At this year’s Embark Summit, leading thinkers in digital commerce spotlighted a key shift: content made by creators isn’t merely a promotional tactic – it’s becoming the infrastructure that powers how brands grow.
Experts from New Engen and Primo Water unpacked how both rising challenger brands and legacy CPG companies can scale creator content across retail media, owned channels and social commerce to deliver measurable business growth.
From Influencers to Infrastructure
Influencer marketing has evolved. What used to be polished campaigns or niche niches (“mommy bloggers,” etc.) now looks much more dynamic.
Audiences expect authenticity, speed and real conversations, especially on platforms like TikTok. Brittany Nobles, Omnicommerce Marketing Manager at Primo, said content today isn’t just promotional. It’s conversational. It invites interaction and builds community.
Case in Point: Speed & Culture + Creator-Led Wins
One standout moment discussed was how Saratoga saw a dramatic outcome with a creator-led video of Ashton Hall's morning routine. Launched quickly, the content sparked increased sales and helped expand Saratoga’s reach into new retail channels in just a few days. It goes to show speed and cultural relevance aren’t optional; they’re essential.
Scaling Creator Content Across the Full Brand Ecosystem
Smart brands are going beyond just social posts. They’re reusing creator content across retail media networks, product detail pages (PDPs), connected TV and in‑store displays and activations.
The idea is to treat creator content as a 360° asset: build it once, deploy it for awareness, engagement and ultimately conversion.
“All good content should be built for scale and performance," New Engen VP of Brand Partnerships Hunter Poole said. "It’s truly the pillar and the anchor for the programming.”
What This Means for Brand Builders (Especially Creators, Small Businesses, and Content Teams)
- Champion agility: Emerging brands have an advantage – use it. Be bold, move fast and experiment with creator-led content before trends pass.
- Build internal systems: Established brands have scale, but often suffer from silos. Build teams, workflows and infrastructure so content can move faster and test ideas.
- Cultivate internet fluency: Even if your core isn’t social media, understand platforms like TikTok, culture, trends and language. Have people who speak that fluently.
Content by creators is no longer a side project, but it’s the foundation of modern digital strategy. Brands that succeed will bridge discovery to purchase through authentic storytelling, speed and cultural relevance.
In building that, mission‑driven teams that know how to tell stories, scale content across channels and reduce friction at every step are the ones who will lead.
