What if TikTok and Instagram were now places where companies could find the best possible partners to innovate and connect with their targets? That’s the conviction of Laurent Delbecq (The Social Wire – Semantiweb Group), who invites companies’ Innovation, Marketing and Communications teams to get rid of any preconceptions they might have about ‘influencers’, and embrace the superb opportunities opened up by these content creators.

MRNews: The importance of digital for brands is obvious. But what else? What facts and figures do you think are key to understanding it today?

Laurent Delbecq (The Social Wire – Semantiweb Group): A major transformation is taking place around the « content creators » who are mainly present on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, or YouTube on a more secondary basis. According to the latest data available, the value of the creator economy is estimated at $104.2 billion in 2024, with a doubling expected by 2027. There are currently no fewer than 207 million content creators in the world, and this figure is rising all the time. We prefer the term « content creators » to « influencers », which, at least in France, is a misnomer. These content creators have become experts in their category, and brands are no longer content to use these players to promote their offerings, but are now integrating them into the development process for their products, their communications, and their market advocacy strategies. By working with them in co-creation processes, they can harness their expertise and commitment to develop authentic and relevant products, capable of capturing the attention of consumers on a global scale.

A major transformation is taking place around the « content creators » who are mainly present on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, or YouTube to a lesser extent. According to the latest data available, the value of the creators’ economy is estimated at 104.2 billion dollars in 2024, with a doubling expected between now and 2027.

It would therefore be a serious mistake for brands to underestimate this phenomenon…

Absolutely. Content creators can offer three key advantages. On the one hand, they have an extremely in-depth knowledge of their target audience and of emerging trends in their field, and assimilating this knowledge is a real guarantee of relevance. They are also natural innovators, constantly pushing back the boundaries of creativity. This means they can bring opportunities for differentiation to the brands that connect with them. Finally, I would add that consumers are increasingly looking for authentic brands that are aligned with their values. Here again, content creators can help brands enormously to meet these aspirations.

These content creators are often perceived as « influencers », who brands might eventually « buy ». Isn’t that the biggest mistake?

Indeed. Brands should avoid viewing content creators solely as marketing channels, as they may underestimate their value as strategic partners for product development. Similarly, ignoring the importance of content creators’ community engagement could deprive brands of valuable opportunities to connect with their target audience, as these creators often have dedicated communities. Finally, underestimating the importance of diversity and inclusion in the choice of creators could limit the reach and credibility of campaigns. Integrating these elements into the strategy for working with designers enables brands to create more authentic and representative partnerships, thereby contributing to a more inclusive society.

Brands should avoid viewing content creators solely as marketing channels, as they may underestimate their value as strategic partners in product development. 

Is it that simple to work with these content creators?

No. There’s an important relationship at stake, if only because they’re talented people. So we’ve put the emphasis on long-term partnerships, based on well thought-out communication and exchange processes?

For their part, brands must also avoid the risk of seeing their intellectual property compromised when they share ideas or concepts. Here again, this argues in favour of clear and solid contractual agreements as soon as content creators join a network dedicated to research.

How can brands make the most of this opportunity to work with content creators?

For brands, it is crucial to prioritise certain aspects when working with content creators for integration into product development. This includes a thorough understanding of the target audience to select relevant creators, strategic partnerships aligned with the brand image, and protection of intellectual property through solid agreements. Measuring the impact and ROI of these collaborations is essential, as is proactively managing reputational risks. By focusing their efforts on these key aspects, brands can optimise their collaborations and strengthen their market positioning.

For brands, it is crucial to prioritise certain aspects when working with content creators for integration into product development.

More generally, which studies should be given priority?

Qualitative approaches can add a great deal of value. In particular, brands are well advised to organise online discussion and co-creation groups with content creators to discuss in depth specific subjects related to their offerings or field of activity. These are complemented by observational studies. Analysing the way in which these creators use products in their natural environment is highly instructive, particularly in terms of identifying their strengths and limitations.

It’s the ideal tool for obtaining unique perspectives and truly innovative ideas, whether for optimising their products or imagining new ones. One-to-one approaches via individual interviews are also extremely useful for exploring their experiences, opinions and preferences in detail. They are often very rich in terms of insights.

Brands can go a step further by having their new products or prototypes tested, and thus gather valuable insights into possible optimisations before launch. In a different vein, they can collect testimonials from content creators when their experience is particularly positive. These are then powerful clues to reinforce their credibility with their targets.

Brands can take things a step further by having their new products or prototypes tested, and thus gain valuable insights into possible optimisations before launch. 

Can you name a few brands with whom you have worked in this way of co-construction with content creators?

We work with major cosmetics groups around the world on a very wide range of subjects, within a club that we took the initiative of creating, the Social Wire Club. Within this framework, we have developed an original approach to product co-creation which involves content creators from the earliest stages of the development process. This is based on three fundamental pillars, which we call the What, the How and the Why.

The starting point is that the products and concepts are tested directly by the designers, their perceptions being captured via a series of questionnaires and videos. In this way, we benefit from valuable insights at an early stage, fed by this experiential immersion. Thanks to the network of macro, micro and nano-influencers that we have built up, mainly in China, the United States and Europe, the responses and videos are analysed in greater depth by the Social Wire team. This stage enables us to identify trends, strengths and opportunities for product optimisation. We complete the vision with activation ideas proposed by the content creators, which we know have the best chance of resonating with the target audience.

As part of the Social Wire Club that we took the initiative of creating, we have developed an original approach to product co-creation that involves content creators from the earliest stages of the development process. 

Can this approach of co-construction with content creators be deployed for issues other than product testing?

Yes, absolutely. We did it very recently on a project to create a story for a cosmetics brand. The brand wanted to explore a very rich theme, that of love. We started by getting 10 content creators together to discuss their relationship with love today, which provided a lot of insights. Then, in a second phase, we tested different perfume notes with them and asked them to create a universe around them, with a moodboard, personas and an aspirational film, so that we could build a complete immersion.

One final question: can this approach be applied to other categories of products or services? And if so, which ones?

Absolutely. The services sector lends itself more to this, but when it comes to products, the spectrum is extremely broad. In the automotive sector, for example, or in food, where we’ve just created a vertical, working with Nestlé in particular. This opens up some exciting possibilities, particularly in terms of working on innovation and developing concepts and products that are in tune with the expectations of Generation Z, with the codes that are likely to appeal to them.

 FOR ACTION 

– Exchanging views with interviewees: @ Laurent Delbecq