Brand- or creator-led? Which is best for social marketing success?

Influencer marketing continues to boom, with spending projected to reach $24 billion by the end of 2024. Social platforms lead other messaging channels, and by next year I think we’ll see more brand marketers consider  social first, and then move those spots to TV or OTT.

But when there’s that much money on the table—and your product on the line—brands are becoming more and more hands-on in their approach to working with influencers. 

Approaching campaign briefs with both brand alignment and authenticity in mind, we’ve found that it all comes down to the brand’s comfort level with letting go of control.

Creator- versus brand-led production

The decision between creator-led and brand-led production is crucial for balancing authenticity and brand alignment. Creator-led production prioritizes the influencer’s unique voice and style, allowing them to organically integrate the brand into their content. Brand-led production, on the other hand, maintains stricter control over messaging and aesthetics, ensuring consistency with the brand’s image.

Consider Newfangled Studios’ approach with audio equipment manufacturer Sonos. For their high-end headphone, the Sonos Ace, the brand  opted for lo-fi content with controlled scripting and filming, and bypassed creator casting altogether. This allowed the brand to maintain a tight grip on the narrative surrounding their unreleased product, ensuring brand consistency, product focus and messaging clarity, even while leaning into social-forward storytelling and production styles.

Letting go with the right creators

If your choice leads you to  creator-led production, that’s great. A lot of what Newfangled does is matchmaking—making sure that the right creators are matched with the right brand. After that, it’s translating between marketing speak and creator speak. Micro-influencers, with their niche audiences and less-structured production, might struggle with brands demanding aggressive KPIs and complex briefs. Conversely, creators accustomed to lo-fi, personality-driven content may sound inauthentic when forced into overly polished brand messaging.

Newfangled Studios suggests a “tight brief, long leash” approach. Provide clear guidelines but allow creators freedom within those boundaries. 

For example, they worked closely with #TeamPixel—a program by Google that gives early access to Pixel devices to content creators and influencers so they can create social media content to introduce their followers to the devices—to develop dozens of ads for the new Google Pixel 9. Newfangled provided a detailed brief with authenticity primers, outlined brand-consistent elements and attended the shoot to protect the unreleased product. The creators were given a long leash to incorporate the product into their natural content style and be themselves, resulting in a ton of engagement from their real audiences.

The key to influencer success is finding that sweet spot between giving creators enough freedom and maintaining control over your brand. 

As social media continues to dominate the marketing scene, brands need to be smart about how they work with influencers. It’s all about finding the right balance and fostering genuine partnerships that benefit both sides. Remember, when a brand and creator truly click, the results can be truly remarkable.