Creators are increasingly being called upon not only to promote a campaign, but also to be involved in the actual creation process. They contribute ideas on formats, angles, and how a story can resonate within their own community.

That doesn’t mean the social strategy falls solely to the creator. As a social-first agency, we bring our expertise in strategy, platforms, content creation, and performance. A creator adds something else to the mix: their day-to-day connection with a specific community and their own unique approach to content creation. It’s precisely that combination that makes it interesting.

Traditionally, an influencer is brought in relatively late in the campaign process. The brand and agency have already determined the strategy and concept and then look for someone with the right audience to help spread the message. With a creator-centric approach, that collaboration can begin earlier.

The brand and the agency retain control over the strategy and creative direction, but within that process, you can make room for input from creators. What topics resonate with their followers? What questions do they get asked? And what angle would feel natural within their community? That way, you’re not only leveraging their reach but also their perspective.

A recent example is the American restaurant chain Chipotle. For the campaign Behind the Foil , the brand let 100 creators produce their own content in its restaurants. Instead of giving everyone the same script and shot list, the creators were given the freedom to film from their own perspective. The footage was then used for both social media and the broader campaign.

That’s a pretty far-reaching form of co-creation, but the principle behind it is interesting: creators aren’t just brought in once the campaign is ready. They become part of the creative process.

We also see opportunities to take that step in our own work. For Hans im Glück, the casual dining restaurant, we collaborated with several micro-influencers last month, for example. That same month, we saw our view counts increase.

In a future collaboration, we can not only engage such a creator to produce and distribute content, but also involve them earlier in the process. What kind of food content do they see working well? What do their followers respond to? And what aspects of Hans im Glück would they find interesting to showcase? We can then combine that input with our own strategy, platform knowledge, and performance data.