Why Hiring Influencers as Creative Directors is a Smart Move

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Hiring influencers as creative directors is a hot new trend brands adopt to supercharge their influencer campaigns. 

A brand creative director is a professional responsible for marketing and advertising efforts of the company. Brands today appoint influencers as creative directors instead of hiring marketing professionals. Influencers as creative directors take charge of the brand campaigns—from ideating to organizing photoshoots and publishing content. 

In May 2023, Too Faced, a well-known makeup company, dived into this trend by hiring Sara Echeagaray, a 21-year-old TikTok star, as their first-ever Creative Director. The TikTok makeup star took charge of the brand's social media campaigns. She even collaborated with the product development teams to understand audience needs and develop customer-centric products. 
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Nerf, Made By Gather, followed a similar approach by hiring TikTok creators as Chief TikTok Officer. Not just that. Jack in The Box appointed Twitch's Kodie Turner, Visible hired Benito Skinner, and Gymshark invited David Laid to be their Creative Director. 

"The trend of hiring influencers full-time is a testament to the growing importance of influencer marketing. Brands seek ways to build deeper, more exclusive relationships with influencers as the space becomes more competitive. This approach allows brands to have more control and consistency in their influencer marketing efforts, and it can also lead to more authentic and long-term brand advocacy," says Jeremy Dawes, CEO of Jezweb, a website design and marketing expert.

The content created with influencers' expertise is even more authentic, helping brands connect with the audiences. Such influencer partnerships add a fresh perspective to your brand's storytelling. The brand creative directors enable you to run truly impactful campaigns by enhancing:

• Brand recall
• Engagement
• Brand storytelling
• Customer relations 

And a lot more! 

Moreover, the influencers as full-time employees offer in-depth insights into the target demographic. Influencers have first-hand expertise of what their followers like, what content they engage with most, and what products they look for. All this helps you provide what customers want and build credibility. Influencer employees allow you to build a healthy long-term relationship with these creative individuals, resulting in focused partnerships. 

But before you consider hiring influencers as employees, keep in mind these few pointers: 

• Decide based on your budget, and brand goals
• Find the right influencer 
• Take time to analyze the brand influencer fit
• Approach the trend realistically 

Find out more about what our experts suggest when partnering with influencers full-time in our latest report. The Influencer Marketing Spring 2023 Report covers the hottest 0 f Q2, coupled with expert insights and first-hand data. You'll also find the top social media updates launched in the last three months and the top brands and influencers.

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