Creators, whether they meant to or not, have found themselves at the forefront of media channels and marketing execution — all of it in remarkably little time. They’ve also helped to make social media a far more valuable channel than it had been, certainly since the pandemic made all of us pay far more attention to it than before.
Because of these factors, some marketers — with the help of their agencies — are tapping into creators as a sort of test lab for trying out new campaigns. Horizon Media’s one example, through its Blue Hour Studios, which is working with advertisers like SharkNinja to pressure-test and adapt campaigns on the fly, using creators in the beginning stages — even letting them have a say sometimes in product development as well as campaign development.
Instead of relying solely on traditional research, social listening, or post-campaign measurement, Horizon and clients like SharkNinja are starting to treat creators as an always-on signal layer: interpreting audience behavior, pressure-testing ideas, and informing creative direction before anything goes to market. In this model, creators aren’t just executing briefs – they’re helping write them.
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