We're thrilled to introduce you to the first ever Impact Studio Drop - a new bi-weekly series from Influencer’s in-house creative and strategy team.

Whether you're a seasoned marketer or just looking to read something a bit different, every two weeks you’ll receive a deep-dive into a different aspect of the creator space - from the latest trends and strategies, through to incredible campaigns and case studies. Each drop will deliver insights, tips, and inspiration to elevate your campaigns and give you thought-provoking talking points for your next discussion around the power of creators.

This first drop, Creators For Good explores the different ways creators have used their platform and influence to bring about change. From fundraising to advocating for charitable initiatives, creators are playing an increasingly important role in mobilising audiences to advance the causes they hold dear, across social and beyond.

Let’s get into it…

Whether it’s advocating for mental health initiatives, campaigning for animal welfare, shining a spotlight on unsustainable fashion or taking to the streets to protest climate change, Gen Z continue to champion causes and galvanise peers into taking collective action.

Creator advocacy has been shown to reduce consumer scepticism of brand CSR activities, and their endorsement increases preference and loyalty. 1

As trusted individuals who speak out for social good, creators can act as a bridge, connecting brands with cause-based communities who share their values. As ‘people like us’, creators have the unique ability to connect with an audience’s desire to do good; driving greater awareness of a cause, educating about an issue, impacting attitudes and ultimately driving change.

When creators harness their influence for good, they can leverage their platform and mobilise their audience to take collective action. We've seen this play out through campaigns that fall into three distinct categories.

Charity Led

Choose Love, an organisation supporting displaced people, has collaborated on a wealth of creator partnerships, leveraging their reach and skills to design limited edition jewellery and apparel, host exclusive fundraising events and more. Launching a @chooselove store selling equipment and services to aid the refugee crisis in 2022, they enlisted a host of creators to not only work shifts but use their social reach to drive football to the store.

Brand Led

Within 72 hours of launching the #TurnYourBack on Bold Glamour campaign, 73 global creators joined Dove in standing against the filter, generating 54m video views and over 400k engagements. Creators generated thousands of online conversations, highlighting the harmful impact of filters. While this wasn’t charitable fundraising like Team Trees, #TurnYourBack shows that when a brand is unquestionably authentic and launches genuine, value-based campaigns, they’ll often be supported by creators and audiences alike. In this case, creators acted as a fuel to raise awareness of the cause and drive further conversation.

Creator Led

In just 55 days, MrBeast and Mark Rober’s #TeamTrees became one of the fastest-growing environmental funding initiatives on earth, raising $20 million to plant 20 million trees. When creators and their audience share genuine belief in the cause, they’ll continue to take action long after the campaign ends. Four years later, #TeamTrees has raised over $24 million and still receives daily donations.

Partnering with creators is a great way to elevate any charitable or purpose-based campaign, driving greater awareness of the cause and encouraging audiences to take action. Creators can act as a bridge between brand and audience, showing how a brand’s values align with issues consumers care about.

Campaigns of this type however, can be high risk, high reward - audiences can see through performative gestures and are quick to call out insincere brands. Brands like Dove have spent years proving they are an unquestionable ally to representation and diversity, but even new players in this space have the opportunity to show genuine and authentic commitment to a cause. The cause you choose to promote should be a fundamental part of who you are, and your commitment should be exemplified throughout your brand DNA, in all communication channels and activity.

While all creator activations should strive to be authentic, for cause-based marketing getting it right - whether that’s finding the right creators who authentically align with the cause or ensuring that the messaging they amplify is not only correct but tonally sensitive - is even more important. When executed tactfully, partnering with creators across cause-based marketing is extremely effective. If your message is honest and authentic, audiences will see it and believe it, and use their agency, reach, time, money and voice to support a brand’s goals and drive real change.