# Transcript: A New Era of Brand-Creator Partnerships **Date:** March 14, 2026 · 10:30 PM **Session:** [A New Era of Brand-Creator Partnerships](/sessions/2026-03-14/pp1150844-a-new-era-of-brand-creator-partnerships) ## Summary This session explored the evolving landscape of brand-creator partnerships, highlighting how companies like Yahoo, Crocs, and Whoop leverage creators for authentic storytelling, audience amplification, and business growth. Speakers emphasized the importance of authenticity, long-term relationships, and adapting strategies to unique brand categories, from digital services to footwear and health tech. They also discussed how to engage with critics and internal talent to humanize brands and drive engagement. ## Topics `brand partnerships` · `creator economy` · `influencer marketing` · `digital marketing` · `content strategy` · `authenticity` · `social media` · `brand building` · `experiential marketing` · `storytelling` ## Key Takeaways 1. Prioritize authenticity in creator partnerships by aligning with individuals who genuinely resonate with your brand's ethos and product, ensuring their advocacy feels natural. 2. Develop long-term relationships with creators, encouraging deep product integration and organic advocacy, rather than focusing solely on one-off campaigns for sustained impact. 3. Leverage creators to amplify brand messaging across diverse touchpoints, from social media to experiential events, ensuring content travels beyond the initial activation. 4. Embrace internal employees and executives as potential creators, humanizing the brand and offering unique behind-the-scenes perspectives that resonate with audiences. 5. Adapt content strategies for different platforms, focusing on entertainment and deeper storytelling for platforms like YouTube, and even engaging critics to build trust and manage reputation. ## Full Transcript We've been evolving with the internet, and Yahoo has amazing brand assets like the yodel and the color purple. Our unique ethos is that we are a funny, wild, and free tech brand. When we think about creators, we look for that wild, free, funny sensibility that connects with people, which is as relevant today as it was 30 years ago. I'm Carly Gomez, CMO at Crocs, and I'm happy to be here. I joined Crocs because of its social-first, digital-first approach and its disruptive collaborations, from KFC to the Mischief boot with Paris Hilton, and our recent launch with Lego. It felt like a fun place to work, and I'm happy to be back in footwear after years in activewear and Vans. We think of creators from a 360-degree perspective, working with them across all our mediums. They amplify the brand and help own our narrative, aligning with our authentic identity. Authenticity is crucial, and we integrate creators across multiple consumer touchpoints, including campaigns, social platforms, and live streams, especially on TikTok for our Gen Z audience. I'm John Sullivan, CMO at Whoop, a wearable and digital health and performance platform. We specialize in uncovering insights and influencing behavior change to help members live longer, healthier lives. I've been with Whoop for nine years, and the creator space is where we lean in heaviest as an organization. Our creator strategy follows a pyramid structure, from prolific partners like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferrari at the top, to a huge base of creators with fewer followers. We work with creators at every phase of the member lifecycle, from development to cultivation. Unlike shoes, Whoop is often hidden, so creators are vital for awareness, inspiration, motivation, and storytelling. The health and fitness space is often filled with disingenuous claims and magic pills, making it hard to know what to believe. For us, creators are increasingly a source of truth, evidence, and transformative storytelling. They help members see a reflection of themselves and their needs, providing proof that our product works for real people seeking change. The moderator asked about how working with creators changes across different categories, specifically for a tech brand with no physical product, a footwear brand, and a wearable health platform. Each category presents unique needs and challenges in creator partnerships, requiring tailored approaches. As a tech brand without a physical product, our unique challenge is that we can't show or touch our product in the same way. We focus on the feeling and use case. For example, we collaborated with creator Josh Eckert, who went viral for his “crispy morning walks,” for Yahoo Weather. This collaboration was a natural, organic fit, resulting in huge views. We aim to show up authentically by tapping into communities and their interests, and the authentic relationship creators have with their audience. This applies across Yahoo's diverse product ecosystem, from Mail to Sports and Finance, covering many lifestyles. Regardless of industry, core tenets for creator partnerships include authenticity to both the creator and the brand, brand relevance, and meeting business needs. The best cases combine all three, while a lack of fit is also easily discernible, allowing brands to identify genuine connections. We think about creators in two buckets: those who amplify our reach to new audiences and those who bolster shared attributes. For new audiences, our “Do Your Thing” campaign featured Wisdom Kay, who authentically styled Crocs and engaged his audience, introducing Crocs to people who might not have known how to wear them. Footwear, apparel, and beauty are rapidly growing on TikTok, especially with TikTok Shop. We brought in creators to help build momentum on this platform, doubling down on their efforts and ours. Authenticity also means listening to creators; for example, Sea Roos's father, Baba, was featured in a campaign because it was important to Sea Roos and his audience. We discover creators through social listening, ensuring our teams pay attention to the creator space. Agency partners also inform us about creators who genuinely love Crocs, like the quick collaboration with Charli D'Amelio. This makes storytelling much easier when creators already wear and love the product. Whoop distinguishes itself with long-term partnerships, typically six months to a year or more. We insist on 100% product compliance, meaning creators wear the Whoop device constantly. This is crucial because our value proposition, unlocking human performance and improving health span, is complex and involves delayed gratification. We work with creators enthusiastic about documenting and demonstrating the positive changes they experience. Rich Roll, a partner for almost 10 years, organically advocates for Whoop, showing the power of sustained engagement. We also use internal content, like “Ask the Performance Scientist,” to build trust and authenticity. Our founder and CEO, Will Ahmed, is a tremendous asset for the brand. He has a full-time creator on his team, and we leverage him as a campaign asset, determining the right voice for him in various conversations. He's instrumental in driving enterprise narratives with a consumer touch and thought leadership around AI. Yahoo also elevates internal talent, starting with our Creative Lab Team, who often appear in our content. More broadly, Yahoo is a content-powered platform that aggregates content from external creators, particularly in Finance and Sports. We have a Yahoo Creators Program to help creators build businesses and distribute content across our ecosystem. Crocs actively leans into internal talent. Our Chief Brand Officer, Terrence Riley, frequently appears on TikTok Live and TikTok Shop, often driving high engagement and offering deals. This humanizes the brand and provides a peek behind the curtain, showing who works there. We also leverage employee stories for content. For Valentine's Day, we launched a micro-drama series on Real Shorts, inspired by an employee's true story about leaving Gibbets on a neighbor's Crocs. This became a romantic comedy, demonstrating how personal stories can be transformed into engaging brand content. YouTube is a growing part of our strategy, focusing on entertaining and original content. Our micro-drama and our first brand campaign in 10 years, a 90-second cinematic piece, found their ideal home on YouTube. This approach led to significant views, even surpassing some Super Bowl commercials, by reintroducing YouTube as an entertainment platform. All our content must have entertainment value, often through comedy for Yahoo. YouTube allows for deeper product storytelling. For Yahoo Mail's “Catch Up” feature, we partnered with Anti Social Social Club and comedian Morgan Jay to create longer-form content. This campaign was surprisingly successful, directly impacting daily active users. Whoop's entertainment is earnest, focusing on poignant stories of long-term transformation rather than humor. We also use YouTube for reputation management, engaging with critics like DC Rainmaker. By providing early access and understanding, we transform potential criticism into constructive engagement. We've successfully engaged critics, like a comedian who joked about Yahoo email. Our humorous response in the comments went viral, leading to a direct partnership request. This shows how turning criticism into a playful interaction can lead to positive outcomes and even new collaborations. Crocs is a polarizing brand, and we've seen commentary, like the Tampa Airport's “war” against Crocs and pajamas. We engage with this tongue-in-cheek interaction, planning reactions that align with our kind and funny brand persona. It's about monitoring social sentiment and responding in a way that generates positive buzz. Experiential marketing is crucial for creating lifelong memories with consumers. Bringing creators to these events, like Crocs did at All-Star Weekend with NBA player DeAndre Eaton, generates significant amplification. His viral shot, posted by Foot Locker, demonstrated how unexpected moments at IRL events can extend far beyond the physical space. --- *Source: stt · Language: en · Model: google-vertex/gemini-2.5-flash* [← Back to session](/sessions/2026-03-14/pp1150844-a-new-era-of-brand-creator-partnerships)