Super Buyers - How Marketers from DraftKings, AG1, Ro, and Morgan & Morgan Scale Creator Marketing

Few relationships can change a company’s fortunes like finding the right creator to partner with. So what’s the secret to making the most of creator partnerships that deliver results? Find out in this week’s installment of The Media Roundtable.

At this year’s CAO Summit,  Conor Doyle (President, Oxford Road) moderated a superstar panel that focused on how to make the most of creator partnerships, even when you don’t have all the data. Taking the stage with him was an all-star team of industry veterans:

• Caitlin Bricker (Sr. Manager, Influencer Marketing, DraftKings)

• Gavin Carr (Head of Podcast & Emerging Media, Morgan & Morgan)

• Mandy McDonald (VP, Partnerships & Affiliates, AG1)

• Morgan Melvan (Sr. Manager, Offline Marketing, Ro)

Together, the panel talked about how buyers need to be great sellers; the best ways to help creators crawl, walk, and run; and why briefs can still be valuable. Let’s dig in.

“The audience is so loyal to those creators that they will write in [the reviews]: ‘Oh, I  saw this on this YouTube channel, [and] had to give it a shot. He’s been talking about it for months.’” – Mandy McDonald (VP, Partnerships & Affiliates, AG1)

Great Buyers are Sellers – To make the case for creator investment, you need to be able to sell the channel’s results internally. So where can you find the attribution data? Anywhere that works. Our experts piece it together from vanity links, post-purchase surveys, and yes, even customer reviews, paying attention to when users give shout-outs to their favorite hosts or shows.

Crawl, Walk, Run – Successful partnerships aren’t static. When the performance is there, you can progress from a crawl (test their main channel) to a walk (negotiate usage) to a run (try new channels and amplify the partner). Partnerships like these are the ones that help both sides, and can serve as cornerstones of any marketing campaign.

Brief the Niche – Trusted creators (like Dr. Andrew Huberman, who works with AG1) don’t need a brief when they’re talking to their audience. But when you’re trying to connect to a new niche, briefs are lifesavers, because you know more about the audience you’re trying to attract. Give hosts the context they need to tell a story that will resonate, and watch the result roll in.

For more insights from industry vets who make creator marketing look easy, check out the full episode below.