Shermaine Wong: Our mission at Cult Creative has always been to empower creators. This platform was built with creatives in mind, bringing brands and agencies on board to cultivate an ecosystem that drives impactful partnerships.
THE ever-expanding dominance of social media and online platforms is reshaping the way brands reach and engage with audiences.
Recent years have seen creator-generated content (CGC) surge in prominence as businesses turn to digital content creators to help drive brand awareness and sales.
“The creator economy is booming,” Shermaine Wong, chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder of creator marketing platform and agency Cult Creative, tells StarBiz.
“Many brands are looking to maximise their return on investment (ROI) with a limited marketing budget.
“With creator-generated content, this is achievable as it’s more affordable and you can work with a high volume of creators.”
Creator marketing involves brands partnering with individual creators, who produce and share original content to support their marketing goals.
This strategy enables brands to leverage on the creativity and unique perspective of the creator, as well as connect with their dedicated network of followers.
Beyond cost-effectiveness, she adds that CGC offers a smarter, more personal approach compared to traditional advertising. “Consumers today want authenticity, relatability and clear messaging. They’re able to sniff out when you’re not genuine.”
Moreover, working with creators provides a “human-to-human connection” that fosters brand trust and community among customers. It is this demand for authentic content that is driving a notable shift away from big-name influencers and toward smaller content creators in the digital marketing landscape.
Although both influencers and content creators work with brands to generate and share online content, they differ in target audiences, goals, scope of reach.
“With influencers, you’re tapping into their voice, personal brand, large following that is typically 500,000 and above,” Wong explains.
Content creators, in contrast, have a more modest follower size that ranges from 1,000 to 500,000 and are often more involved in the content crafting process.
While influencer posts may be able to boost awareness and visibility among a wider audience, content creators are better equipped to draw engagement and influence purchasing decisions within their niche communities.
“Creators are everyday people who are storytellers and can produce content that reaches objectives on a grassroots level,” she says.
Such abilities have become vital at a time when social media platforms increasingly prioritise content quality and personalisation in their recommendation systems.
“The algorithms in TikTok and Instagram no longer favour high follower counts.
“Instead, it is valuable content with strong engagement that gets pushed into your feed, rather than posts from the people you follow.”
Wong notes that the content creation market today faces a number of challenges.
As the industry continues to rapidly develop, the space has become oversaturated with creators, making it harder to stand out. Brands also have to spend more time and effort to find suitable collaborators.
“Additionally, many creators today do not know how to monetise themselves or work with brands,” she says.
“They are usually contacted by brands through informal direct messages on social media. Some are given unclear campaign briefs, while some end up not getting paid for their work.”
Seeking to address these pain points, Cult Creative launched the Creator Platform, an end-to-end solution that connects and facilitates impactful collaborations between brands and creators.
With a network of 13,000 creators, the platform gives brands access to authentic creator content at scale.
Through the platform, brands submit a project brief detailing their campaign objectives, which creators can then pitch for.
Based on aligned values and personas, the platform then shortlists creators that are best suited for the project.
Additionally, Cult Creative handles the processing of agreements and invoices for creators, ensuring clarity and transparency.
Creators are also paid within 30 days.
Real-time tracking and analytics for engagement and performance is available through the Creator Platform. “The entire campaign, including all communication between creators and brands, can be managed on the platform,” Wong says.
“Our mission at Cult Creative has always been to empower creators. This platform was built with creatives in mind, bringing brands and agencies on board to cultivate an ecosystem that drives impactful partnerships.”
On what makes a successful CGC campaign, the CEO notes that high quality content is just one part of the equation. Choosing content creators that are relevant to the brand and target demographic is crucial, as is planning an effective distribution strategy.
In addition to using a mix of organic and paid content, she stresses the importance of working with the right platforms.
“If you’re aiming for Gen Z’s, you’d naturally go to TikTok. For content that’s more aesthetically driven, go to Instagram.
“If you’re looking for an honest review-based format catering to the Chinese market, go to Xiaohongshu.”
Speed is also a critical factor.
By capitalising on social media trends and algorithms in a timely manner, brands can significantly expand their reach.
Beyond this, brands should prioritise consistency in their CGC marketing efforts.
“Don’t just do one off campaigns. Keep testing and using creators to learn about your customer segments and which key messages work with them.” she says.
Finally, building a community around authentic relationships with customers is essential to driving brand loyalty.
Ultimately, brands today should “forget about vanity metrics and big influencer names”, Wong says. “Think about where your customers exist, and what they’re passionate about. From there, find content creators that will resonate with that.”
