This year at VidCon, there was a lot more discussion about brand/Creator partnerships. Some seminars aimed to educate up-and-coming Creators on how to start working with brands, while others aimed to inform brand audiences about expectations for working with Creators. Topics ranged from “How to get a brand deal” and “How to determine a Creators’ value” to “How brands and Creators can work together,” among others. Most of the discussions seemed to net out with consistent themes – the basis of which I likened to dating. Here’s how.

1. Justine Herz
Director, Content & Social
OgilvyOne Worldwide
@OgilvyAdvVideo
Why working with
Creators can be
like dating

2. This year at VidCon, there was a lot more
discussion about brand/Creator partnerships.
Some seminars aimed to educate up-and-
coming Creators on how to start working with
brands, while others aimed to inform brand
audiences about expectations for working
with Creators. Topics ranged from “How to
get a brand deal” and “How to determine a
Creators’ value” to “How brands and
Creators can work together,” among others.
Most of the discussions seemed to net out
with consistent themes – the basis of which I
likened to dating. Here’s how:

3. It may take a bit of
wooing to catch
their eye initially.
Some Creators may only accept about 10-15% of the projects
they’re approached about. Projects that spark their interest
include:
• Partnering with a brand that they actually like, use and
makes sense for the content they’re already producing (i.e. if
a Creator makes cupcake videos for a living, don’t approach
her to work with a diet product)
• An opportunity to show something new to their audience (i.e.
PayPal gave one Creator the chance to travel to the North
Pole using only PayPal instead of any cash or credit)
• An opportunity to do something they believe in (i.e. one big-
time Creator waived her fee to work with a brand that gave
her a global platform to tell her story about the cause she
believed in most)
• Having creative freedom (i.e. giving them a script will turn
them away immediately)
• Doing something that will make all parties happy - Creator,
their audience and the brand
Creators recommend that brands do their research before
reaching out. Know what the Creator is all about, what he/she
stands for, the type of work they do and how engaged their
audience is. These are all good indicators that a brand
partnership would be a good fit, much more so than only
looking at number of subscribers.

4. Get to know each
other before diving
into a relationship.
When working with a new Creator, there should
be a discovery phase where the brand and the
Creator get to know each other on a more
personal level. Each should ask the other to
define themselves and what they believe in,
beyond products and sales. This ensures that
the collaboration producers something
meaningful for both parties.
When Elise Strachan from My Cupcake
Addition worked with Nestlé Tollhouse, she said
that one of her most productive meetings was
with their CMO before the videos were even
created. It helped Elise understand what was
important to the Nestlé, and after the videos
were created, in a very rare move, there were
no notes from the brand other than “approved”!

5. Set expectations
early.
The relationship will surely run into problems if expectations aren’t clear
from the start. Both brands and Creators agree that there are potential
sticky points that should be discussed as early as possible, such as:
• Brand integration: How do you expect the brand to be integrated (i.e.
product name, product shot, brand logo, big sign with logo in
background of entire video, etc)?
- Note, it was reiterated that the Creator actually using the product is
more effective than simply adding a logo into the video
• Revisions: How many rounds of revisions do you expect (i.e. daily
vloggers don’t typically make many revisions [if any] to their videos in
order to publish one a day)?
• Feedback: What areas of the video are open to comments and
revisions (i.e. messaging, logo placement, etc)?
• Cost implication: If more revisions are required or additional feedback
comes in, how will Creator be compensated?
• Exclusivity: What level of exclusivity do you expect (i.e. category,
length of time, etc)?
- Note: we were told that 3-6 months exclusivity is considered
standard
• Payment: When and how will Creator be compensated? Some
Creators may require payment prior to creating their video because
they use the money for production, however, depending on the video,
it may be ok to pay them after the video is complete
• Note, we were told that 1 month following video delivery is
considered standard
• It was also interesting to hear how some Creators had to wait
months for payment from agencies, which can be difficult and
frustrating as this is how they make a living and pay their rent

6. Be yourself.
The reason we use the word “Creators” as opposed to
“Influencers” in this form of marketing is because this
particular set of people are Creators first and foremost.
They may be influential online, but more importantly,
they are writers, actors and producers. They want to
work with brands that give them the freedom to create
videos in a way that is authentic to who they are.
Tips for encouraging creativity include:
• No scripts: No Creator wants you to write a script
for them. They don’t want you to tell them what to
say or how to say it.
• Provide inspiration: Give them creative elements to
inspire their own work. For example, one Creator
made a brand tagline into a song, but another
worked a product into one of his practical jokes
• Other Creators: If you’re considering partnering with
additional Creators, ask them whom they admire or
would like to work with. This approach will benefit
your relationship and the overall collaboration

7. Both parties can learn
from each other.
Brands can learn a lot from working with a Creator.
For example, most Creators are experts at
understanding audience engagement. You may
want to ask the Creator to look at the analytics on
your channel to help you understand what’s
working and what isn’t. This will not only educate
the brand as marketers, but also inform the content
that is produced as a result of the collaboration.
Similarly, Creators want to learn from brands.
Brands should not hesitate to share analytics and
learnings from the partnership with the Creator. In
some instances, Creators noted that they never
heard from a brand again after doing collaboration.
Let the Creator know what you were happy with
and what you weren’t, so that they can apply it to
future collaborations with other brands.

8. About Justine:
Justine is an experienced digital marketer, focused on video strategy and
content marketing. Her resume spans the world’s most coveted agencies and
brands, and includes work on business-to-business, consumer-packaged
goods, corporate reputation and various industry segments.
In her current role, Justine leads the Advanced Video Practice, a unique video
strategy specialty within the Content & Social group at Ogilvy. There, she
designs effective video programs that leverage both the interactive
capabilities of online video and the distinct digital behaviors associated with
its users. Specific areas of expertise include pre-and-post video optimization,
distribution planning across owned/earned/paid channels, demand generation
video, and YouTube channel strategy and implementation.
Justine has been a featured speaker at industry events, such as ARF, and
academic institutions, such as NYU. She was born in South Africa, raised in
Florida and enjoyed a professional stint in Los Angeles before settling in New
York City. Her passion for theatre, art and pop culture greatly influenced her
personal and career paths and continues to bring creativity and joy to her
daily life.
Justine Herz
Director, Content & Social