Brands are no longer just selling products, they’re shaping culture.
But there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to shaping a creator campaign that makes a cultural impact!
We invited an exclusive group of brand marketers to Soho House Austin to learn from marketing leaders, platform experts, and creators themselves why working with influencers is necessary for cultural relevance.
Our CEO Jenny hosted the panel and was joined by Creator Economy experts: Adam Ornelas, Senior Manager, Influencer & Content, DoorDash; Caitlin Peterson, Head of Social Marketing, Amazon Music; Chris Robertiello, Creative Business Partner, Google; and legacy influencer, Jack Edwards.
The conversation focused on how brands can authentically engage online communities and drive meaningful impact.
Here are the key takeaways from the discussion:
Adam Ornelas emphasized that staying culturally relevant requires diverse perspectives. Brands need to capture multiple facets of the zeitgeist – sports, books, art, and beyond – while focusing on storytelling. Instead of simply existing within the conversation, brands should add value and amplify moments that matter to their audience.
"I think it comes down to three pillars: the people - your stakeholders, your leadership and how they're empowering you, the process - or lack thereof. And the product - is your product adaptable? Is it reflecting what's happening in culture? If you can have those three things work in your favor, you can start to actually quantify and chart out how to move at the speed of culture." – Adam Ornelas
Jumping on trends isn’t about being first, it’s about being right. Chris Robertielo explained that brands should evaluate trends by asking: Is this true to our voice? Will it resonate with our audience? The most successful trends sustain over time, like ASMR and using sound to elevate content.
"We are focused on the trends that not just emerge but sustain - really more durable trends that have largely become part of the culture and part of our vocabulary. You think about things on YouTube that started as a trend and now are just part of our everyday culture, whether that be ASMR, ambient rooms, unboxing videos." – Chris Robertielo
Brands should lean into data and historic content performance comparisons, take creative risks, and work with creator who authentically align with their message – this may not always be the viral creator with millions of followers, but the emerging creator that connects with your brands values.
Taking risks means accepting that not everything will work. Caitlin Peterson highlighted the importance of earning trust within an organization to experiment.
"The permission gets wider the more you show up consistently. You have to be consistently additive to the conversation, not just asking to show up when you need someone to take action." – Caitlin Peterson
Testing and learning, setting clear measurement parameters, and embracing creative variety are key. If a campaign fails, brands should own it, learn from it, and refine their approach.
With the shift toward community-first algorithms, follower counts are becoming less relevant. Chris noted that engagement, active subscribers, and content performance consistency matter more. Smaller, emerging creators often drive higher engagement.
"If you're looking for what's going to work, just look at what the best creators are doing and how they're setting that expectation and relationship with their fans. They have a regular show, regular publishing cadence. They're engaging with their community through the comments and crowdsourcing feedback." – Chris Robertielo
Adam added that brands should diversify their influencer strategies:
"I call it your social stuff stock portfolio, like making sure that you're trying different things, different formats, different creators, and it shows that you're not just showing up with the big creators, the big names, but you're showing up with people who are coming up in the format and trying new trends. You're willing to take those risks and grow with those people." – Adam Ornelas
Rather than investing in a single high-profile influencer, many brands are now diversifying their approach. Caitlin likened creators to the new press corps—brands should engage them like media partners. With the same budget used for one big influencer, brands can activate hundreds of smaller creators and generate a vast library of content with paid support.
"Content creator + influencer = brand. In the same way that Taylor Swift is a person, but Taylor Swift is also a brand. It's an empire. And I think that's why creators now have to kind of imagine their content within that framework." – Jack Edwards
Brands can’t own communities – creators do. Jack Edwards pointed out that when brands engage by commenting on videos, supporting book clubs, or sponsoring events, they become trusted partners.
"The best thing is to kind of elevate what the creator is already doing. And that's where financial investment from a brand helps. Because I often can't afford to make the whole campaign for a video, but if I have a brand financing it, we can actually make something that is better than what I normally do." – Jack Edwards
Caitlin reinforced this idea:
"I don't think brands can own community, I think the community owns it, and we are allowed to participate. You have to be an active participant, and you have to be an authentic participant." – Caitlin Peterson
While AI can assist with the conception and remixing of ideas, fully AI-generated content often lacks the human connection that audiences crave. Adam supports AI in a supplementary role but warns that it should be used thoughtfully – especially when creators integrate it in unique and disclosed ways.
"I'm giving you some paint and I'm giving you a canvas, but you're gonna make the art. Like, go have some fun! I'm coming to you for a reason." – Adam Ornelas
The future of brand influence isn’t just about going viral – it’s about creating lasting cultural relevance. As we’ve learned from industry experts, the most impactful campaigns prioritize diverse storytelling, authentic partnerships, and community-driven strategies.
Now, it’s time to evaluate your influencer strategy:
Shaping culture takes intentionality, creativity, and a willingness to take risks. Start small, experiment, learn from failures, and grow alongside the creators who are redefining digital influence.
If you want to chat more about how influencers are shaping culture, reach out to us at hello@digitalvoices.com.
