Creators are jumping between an increasingly large number of platforms and content formats, and brands are also racing to keep up.

We asked the most innovative marketers who collaborate with internet celebrities about which platforms and strategies they are currently focusing on, and the reasons behind it.

Marketers from companies such as Disney, e.l.f, and Beauty stated that they are using TikTok to “take over the red carpets,” to align with taste leaders through Substack, and to conduct experiments on Threads.

The Senior Vice President of Global Social, Creators, and Content Marketing at the National Football League of America ( NFL ), Ian Trombetta, stated: “ YouTube is a home for creators. TikTok is a great way to get exposure. Instagram is also another very important platform for us, as it helps us discover content. Even platforms like X and Reddit play a very important role.”

In addition to platforms, brands like Keurig Dr Pepper are also exploring ways to collaborate directly with creators, allowing them to be more involved in the event planning process earlier on.

Disney's Director of Creator Content and Collaboration, Samim Sadrzadeh, stated: "A significant change is that the brand is shifting from renting out space to genuine collaboration. For a long time, the industry has treated creators as mere advertising spaces. We believe that this greatly underestimates the true value they bring."

YouTube and the creators are taking over the living room, e.l.f. Beauty and marketing personnel from St. Jude's fundraising organization, ALSAC, among others, are also actively following up, not wanting to fall behind.

e.l.f. Beauty Chief Integrated Marketing Officer Patrick O said: "We have many plans around long-form content, and that is indeed a great scenario for demonstration. We have been doing this in YouTube for many years now. Now we look at it from an entertainment perspective."

Yahoo, the Senior Director and Person in Charge of the Creative Lab, said: "I feel that it's not so formal there; it's a really interesting place where you can try things out casually and see how they perform. For us, it has always been a great touchstone."

Disney has been particularly successful with the Live feature in TikTok, discovering it to be a customizable method for generating buzz around premiere events. For "Zootopia 2," Disney featured the internet-famous squirrel character Nibs to interview actors on the red carpet; whereas in "Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special," the internet personality Carter Kench served as the host.

Sadrzadeh indicates: "The reason these moments are effective is that we treat this platform as a canvas to tell a new kind of story that can connect with the audience in real time and directly."

Brands are directly connecting with creators.

Platforms may always have been an indispensable part of the collaboration between brands and creators, but "direct connection" has become an even more popular term, as many brands wish to bypass platforms altogether.

"We will hire creators to post content on TikTok. Then we can use that content and distribute it across multiple channels, with each channel receiving a tailored version of the content according to its needs."

It took internet celebrities a long time to convince marketers to take them seriously. This year, the Interactive Advertising Bureau ( Interactive Advertising Bureau ) expects marketers to spend $44 billion on creators, which is more than triple what they spent five years ago.

As brands increasingly regard creators as long-term partners, they also come into contact with creators at earlier stages of the marketing process.

The approach of Yahoo is to first identify those creative individuals with an entertaining presence, and then find ways to integrate into their works, rather than doing the opposite. The company has previously collaborated with television personality Kyle Cooke to promote his new Yahoo Weather application.

Kefalas means: "We collaborate with them for the entertainment they bring to people, and then we 'Yahoo' it further. Our briefings in this regard are usually quite relaxed. We don't demand a lot from them, such as speaking directly into the camera or promoting products. We've received a lot of positive feedback from the creators because they really enjoy having the opportunity to do what they do best."