The new way creator is bought.
We did it to programmatic. Now it’s creator’s turn.
Creator earned the attention, not the budget.
Creator is the channel people choose to watch. Yet on almost every media plan, it’s the smallest line, or not a line at all.
It isn’t a performance problem. It’s a buying problem.
Creator isn’t left off the plan because it doesn’t work. It’s left off because it can’t be planned, forecast or reconciled like everything else.
Every other channel has what creator doesn’t.
Search has auction transparency. Programmatic has make-goods. CTV now writes guarantees into contracts. Creator still runs on estimates and screenshots.
We’ve seen this before.
Programmatic was once a curiosity bought on faith. It became a line item the moment it became plannable, forecastable and accountable. Creator is next.
The principles of the new way.
Planned against an audience, not a follower count.
Forecast before commitment.
Accountable for results, and bought against them.
Reported in media terms, in the same row as every other channel.
Always-on, not campaign by campaign.
What to ask of any creator partner.
- Will you forecast before I commit?
- Will you buy against results and own them?
- Will you report in media terms?
- Will you carry the contracts, payments and rights?
If the answer is no, you’re still buying creator the old way.