How are legacy brands meeting creators where they’re at today?
In this week’s episode of Earned, CreatorIQ CMO Brit Starr sits down with Adrian Guzman, Manager of Influencer Relations at Tiffany & Co.
To start, we dive into Adrian’s marketing journey since joining Tiffany in 2022. Adrian has been instrumental in integrating content creators into the brand's traditional marketing strategies, aligning global PR efforts, and fostering authentic connections with audiences worldwide. Adrian delves into the dynamic shift towards a diverse creator community, emphasizing the importance of representation and equity in collaborations. Adrian then highlights how these partnerships are reshaping the narrative of legacy brands, offering fresh perspectives and bridging the gap between digital and physical storytelling. Switching gears, Adrian reveals some of the complexities and rewards of engaging with rising talents in the creator space. Listeners will get a behind-the-scenes glimpse into high-profile events, gain insights from Adrian’s career journey, hear about exciting possibilities that lie ahead with creators at the forefront of brand storytelling.
Check out highlights from the episode below, or or tune into the podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen!
The following interview has been lightly edited for concision.
Adrian Guzman on True Partnership with Creators: “We really nurture these relationships. We never want it to feel transactional.”
Brit Starr: The thing that stood out to me is the feedback loop from the creators. What resonated with them from the brief, what did they lean into, and then bringing that feedback back into the company and team. Is that intentional? Listening to your creator community and bringing that feedback back in to just continually figure out as a company how you're going to bring forward the things that are most resonant?
Adrian Guzman: 1000%. I think what's nice about our team and how we work with creators is that we really nurture these relationships. We never want it to feel transactional. So while we contract them for a six-month to 12-month agreement and they become these regional brand ambassadors or brand partners, they're not just doing social for us. We're also inviting them to any local events. We have our high jewelry shows in different parts of the world. So we're getting to actually speak to these creators in person and ask how they are feeling about being a part of the Tiffany family.
Then, when it comes to the post-campaign, for my team specifically, it's usually celebrity and VIP. We usually talk to their talent teams and ask ‘hey, what were they leaning towards? What was it about this brief that stood out more than the one before?’ So it's very small tidbits that we just like to keep in our back pocket, and if we can include some quotes in a wrap report, we will. It's always nice to understand what we're doing right and what we could be improving on from the people that we're working with and really trusting to tell our story.
Brit Starr: I love that. I think the other thing that's really interesting is that you're leaning into long-term relationships. We've seen creators loving that. It's the fifth year we've done the survey and creators said for the first time ever that growth opportunities within relationships is their number one driver for working with a brand, and then satisfaction for once they're in that relationship.
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