands

2.1 Creators as Distribution

• Classic Model: Brands pay creators to reach their audiences.
  “That’s historically what it is. As a creator. Work with us and you can reach our audience.” — Samir [16:51]
• Product Placement: Cited example: Goth Babe’s subtle Huckberry integration—organic, non-disruptive.
  “He just wears the Huckberry hat...the most seamless product placement where the brand is showing up in his universe and it does not mess with the story.” — Samir [21:15]
• High-Investment Integration: Example: Michelle Carre’s Red Bull partnership, where the brand actively enables impossible stunts.
  “Red Bull is literally the engine that facilitates the airplane for her...that episode doesn’t happen without Red Bull.” — Samir [22:12]
• Risks: If a creator lacks a compelling audience connection or distinctive POV, brands may find paid media more efficient than creator deals.
  “As creators go forward, the absence of a clear POV...creates a situation where there’s a cheaper option to buy distribution.” — Colin [24:44]

2.2 Creators as Talent

• Creators featured in ads as recognizable faces (akin to celebrity endorsers).
  • Recent trend gaining momentum, especially around major events like the Super Bowl (e.g., MrBeast, ISHOWSPEED).
  • Native Context: Audiences more likely to pay attention if a YouTuber appears in a pre-roll ad on YouTube.
    “The only reason I didn’t skip it was because it featured Colin and Samir.” — Citing a LinkedIn viewer [13:29]
• Benefits: Allows brands to exercise creative control while “borrowing” creators’ audience recognition.
• Key quote:
  “Simple. It’s just...hesitancy for a lot of brands to treat creators like celebrities. But it’s a simple way to engage with creators, and a lot of creators enjoy this.” — Colin [14:17]
• World-Building Example: Jake Shane x Alo partnership built a compelling narrative arc around fitness transformation, with the brand’s coaching/team world seamlessly integrated and the campaign run on Alo’s own channels.
  “World-building is where this works extremely well...you can see the whole world come together like that.” — Colin [19:06]

2.3 Creators as Directors

• Creators leading creative vision—writing and directing campaigns for brands, without necessarily appearing on screen.
  • Emphasizes creators’ deep knowledge of digital audiences and rapid feedback loops vs. traditional agencies’ insular processes.
  • Example: Director Pablo Rochat’s Nike ad—takes a familiar element ("running on a treadmill") and twists it for surprise (actually running on a cement truck).
    “The goal is to be familiar but unexpected, to take reality and put a slight twist on it.” — Pablo Rochat (relayed by Colin & Samir) [29:36]
• Internet-Native Storytelling:
  “You have to present something very familiar and then hit someone with something unexpected...it’s an incredibly powerful storytelling rule.” — Samir [29:36]
• Opportunity: Brands get access to directors who live and breathe the creator landscape, making ads people instinctively watch.
  “The next crop of excellent directors—both film and commercial—are creators.” — Colin [31:05]

2.4 Creators as Consultants/Strategists

• Creators advising brands on marketing, campaign messaging, and overall creator strategy—sometimes via agency models.
  • Example: Anthpo’s “Pufferfish” agency—consulting on social, creative, client campaigns.
    “A lot of creators who want to make cool stuff for the Internet...would rather sell their expertise.” — Samir [33:20]
• Low-Stakes, High-ROI:
  “It’s a very low stakes version for both parties...Modern marketing teams are definitely trying to solve creator...one version is to get into distribution...the other is to have that person help you.” — Colin [35:43]

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Notable Quotes & Insights with Timestamps

• “If you’re into ads, you’re going to like this episode.” — Colin [01:06]
• “The audience is the boss. In our world...they’re the only people who can fire us.” — Samir [08:33]
• “We’re making ads that are just ads. They just play as ads before YouTube videos. They’re not integrated into our content. They are purely ads.” — Colin [08:10]
• “The rule here: you have to face the brand integration head on.” — Samir [06:54]
• “When you end up in the messy middle, it’s because you’re sort of trying to sneak the brand deal in.” — Samir [06:55]
• “The only reason I didn’t skip it was because it featured Colin and Samir.” — Quoting viewer Lindsey Ruffin [13:29]
• “What do Wes Anderson, Spike Lee, Marty Scorsese, and Steven Spielberg all have in common? They’ve all directed commercials.” — Samir [24:53]
• “Every creator in their own sense is some sort of director.” — Samir [25:10]
• “If you want to stick out...pull that person in and have them help you.” — Colin [35:43]

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Memorable Moments & Examples (with Timestamps)

• Lexus Deal Breakdown:
  The hosts explain how their Lexus partnership led them to create eight ads—distinct from their regular content—which will run as pre-rolls on YouTube. Discussion of creative constraints vs. creative liberation when working for the brand’s audience instead of their own. [07:18–10:48]
• Comedy Ad Reads:
  Stories about creators making host-read ads fun, e.g., David Dobrik’s drunken ad read for Prize Picks, turning requirements into comedic bits. [06:00]
• Product Placement & Ever Presence:
  They cite F1 cars, The Big Podcast, and Ludwig’s recurring Red Bull/AT&T integrations as strong examples of ever-present brand partnerships that feel native and additive, not disruptive. [21:41, 41:00]
• Almost Friday x Morgan and Morgan Ad:
  An example of creators writing and directing a fully bespoke, comedic ad for a law firm (“Have you been tackled at work in medieval armor?”), which could run as pre-roll independent from their main content. [36:37–38:12]
• MKBHD x Ridge:
  Spontaneous midroll ad featuring Marques Brownlee, easily mistaken for standard content—underscoring the rise of contextually native ads featuring YouTubers. [39:31]
• ISHOWSPEED x Expedia:
  Good talent-brand fit, but the campaign missed opportunity by not fully mirroring Speed’s usual high-energy, IRL travel video style. [42:12–43:18]

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Timestamps for Major Topic Shifts

• 00:30: Episode intro—why ads and the creator economy are intertwined
• 01:37: Insights from Cannes Lions, industry anxiety about “solving creator”
• 04:38: Introducing Connor for the consumer perspective
• 07:18: Lexus deal and new form of creator-produced ads
• 13:43: Transition to "creators as talent" in brand ads
• 16:46: Contrasting "creator as distribution" with new brand/creator dynamics
• 24:53: Trends: creators evolving into directors for branded content
• 29:36: Pablo Rochat/Nike ad – familiar but unexpected storytelling
• 32:29: The rise of creators as agency consultants/strategists
• 34:23: Recap of the four ways creators work with brands
• 36:37: Ad examples—Almost Friday x Morgan & Morgan, MKBHD x Ridge, Ludwig x Red Bull/AT&T
• 42:12: ISHOWSPEED x Expedia campaign analysis
• 44:21: Brand activations at live events—are they effective?

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Final Recap: The Four Ways Brands Collaborate with Creators

1. As Distribution: Brand integrated into creator’s own channel/environment.
2. As Talent: Creator featured directly in brand’s advertisements.
3. As Directors: Creator (often off-camera) writing/directing the brand campaign.
4. As Consultants/Strategists: Creator(s) advising, shaping, or even running marketing/everything for a brand.

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Conclusion & Reflections

Colin, Samir, and Connor highlight that modern advertising is a fast-evolving partnership, where creators aren’t just billboards but can act as creative, strategic, and directorial partners—or sometimes as the brand platform itself. Their main advice: both brands and creators should remain flexible, honest, and audience-first, constantly seeking creative combinations that feel native, valuable, and authentic.

“The ability from a creator to stop you in your tracks is like the main thing to explore.”
— Colin [24:23]

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Invitation to Listeners

The hosts ask listeners to share outstanding ads they've seen—emphasizing that everyone in the creator economy needs to think strategically about advertising, since it's “truly the economic engine” driving their world.

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For creators and industry insiders, this episode is a playbook of actionable strategies and cultural insights for the landscape of creator monetization in 2026.

Transcript

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[Colin]

Hey, what's up everyone? Welcome back to the Colin and Samir Show. On today's episode, we're talking about ads,

[Samir]

mainly because we made one. We made a bunch, actually, but not how you would think, not historically what you'd think of when we say ads.

[Colin]

So in this episode, we're going to talk about four ways that creators and brands are working together and talk a lot about the future of advertising in the creator economy. If you're in the creator economy, you got to love ads. It's kind of the thing.

[Samir]

The future of the creator economy and its growth, in my opinion, hinges on the ability of brands and creators to work better together.

[Colin]

Why are you yelling?

[Samir]

Because I really mean it.

[Colin]

Yeah, you feel very passionate.

[Samir]

Feel very passionate. Yeah. All right.

[Colin]

If you're into ads, you're going to like this episode. All right, let's talk about ads.

[Samir]

Honestly, one of my favorite things. Yeah, Actually, not even kidding.

[Colin]

Yeah. It's something I, I deeply love and something that is the economic engine of the Internet. It's really interesting to go back in time and go like, advertising is what enabled the Internet to be free and

[Samir]

the economic engine for creators. The majority of creators make the majority of their money from brand partnerships.

[Colin]

So what's interesting and why this is, this is coming to life right now and why we're having this conversation so much is in part because of a deal we just did that we're going to talk about. But also we're about a month out from Cannes Lions and coming home from Cannes Lions. I wrote up these observations of what I saw at this festival of advertising and what was deemed as like the super bowl for creators. And we were in a lot of closed door meetings there with major brands and there was this like palpable anxiety around solving creator.

[Samir]

Yeah. Needing feeling like they need to work with creators because of their cultural impact, because of even just the buzzword right now of creators, but feeling like there is also a bit of discomfort in giving up control to creators. Right. Giving our brand voice to these people who we haven't met yet. We don't speak the same language all the time.

[Colin]

Especially as the brands get bigger.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Right.

[Colin]

Like, the bigger the brand, the more complexity with that. But the headline that I wrote was that everyone, every brand is trying to solve creator, but they have a very narrow view of what creator meets. And so coming out of it, I wrote down four different ways that brands can engage with creators and that are engaging with creators to kind of clarify what this modern advertising industry is with independent creators, like, what do they represent to the ad world? Just some numbers. Creator spend is projected to hit $39 billion in 2026. Total global advertising spend is. Is going to hit $1 trillion, which is crazy. But 39 billion to creators is insane.

[Samir]

Yeah. When I heard that, I thought. I thought it candidly was a mistake because I just can't even comprehend and understand a number that large, let alone within our space. Because you and I, I feel like I know every creator or know of. Mm. And. And I'm like, wait, how is this $39 billion being disseminated?

[Colin]

Yeah, but I don't think that's true. I think. I think if you. If you go out globally and. And explore the definition of creator, it's actually. There's a. There's a lot. Yeah, right. Like the. And. And.

[Samir]

Because if just our friends were getting that 39 billion, I think we would know.

[Colin]

We would know.

[Samir]

We would know.

[Colin]

We would know. Some of them are getting large portions of that 39 billion. Yeah, but.

[Samir]

Or they're just not telling us.

[Colin]

Now, in this episode, we're also joined by Connor, producer on our team, because we need a vantage point of somebody who's a consumer of advertising on the Internet, not a creator of advertising on the Internet. I say this because, again, you and I are fans of advertising. We have a bias towards advertising, and I have a no relationship with a brand deal from a creator that isn't coming from the perspective of. Of me analyzing it, of how it was done as a producer of advertising. So, Connor, welcome.

[Connor]

Thank you. Good to be here.

[Colin]

You like ads, Connor?

[Connor]

I do. I like good ads. I like when ads really work with creators and aren't just like the. We bought a slot in your video. Talk about us for a little bit.

[Samir]

All right, we'll get into that.

[Colin]

It's a fair point, but I would say I actually, as a fan of podcasting, I. I don't mind the host red ad.

[Samir]

Yeah, I don't mind it either. I just think there's a messy middle where you're either the 60 second integration into a podcast Something that is not necessarily visual, it is audio. And you still need to have a level of authenticity to it. Or you are so deeply integrated that the brand is making the video that much better. Like, they are. Truly, without a doubt. At a glance, you look at it and you go, there's no way this video could be as good as it was without that brand getting involved.

[Connor]

Yeah. And there's an expectation with watching podcasts that that's just kind of how things are. And it's what I'm expecting. If I'm watching a video essay, I don't want a podcast style ad read because it just like, takes me out of the. The video that the creator spent whatever, five minutes a minute in getting me immersed in the first place.

[Samir]

Let me get your opinion on this. What do you think about podcasters who read the integration off of a piece of paper and they look at it while the video is on them?

[Colin]

It completely depends on if they're funny or not.

[Connor]

Yeah.

[Samir]

Okay.

[Colin]

100%. Like, the thing is, if they're comedy podcasters and they can make it funny, no problem. Do actually, David do just did an ad read recently for, I think it was prize picks, and he's throwing a party at his house and everyone's like, pretty drunk and he has to deliver this ad read. And he starts trying to deliver it, and he has a piece of paper to deliver it.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

And he can't do it. And so then they start bringing in friends to pick up where he left off, and they all also can't do it because they're too drunk. And by the end, like, they finally nail it. And it's one of the most memorable ad reads I've seen recently because it was comedic. It's like he is being abundantly clear that he has to hit these talking points, but he makes it like, a bit. And I think when you're comedic, you can do that and it can land and it will stick. In my mind, I think the rule

[Samir]

is here, you have to face the brand integration head on. When you end up in the messy middle, it's because you're sort of trying to sneak the brand deal in or act like you don't have to read these deliverables. Right. Like, I think the podcast integration when it's funny is great because they're just facing it head on. There's not. They're not trying to hide anything. And the full, directly integrated. This whole video is made better with the brand is also okay because it's honest.

[Colin]

Yes, yes, I agree with that. So let's talk about a new form of advertising, because we just did it and it's been a really interesting experience. So we announced this past week that Lexus is the official car of Colin and Samir. And specifically inside of this deal, we have made four ads that will run as pre roll across YouTube. Lexus is also sponsoring four videos on our YouTube channel. And the first campaign just rolled out. So if you're watching YouTube without premium, very possible you'll see our Lexus ads. But the first campaign has eight unique assets attached to it. Everything from like a very cinematic hero asset all the way down to something we shot with your iPhone. Just like your iPhone in the car.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

And this is a new form of advertising for creators that I think actually if you talk to all of our friends, everybody wants to do this because we're making ads that are just ads. Like, they just play as ads before YouTube videos. They're not integrated into our content. They are purely ads.

[Samir]

Well, I think it removes the tension from what is normally the brand integration. Because you say this a lot. The audience is the boss.

[Colin]

Right?

[Samir]

Right. So in our world, on our channel, our audience is the boss. They are the only people that can fire us. So there are a level of, like, restrictions that we need to put on what we make. Right. To make sure that they're happy. At the end of the day, when we make these ads for Lexus, yes, our audience is taken into account, but their audience is the boss because it's on their platforms. You know what I mean? Like, it is running. Yeah, we are. There's a liberation to that.

[Colin]

Yeah, there's a liberation to the context in which it's running. But I don't think we. There's no version of this where we're, like, not considering our audience.

[Samir]

It is like us and something we think our audience would like. Yeah, but the ads that we made, there's no world where those just get released on our channel.

[Colin]

No, no world. Yeah, yeah. It's a different. It's a different. It's a. It's a completely different context and a completely different.

[Samir]

Different creative and storytelling constraints that have to do with the brand and the car, not our audience and the medium. Yeah.

[Colin]

Like, the storytelling constraint is we have to try and get someone to not skip this pre roll. Right. Like, that's the goal is don't skip the pre roll.

[Samir]

It reminded me a lot of a short form piece of content. The way you sort of ideate and think about a short form piece of content where someone is not clicking and Choosing you. You are showing up in front of them.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Samir]

And. And they have a moment to make a decision if they want to stay.

[Colin]

So this is a movement that I think we're going to start to see a lot more of with YouTube. Right. So YouTube is massive advertising platform, lot of video advertising. Now you have creators on the platform that are more relevant to the ecosystem, that are good at making content for YouTube, but have not yet really been tasked with making the ads for the platform. That is changing now. We're getting a lot more engagement from YouTube to explore these types of relationships. And the way this came together is actually really. It's kind of a bizarre but funny story. I told a story of auditioning for Alexis commercial on this show on an episode with Nick DiGiovanni. And it's like a nightmarish audition story. You can go back and listen to it. I'm not going to tell the full story right now.

[Samir]

I'll cut to the chase. Basically, Samir had to act something out. He did it. The director then said to him, okay, whenever you're ready, implying that he didn't even notice the subtlety of Samir's acting. And that's. That's the moment Samir knew he wasn't going to be in that Lexus ad.

[Colin]

It's what, like, it's what everyone's nightmares are made of. You know, it's like that moment where you, like, perform something in front of a bunch of people and they're like, did you do it? And you're like, I did it.

[Samir]

I'm glad you brought that full circle. Because I was like, everyone's nightmares are made of auditioning for a Lexus commercial. But I understand what you're saying.

[Colin]

You know what I'm saying?

[Home Depot Announcer]

It's.

[Samir]

Yeah, it's like you're called on in class and you're unprepared.

[Home Depot Announcer]

Yeah.

[Colin]

And you're unprepared and you. And yeah. Although I thought I was prepared and I did it, but I just didn't do it. Anyway, doesn't matter. Tell this story. We laugh. And our SPM, Andrew Leonard at YouTube,

[Samir]

which is strategic partner, manager.

[Colin]

Yes. Which is very unique thing about YouTube. Very unique that we have like this level of engagement with someone at YouTube. Basically, at the same time sees that Lexus is looking for creators to work with. You know, the question gets asked, are there any creators who have relevancy to Lexus or relevant story With Lexus, he tells this funny story to the team and then we get invited to pitch a campaign to Lexus. And this is very different. This is almost us as a extremely boutique creative agency. We're pitching a campaign, a premise to them of again, how we're going to make ads for the car. And it was a series of like a lot of meetings, building decks, building like an actual campaign strategy around this. And we got it and it was awesome. And I think why we're going to see more of this is because of a couple reasons. One, creators want to make these ads. We are all fans of YouTube. We want the ecosystem of YouTube to be cooler, right? So, like when. When I'm watching YouTube and I see an ad, I want that ad to be cool and more entertaining and more entertaining. Like, I just want it to be better. And if I saw Ryan Trahan in an ad, I'd be like, awesome. And the second reason is contextually native talent. So we, we talked about this in a newsletter, but when you're watching the NFL, the State Farm ad has Patrick Mahomes in it during the NFL season. That contextually makes sense. I'm watching the game. Oh, there's Patrick Mahomes. He's an NFL player. He's in the State Farm ad. Same logic applies to YouTube. I'm watching YouTube. I want to see a YouTuber in the ad. It's more contextually native and it makes you stop. Got a comment on LinkedIn from Lindsey Ruffin. He said for the folks at Lexus, I saw the ad and only reason I didn't skip it was because it featured Colin and Samir. So I was actually interested in watching it. When it pops up again, I'll watch it again because it features people I actually know parasocially and care about. I hope to see Lexus vehicles play a role in supporting these guys. Okay, that's a separate thought.

[Samir]

So that is one of the ways that we're going to go through that creators can work with brands, which is talent.

[Colin]

Yes, right.

[Samir]

We are talent in these ads. You've probably seen this specifically. This happens actually a lot around the super bowl, whether it's ishowspeed. He showed up in the meta Oakley ad, Mr. Beast and the Salesforce ad, Mr. Beast in that instance was talent. He also directed that commercial. Yeah, but talent is something that you will see brands engage. You will see brands engage with creators in this way more and more.

[Colin]

So, yeah, back to the. The things that we saw in these meetings was a lot of brands who have their own perspective on advertising and their. And their brand and their problem that they faced with creator marketing is that There's a lot of. There's this energy of the creator knows best, which in a lot of instances is true. But they go, here, Creator X, go make a video for your Instagram about my brand. And it comes back and it doesn't really reflect the brand. And the creative director of the brand or the marketing team is like, what is this? This doesn't make any sense for us. And so the comfort level is more like, hey, we know how to make our ads. We want to make our ads in a certain way. Let's just pull relevant faces into this advertising. Simple. It's just. There's a hesitancy for a lot of brands to treat creators in the same way that they treat celebrities. But it's a very simple way to engage with creators, and a lot of creators enjoy this a lot. Adobe Firefly did this campaign where they featured Era, Conigra, Dion and I think two or three other creators. And we talked to Kanigra about it and she was like, it was so cool to show up on set, act and leave and not have to edit and leave. That's. And the ads are good. They're really good ads. And when they come across my screen on YouTube, I'm stoked. I'm like, that's a cool ad about era making YouTube videos or Kinegra making YouTube videos. It's really well done. So I think if you're a brand exploring ways to work with creators and you feel like the kind of classic creator marketing thing isn't working, just pulling a creator into your world as talent is. It's a way to just not break your system. It's like our system is already to make ads.

[Samir]

Yeah. If you're a brand and you still want control, bring the creator to your universe.

[Colin]

Yeah. Now, I think you do have to still explore and ask the creator if the creative is good and if it'll work and get their opinion on it, but you can absolutely pull them into your world. The discomfort comes from the fact that the number one way that brands and creators engage with each other is creator as distribution. That's historically how all creators have worked.

[Samir]

Yeah. Work with us to reach our audience.

[Colin]

Yes.

[Samir]

That's historically what it is. As a creator. Work with us and you can reach our audience. What it is shifting towards is work with us and we will help you reach your audience better.

[Colin]

Right.

[Connor]

I think there's another level with creators talent with creator selection, like when you can find somebody who fits into the universe you're trying to sell. Like this example with ISOW Speed And Expedia because there is no one that exemplifies traveling and like unique experiences right now than I show speed. And it's like the difference between Timothy Shalam doing a call she ad when it's like it's a big face and it's kind of creative but it just doesn't really make sense for him other than him just having distribution or likeness. Not even distribution, but ishowspeed it fits his brand and he's a really good brand partner because you can easily become part of that universe.

[Colin]

That's a really good point. It makes me think of Rick Rubin in the Poly Market ad.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Where it felt so bizarre to watch that like Polymarket, which is, you know, prediction market, feels like an edge of gambling. And to see a guy who's like really made his name on the purity of creative work.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Mixed in with that was like really jarring.

[Samir]

There was so much discomfort with that ad because it was a really well done, beautiful ad, but it felt like it was missing that core element of honesty with the person at the heart of the ad.

[Connor]

Yeah.

[Colin]

I think another good example of this and one that I wrote down as a really like a good brand deal that I've seen recently is Jake Shane and Aloe. So Jake Shane, basically he's a podcaster, comedian, if you don't know who he is, got extremely in shape and posted these pictures of getting in shape reminds me again like fitness transformation is like inherently interesting. Will always be interesting. But seeing somebody transform their body is interesting. But it was like fully done in partnership with Alo and then now there's like a multi part series coming out with Alo and I think I hope Alo makes ads around this, around his like before and after because just good, it's just good creative. Like I would watch that pre roll. I think it's really simple and I think also world building is where this works extremely well. Where I am following the narrative of Jake and he's talking about getting in shape and then he's in shape and it's like I did this in the ALO gym with ALO trainers. Like yep, that's. That to me is, is really great when you can see the whole world come together like that.

[Samir]

And the four part series is on Allo's platforms, Allo's world, it's their universe, it's branded their way. It's not branded Jake Shane or how his shows look. And so it feels comfortable.

[Colin]

So on these two ways that we're talking about creators as distribution creators as Talent. The main distinction of why they're so different is because when a brand steps into our world and our job is to distribute their message to our audience, we have to hold the consideration of our audience as number one. So whatever your brand guidelines are, whatever your considerations are, it's going to get kind of uncomfortable if they don't mesh fully with our considerations of our audience. And then we're going to try and fit it into this world. That may or may not work. That's where what you said in the beginning, like, the messy middle gets really messy here because a host red ad is clean, clear. The audience expects it. They know how our ad product works there. But if we're trying to customize something that doesn't feel representative of our relationship with our audience, it's not going to be good for anyone, basically.

[Samir]

So I'll give two examples where I think it really works here. Creators as distribution. One on a very low lift. End of the spectrum. One on a very high lift, starting with low lift. You know, I watch Goth Babe.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Samir]

So he's a musician, but he also has this outdoor YouTube channel. He did a integration with Huckberry, which is a men's clothing retailer, but now he just wears the Huckberry hat throughout all of his episodes. And whether it's intentional product placement or not, I'm not sure, but it feels like the most seamless product placement where the brand is showing up in his universe and it does not mess with the story that he's telling. I think it's great.

[Colin]

I like that a lot. I mean, I love that type of brand exposure.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Like, I think. I think even as we explore, like, a big conversation we're having right now is like, what's the next chapter of monetization with Colin and Samir? Like, what is. What does this look like? Obviously, this Lexus deal is totally different for us. Like, okay, can we direct ads and, like, have an official category sponsor? But. But I think the ever presence of a brand is cool and effective.

[Samir]

Agreed.

[Colin]

I. I actually think that is a core truth of advertising that I have no issue with. Like, F1 cars are obviously a great example of this. There's like an ever presence of the brand. It's. It's embedded into part of the team. Yeah. And of course, like, TBBN is. Is a great example of a podcast that said, like, the brands are just going to be here, we're going to be proud of the brands, and they're just going to be plastered on this set or on the screen. So I think the ever presence of a brand is cool.

[Samir]

Now on the high end. We've talked about this video before, but from Michelle Carre when she tries to recreate and successfully recreates the Tom Cruise stunt hanging out of the airplane. Red Bull is literally the engine that facilitates the airplane for her and Red Bull athletes train her for that experience. That episode I don't think happens without Red Bull finding that specific plane for her and training her for that experience. So that's a high end integration, but it's honest and it works.

[Colin]

So I think one of the things that will challenge creator as distribution in the future if we extrapolate a couple years out, is either the creator has to have such a niche audience and is such a tight knit community with that audience, or I'm probably as a buyer evaluating if I can just buy the distribution for cheaper. Right. Like I can buy reach right now. I was having a conversation with someone last night who's you know, serial entrepreneur, has a ton of of products and he was like, yeah. Our marketing team like built this agentic software to create e commerce creative, place media buys and optimize on a 24 hour cycle. So the distribution that he is able to get just through media buys and through creative is exponential. Right. And it is cheaper than paying us to reach our audience. If you truly were like, I just want to reach a large group of creative people on the Internet. You can, you can buy that through just paid media. The reason to work with us is our unique voice, our direct connection to the audience. But I would say as, as creators go forward, like the absence of a extremely clear POV on your relationship to the audience is going to create a situation where there's a cheaper option to buy distribution. Of course.

[Samir]

Yeah. I do not care about someone who gets views for view's sake.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Samir]

From an audience that they don't even know who these people are.

[Colin]

It just doesn't. It's just gonna be hard to matter in the future Now Ishowspeed in the Expedia ad that matters because ishowspeed is a face. It matters because of what that Guy wrote on LinkedIn of like he stopped because it was us. And so the ability from a creator to stop you in your tracks is like the main thing to explore. It's like who are you in the market? Could you show up as talent in an ad and would people stop?

[Samir]

Okay, what do Wes Anderson, Spike Lee, Marty Scorsese and Steven Spielberg all have in common? They've all directed commercials. So creators and creatives as directors Is not new. Every creator in their own sense is some sort of director. Right. Directing their own story, directing their own videos on their channel. And now creators are moving towards becoming directors for brands.

[Colin]

Yeah, I think again, as, as we were sitting in Cannes Lions, like that whole industry is rooted on the ad agency, the creative director, the people who can actually execute the ad. And one thing I'm noticing is that there's that group of individuals. A lot of them are very sharp. They, they have good creative ideas, but they're kind of restricted to the silo, that is the conference room. Like they exist inside of an office. They spend time with their client, they pitch creative to them, they validate the idea internally, and then they go out and spend a bunch of money to make it. And the thing that's different about the Internet creator as a director, or even the Wes Anderson as a director is that they're in the practice of filmmaking and putting things out and seeing how people react to it.

[Samir]

That's the key. People, yes, real people. Agencies are accustomed to getting feedback from their clients, from the brand. And it can be a different brand with different feedback every time. Film directors, creators, we get feedback directly from the audience. That's where we take our cues to make something that will resonate.

[Colin]

So what we're starting to see is the rise of creator directors, where you're not even seeing the creator in the advertising. They're directing the advertising, they're writing the concept. And we as creators have more reps than maybe anyone else. You put us apples to apples with a director at an ad agency, we know what it feels like to put something out and for the audience to like it or, or for the audience to hate it. And we know what that feels like. Basically on a week to week basis, like even with us, the amount of short form that we're posting right now, like we understand what people are reacting to day to day. So the amount of data we have working with creators as directors where you don't even put them on camera and maybe you do some BTs or it's like it becomes abundantly clear that they directed the thing. But again, back to the comfort level of a brand. To me, this is an extremely underutilized relationship between brands and creators. And I think every brand would be surprised again, how many creators would be down to do this.

[Samir]

Totally specifically the, the big brands who have some cultural cachet where it would even. It would matter to the creator to have that announcement go out that this creator made an ad for this company. You look at Spike Jones Directing an Apple ad.

[Colin]

Right.

[Samir]

It matters to Spike Jones and to Apple that it's known that he made the ad.

[Colin]

Totally. Emilia de Moldenberg directed a music video recently or maybe within the past six months. And that was like a very cool thing that that went out, you know, and it was, it was. It was not as loud as maybe it could be, but it was like, it was cool. And I think about like Amelia directing a Balenciaga commercial or something, you'd be like, whoa, that is interesting and cool. And I think the ripple effect of like earned media and distribution you can get from hiring a creator as your director. I really think it's like such a massive opportunity in marketing right now that is underutilized. We have a friend who's a fantastic director who basically lived with us at Cannes and it was wonderful. Pablo Rashat. But he directs some of the most interesting campaigns on the Internet. And he also posts on Instagram like multiple times a week with interesting, fun little quips that like, go very viral. So he has such a pulse on what matters to people.

[Samir]

Yeah. I believe that he is the blueprint. He's the gold standard for what it means to be a creator who's also a director.

[Colin]

Yes. So he has this one ad for Nike.

[Samir]

Every creator should watch this Nike ad.

[Colin]

Every creator should watch this. I think it's one of the most. It's one of the best ads I've seen. But it basically starts with the zoomed in shot of shoes running. And they're running on something.

[Samir]

Looks like a treadmill that's moving.

[Colin]

Looks like a treadmill start to zoom out. And what's revealed is that he's running on a cement truck. End of ad.

[Samir]

Now, the reason this is interesting, Pablo said, is because the goal is to be familiar but unexpected, to take reality and put a slight twist on it. And so he was thinking about shoes. Shoes run on treadmills. What's an unexpected treadmill? And that's a very simple framework, but it's an incredibly powerful storytelling rule. No matter if you're making ads or telling a video, this works in comedy, it works in horror. You need to be familiar and then hit someone with something unexpected.

[Colin]

I think this premise too is exactly what we've talked about with Curry Parker and making the film Obsession, him as a director. What makes him and Kane Parsons great directors is because they've cut their teeth on the Internet. They know what it feels like to make something for this audience. But also, I've been thinking so much about obsession that the frame of obsession is Guy likes girl, girl doesn't like guy back. Guy wishes girl liked him. That is like a tale as old as time. What happens next is the twist. So everything I just said is familiar to everyone in the world and then twist.

[Samir]

Yep.

[Colin]

So that premise is so Internet because that's kind of what you have to do in a title and thumbnail. Right. You have to present something very familiar

[Samir]

or even in a short form feed.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Samir]

As you're scrolling, does this look familiar to everyone? So that they stop, they get it and then all of a sudden in a very quick amount of time, do you put a twist? Yeah.

[Colin]

So I think the next crop of like excellent directors, both film and commercial, are creators. You just have to look at how to think about them like that and how to just fit them in your system. You definitely have directors for your commercials. If you're a brand, use a creator next time.

[Samir]

And again, if you're the brand, it gives you more control than if they're just talking about or integrating your brand on their channel.

[Colin]

Last way that we're seeing brands and creators work together and this is like a, there's like a significant rise in this which is creators as consultants or strategists. Strategists. We do a lot of this work. This is definitely like the, like a primary inbound we get is, hey, can you work with our marketing team on our creator strategy? Hey, can you work with our marketing team on the messaging of this product? And I think this is really sharp. It actually goes really similarly into the last thing we just said of creators as directors, where it's if we know what is happening on the Internet, we know what's landing on the Internet. And you're trying to make something land on the Internet. Bring someone in the room who's a practitioner. And there's the kind of informal version of this, which I think a lot of creator friends of ours do. Just, hey, can we engage you on like a one off engagement to consult on this project? And then there's a lot more formalization of this, which is creators turning into agencies themselves. Anthpo, who we've had on the show, who I think is truly one of the most creative individuals, has an agency called Pufferfish.

[Samir]

And if you don't know him, I'm sure you're familiar with his work. He is the guy behind the Timothee Chalamet lookalike contest and many other Internet stunts I'll call them. He is just a master of grabbing attention whether it's through video or just on the street.

[Colin]

So he has, you know, now like quite a few clients, a team in New York that is working across multiple clients, social strategies, marketing, commercials, like all the above. And this to me I think is going to increase for a few reasons. One of which that I think is that a lot of creators who enjoy making stuff for the Internet don't want to be media companies. They don't want to sell ads into their content, they don't want to be distribution.

[Samir]

They'd rather sell their expertise.

[Colin]

Yes, yeah. They want to be creative and make cool stuff for the Internet and are down to work with brands, but they don't want it to be in their environment as a representation of them. And I think that's a really interesting distinction where it's again, back to the director bit, but even a step further, a step more removed is when you have an agency and you're like, my agency is doing the work. It's not me, it's like this firm that I've created that has like a certain level of taste. Um, but I think that's a, that's a really interesting thing. And I think a lot of creators don't also think of this as an option where it's, I want to make videos for a living, I want to do creative work with brands for a living. But a lot of people are reduced to the singular version of this deal, which is I'll make you an Instagram reel or I'll make you a 60 second host red ad on my platform when actually there's all these other options now that I've emerged, merged.

[Samir]

So can you recap for me, what are the four ways that brands are working with creators?

[Colin]

Number one, as distribution, working with a creator to get to their audience. Number two, as talent. Let me pull this creator into one of our ads the same way I would pull a celebrity in. Number three is as directors. You have a POV on the world. You know how to direct a campaign that works for the Internet. Come direct my advertising. Number four is as consultants, be a voice in the room while I'm trying to sort out how I'm going to message my company or my product to the world on the Internet.

[Samir]

Is there one that you think is going to grow faster than the other? Because creators as distribution is the status quo. That's what we're used to.

[Colin]

Status quo. Yeah, I think, I think creators as consultants is going to grow a lot because I think there's a lot of money available there. And you know, when you think about as creators, there's a couple of Ways to grow one is get bigger, charge more for brand deals. Do more brand deals. Right. Launch your own product. There's a lot of these. These, you know, ways to make money. And I would say that the one that is probably most creators are getting approached with the most is consulting. I just want your mind, you know, I want your mind. I want your expertise on this real quick.

[Samir]

Yep.

[Colin]

It's a very low stakes version for both parties to engage with each other and get some expertise. But I think modern marketing teams are definitely again, back to the top of the show trying to solve creator and even to, like, try and understand what that problem is that they're trying to solve. It's how are we more relevant on the Internet in a world that has an abundance of content? How do we stick out? How are we relevant? And again, one version is to get into the distribution flows that people are watching. The other version is pull that person in and have them help you.

[Samir]

Yep.

[Connor]

All right, I'm gonna show you guys some ads. Let me know if you like them or not.

[Morgan and Morgan Ad Voice]

All right.

[Connor]

The first one is from Almost Friday tv. They are a sketch comedy group. They work with some repeat partners like Cash app and things like that. But all of their ads are very bespoke.

[Colin]

Okay.

[Connor]

You'll know what I mean.

[Morgan and Morgan Ad Voice]

Have you been tackled at work while wearing medieval armor? Or maybe somebody spilled their whiskey sour on you, caused an allergic reaction for the millionth day in a row.

[Samir]

Hey, dude.

[Morgan and Morgan Ad Voice]

At Morgan and Morgan, we're for the people. And whether you're stuck in a time loop or just stuck with medical bills, we're here to help. Sword mishaps.

[Colin]

Greg, I challenge your claim to this office.

[Morgan and Morgan Ad Voice]

Crossbow misfires.

[Samir]

You are a really nice lady.

[Morgan and Morgan Ad Voice]

Emotional damage from playing Fortnite. If it hurts, we're here to help. Call Morgan and Morgan, America's largest injury law firm. Because you may not escape the time loop, but you can escape paying out of pocket.

[Colin]

Wow. Okay, first of all, Morgan and Morgan, which is a law firm, one of the biggest advertisers on the Internet, which is crazy. I see more Morgan and Morgan ads than like anything right now. But they do a great job being in comedy. To me, that is. That is the Almost Friday guys as directors.

[Samir]

Yeah, that. That feels like them. As directors, you could. That is within a larger video, but you could just cut that out and run that as pre roll across YouTube.

[Colin]

Yeah. Which I would probably suggest if I was the brand, just do that. Like just. Just get rights to paid media there, because that's like a funny ad.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

And I think people who are funny like that have like such a great opportunity to be directors.

[Samir]

It's amazing that that's their version of an integration which is basically write and direct a scripted comedy behalf of Morgan and Morgan.

[Connor]

Yeah, that, that by the way, the sketch has nothing to do with the video.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Connor]

It's like not at all like it's a sketch video and then a sketch ad.

[Samir]

But they went so hard like for the love of the game to just make something interesting.

[Connor]

Yeah.

[Colin]

But they also, because they also have to respect their audience in terms of like their audience is only going to react if it's a sketch and it's funny.

[Samir]

Funny.

[Colin]

But that also is at the end of their video. So again if I'm Morgan and Morgan, like from a distribution perspective, I probably can guess how many people are watching at the end of the video or get the data on how many people watching at the end of video. But if I'm the advertiser, I want rights to that to run as paid media because that's a cool asset.

[Samir]

Then it can show up as a pre roll or a mid roll. Yeah.

[Colin]

And like also directed by Almost Friday. That's a cool story.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

Make the story about it.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Connor]

And it's, it's respectable from an audience perspective that a brand is down to be silly.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Connor]

And like step into their universe.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Samir]

A brand you wouldn't expect to be silly too.

[Connor]

Yeah. Yeah. Just seeing an ad for a personal injury law firm is funny in itself and partnering up with those guys is like perfect.

[Colin]

Yep.

[Connor]

The other ad that I wanted to bring up kind of fits into consultants and creatives is a title sponsor that they work closely and for Ludwig it is at and T and Red Bull and a lot of his integrations, they'll do like little ad reads here and there, but stream overlays on events and just even his desktop streams. And what is really respectable from this as an audience perspective are brands.

[Colin]

Wow, that's insane. By the way, showing us YouTube right now and a mid roll ad just started playing which is Marques Brownlee talking about Ridge. But like look at how good this is already. Like I already want to watch it because it's Marques showing me a, showing me a product.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

But it's a mid roll ad so like what we're telling you guys is already happening. That's YouTube is going to have YouTubers in all these ads. Making the ads, making the ads in the ads.

[Samir]

Like this is in a way that feels native. This just looks like an MKBHD Video. And if you are a fan of MKBHD to take a step further, you know that Ridge is a part of this universe.

[Connor]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Colin]

That's cool.

[Samir]

Wow.

[Colin]

What a funny thing.

[Samir]

All right, now let's get to the Ludwig one.

[Connor]

Yeah. Back to what I said about brands becoming part of the creator's universe. I think being a title sponsor does that really well, because now it's all these cool things that Ludwig does. He plays up being I'm a Red Bull athlete. It's a running bit he has on his channel. And all of the things gaming tournaments, streamer games, all become these recurring things brought to you by at&t and Red Bull. So much. So at Streamer University, Ludwig actually used the Streamer games as like a perk where he announced one of the teams was fully from members or attendees of Streamer University. So he kind of carries the Red Bull and AT&T brand with him across all of his platforms. Even when he's appearing in other things, he's like their guy.

[Samir]

I just like this because right now we're looking at a frame where he is talking to the audience, he's talking to us, but he's wearing a Red Bull hat and there is a little bug graphic in the bottom corner for AT&T. And I'm so used to this style of advertising, it doesn't feel disruptive to me.

[Colin]

Yeah. Again, it's the ever presence of an advertiser.

[Samir]

And at any moment. Yeah, at any moment, as you're watching this, you're going to see TNT or Red Bull.

[Colin]

Yeah.

[Samir]

So they get more out of it.

[Colin]

This is. This is like. This is not novel. It's what athletes do. Like an athlete and what sports does. Yeah, what sports does and what athletes do of like, they're wearing Nike hats or Nike shoes. But I. I think this is like, we, We. We don't see that much of this and we should see more of it. Like, we really should.

[Samir]

I'd be really curious. I mean, I know TBPN did this with Ramp, but what our audience would think if in the bottom corner of our show there was a bug, a little graphic for Lexus presented by or Shopify.

[Colin]

Yeah. I think it's better advertising.

[Samir]

I think so, too.

[Colin]

Yeah, I think the ever presence of it is better. I've said ever presence so many times on this episode, but I think.

[Samir]

Isn't that a band ever presence?

[Colin]

No, that's Evanescence.

[Samir]

Cool.

[Colin]

All right, let's look at one more.

[Connor]

The last one I had was the Ishowspeed going Places.

[Colin]

Yeah. So explain this campaign. This ran as pre roll, right? Cause this didn't really show up content at all.

[Connor]

No, this was, these were pre roll ads and then Expedia just posted them and this one, 13 million views, I'm assuming.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

That's pretty paid media. Yeah. But, but these are good ads from memory. I, I would, if I was Expedia, I would open the ad with Ishowspeed. It doesn't, it opens the ad with the Expedia logo. Like, I think if you only have a few seconds, I would have opened with Ishowspeed. But yeah, they're basically like the way I read this is like they're the official travel partner of Ishowspeed and he's traveling and these. And I, I, I agree with you. It makes a lot of sense. Because if you watch Speed, he's like the travel guy right now.

[Connor]

Yeah. I do think it could feel more like a Speed video.

[Colin]

Yeah. Like a YouTube video.

[Connor]

Yeah, like, like if it's opening with Speed or even one of his IRL experiences, I think it's a way better connection off the bat than here's Speed in our thing. Not like we are partnering with Speed.

[Samir]

Yeah. I would expect to see a camera following him through a crowd or through an experience. Like that's what I'm used to with him.

[Colin]

I think if we're going to get contextually native talent to YouTube, I think we need contextually native creative.

[Connor]

Yep.

[Colin]

And that's actually, it's not, it's not easy to get to even with our Lexus stuff. Like, I think it was, it was hard to figure out what the hooks should be and what everything should look and feel like. But like, one thing, if you come across our ads on YouTube, you'll see is that every ad that we make, the first shot is us addressing the audience. Right. Which is pretty uncommon in advertising that you like are staring the camera in the eye and, and addressing the audience. And that's what we felt was important to the context of YouTube.

[Samir]

All right.

[Colin]

We talked a lot about advertising on this show. I'm curious if you guys think about advertising as much as we do. I mean, if you're a creator, you must, because it is truly the economic engine of the creator economy. But if there's a great ad you've seen, put it in the comments. I want to hear about it.

[Samir]

You can't not think about advertising. It's everywhere.

[Colin]

Yeah, that's true. Even like world watching World cup, it was like, whoa, that's a lot of advertising. Like the Powerade hydration break.

[Samir]

Yeah.

[Colin]

It's like, man, you can next World cup, there's going to be so many new ad products that come out of that.

[Samir]

Question for you, do you think it's effective marketing when an event like a FIFA brings a creator to the event and they are obligated to post that they're at the event?

[Connor]

In a case where you can, like, create content at the event, like speed streaming, even if it's not the game, just him there, I can get behind it. Especially when whenever BR fans can, like, show that they're one of the. The cool ones and kind of let you do that, then it does. If it's just like, hey, I'm here at that thing, doesn't really matter.

[Colin]

I was gonna say, I think there's a cool factor to it for me of, like, getting the invite, you know, Like, I'm super aware that, like, Adam W. And Dhar Mann went to FIFA with Marriott. Bonvoy and Haley Bailey went with American Airlines.

[Samir]

That, like Kelly Wakasa.

[Colin]

Yeah. Went with YouTube.

[Samir]

Ashley was like, I can tell you was there again.

[Colin]

But I don't know if I am so aware of this because I am in the business versus if somebody's like a consumer, how they react to it.

[Samir]

I think for a younger audience, it's definitely an aspirational moment in culture to be at. I think from a consumer perspective, as a peer, I think they could do more to your point of Ishowspeed being more involved, it feels kind of like a billboard to me, which is fine. It's effective. But as I'm scrolling through my feed, I'm like, oh, there's another person I know who was there.

[Connor]

There was a. There's a streamer. Will Neff, who recently did a collaboration, a sponsored stream with Applebee's. And during the stream, they watched a livestream of the Savannah Bananas game. And it was so good. Like, even though the brands were, like, separated, allowing someone to, like, livestream a paid event and things like that and have fun with it and be silly is so, so good.

[Colin]

Yeah. All right, let us know what ads have stuck out to you guys in the past few weeks. I'm really curious to know. Again, I feel like I watch ad as a analyst and as a, like, person in the business of advertising. But I'm just curious about what's sticking out to you guys as we continue to go deeper into the world of advertising as creators. What's sticking out to you?

[Samir]

And if you're watching YouTube without premium and you see one of our Lexus ads. Take a photo, let us know.

[Colin]

Watch it. Leave a comment. Don't skip it.

[Connor]

Watch it.

[Colin]

All right, see you guys next week.