While hard metrics matter, creators on the panel emphasized that some of the most meaningful data is personal. DonYe Taylor, a content creator and brand strategist, described launching her own product (a chrome piggy bank shaped like a brain) based on what she knew her community would love. “On the first day, I sold 200 brain banks at $160 each,” she shared.
Taylor, who previously worked in brand partnerships, added that smaller creators often outperform expectations, especially those who develop recurring content formats. “I always saw strong ROI from influencers who had their own mini shows or series,” she said. “Their followers tune in like it’s Netflix. So, finding different ways to incorporate product into their content series is a really good way to track ROI.”
Priscila Fadul, founder and CEO of Lendava Skin, has found that incorporating video works for her small business. “I film with real customers who match our lifestyle,” she said. “My budget is limited, of course, and for me, data, community, and authenticity—that’s my media plan.”
Krystal Hauserman, CMO and strategic advisor at both Urban Stems and NOYZ, echoed the shift toward more data-informed, community-first strategies. “We’re at a turning point. Consumers don’t want to see paid ads anymore. They want to hear from people who are already obsessed with your product. And through the power of AI, we’re uncovering who they are and bringing them into a more community-led strategy,” she explained. “Our approach is bringing them in and letting them be part of the brand and creation of the products. That’s where things are headed. The trick is, how are we going to scale it?”
Even as the creator economy evolves, brand storytelling remains at the core. “Brands are the original creators,” said Amy Lanzi, CEO of Digitas North America. “If you want creators to authentically represent your brand, it starts with knowing what you stand for.”] That clarity enables creators to represent brand values in ways that feel organic across channels—from press-on nails to in-store activations.
The new feedback loop: fast, data-rich, and creator-powered
Panelists agreed that relevance, not follower count, is the metric that matters. Kaylen McNamara, chief business officer at VaynerX, shared how her team redefined their organic performance benchmarks. “We shifted our whole organic metric system to focus on total views and average views per post,” she said. “It’s not about your follower base anymore: 95% of content views come from non-followers.”