The Sundance Film Festival was held this past week in Park City, Utah. Alongside the screenings and panels centered around movies was another conversation around media and marketing, hosted by Brand Storytelling. The “festival within a festival,” which celebrated its fifth anniversary this year, brings together executives from the brand, production, talent, advertising, content and PR worlds. Studio 71’s VP of Integrated Marketing, Gil Lang, one of the 250 attendees invited to participate in the various panel discussions and events, says that throughout these conversations, one thing stood out as a defining theme: trust.
Trust, at every level of a branded content deal, is what leads to success. And how that success is measured should be as much about the data (views, clicks, ROI) as it is about the art itself. Creators make the best content when they’re able to truly connect to the story a brand is trying to tell. And of course, audiences thrive on that energy. But that authentic engagement can only happen when brands, agencies, and creators work together to build meaningful content.
Creators know their audiences best, and they know that authenticity is what keeps their fans interested. It makes sense then, that brands and agencies recognize and respect that creators know when a partnership will work and when it won’t. As brands have become more comfortable with experimenting with non-traditional formats, especially mobile platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat, they’ve become more attuned to the sensibility of the audiences in those spaces. Gen Z in particular, a growing demographic, cares about two things: creative expression and authenticity. Brands get that.
A recent New York Times article about luxury fashion brands collaborating with YouTube creators underscored this point. About two years ago, YouTube, seeing the potential of fashion collabs on the platform, hired Derek Blasberg, a former Vanity Fair contributor and all around man-about-town, to “translate YouTube to the fashion set.” His tips for YouTube novices, like former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham and wellness brand Goop, include: “Don’t make it a TV show. Audiences want to feel like this is your channel — to spend time with the real you, not to watch videos about you.”
These are things that creators already know instinctively, but they’re a gearshift for fashion companies and personalities like model Karlie Kloss whose brands are built around glamour. The article goes on to quote Emma Chamberlain,18, who worked with Studio71 late last year to launch a Snapchat series, “Adulting With Emma Chamberlain,” part of a mini-series of shows highlighting creators. “Even if they don’t fully get it,” Chamberlain said of fashion brands like Louis Vuitton, with whom she has collaborated, “they’re trying and they’re learning.”
That commitment to learning and being nimble is key to Studio71’s strategy when it comes to bringing the stories of brands and creators to life. With a good collaboration, there’s a sweet spot where everyone wins. Studio71 is here to help make those genuine connections between creators, brands, and audiences happen.
