Influencer marketing has matured — but many brands still act as if it's 2017.

One-off posts, rigid briefs, obsessive focus on vanity metrics, and forced deliveries. The result? Content that doesn't engage, contracts that don’t evolve, and money wasted on forgettable campaigns.

The creator economy today isn't about "buying space".
It's about co-creating value with those who shape language, desire, and behavior.

Content creators have stopped being "media with a face" and have become strategic assets for brands that want to build genuine relevance.
But this only happens when the relationship goes beyond the post — and turns into partnership, intelligence, and platform.

In this article, we show how smart brands are structuring collaborations with creators:

• How to write briefs that generate real content

• Which formats go beyond just advertising

• How to measure success more accurately

• And the role of DUX in making these partnerships viable with structure and capital

If you already understand that creators are much more than channels (and if you haven't, read this article first), this guide shows how to turn this vision into action.

The brief that works: clarity, flexibility, and trust

The way you brief a creator defines the quality of the content even before it’s recorded.
And here’s the truth many brands still ignore: a good brief is one that guides, not one that stifles.

What almost always goes wrong:

• “Mention the brand name in the first 3 seconds”

• “Include the discount code in the caption and in the video”

• “Do not mention competitors”

• “Call to the link in the bio at the end”

This type of approach forces artificial content that breaks the connection with the audience and undermines performance.
The creator loses credibility, the audience senses the forced nature, and the algorithm doesn't deliver.

What really works:

• Align the intention of the campaign (e.g.: generate consideration, not just clicks)

• Allow creative freedom with clear limits

• Respect the style of the channel and the tone of the audience

• Point out examples of organic posts from the creator as references

“If I follow all the points of the brief, my video will flop. But if the brand gives me space to adapt the message, the chance of real engagement is much higher.”

Brands that understand this don’t treat the creator as a vehicle, but as a creative author.
And the result is native content, fluid — that performs without seeming like an ad.

In the next section, we'll go beyond advertising and showcase collaboration formats that truly create value.

Formats beyond the post: when the relationship becomes a platform

If your only idea of a partnership with a creator is “make a video talking well about us,” you are wasting 90% of the potential of the creator economy.

The right creators aren’t just channels — they are creatives, strategists, and culture builders.

And the brands that understand this are expanding collaboration methods far beyond the feed.

Some formats that are reshaping the market:

Creative consulting

Creators help brands understand platforms, culture, and native language.
Example: Toni Bravo acting directly in the conception of products and identity for Huda Beauty. It’s not just an ad. It’s influence on what goes to market.

Product co-creation

From capsules to entire lines, creators are signing — and selling out — collections.
Example: Alix Earle co-creating cosmetics that connect directly with her audience. The creator becomes part of the brand.

Presence in activations and experiences

From Coachella to masterclasses, creators not only promote the event — they are the event.
They bring in an audience, generate organic media, and create real-time content that amplifies reach for weeks.

Creators as creative team

There are already creators being hired as art directors, screenwriters, stylists, and trend consultants.
Example cited in the panel: a fashion design creator who created merch for a software company — and even generated content about the process.

These formats amplify the creator's impact on the brand and strengthen the narrative at all stages: from the idea to the final product.

In the next section, we’ll show how to evaluate the right creators for these collaborations — beyond the shallow metric of followers.

How to evaluate creators beyond the follower count

For a long time, the measure was simple (and mistaken): more followers = more influence.
But today, serious brands know: following someone does not mean listening to that person.

To create valuable partnerships, it is necessary to evaluate creators deeply. And this requires more than just opening Instagram and looking at the counter.

What really matters:

Engagement consistency

• What is the average views relative to the number of followers?

• Is there a loyal audience or just sporadic spikes?

Sponsored content performance

• Can the creator generate results even when promoting something?

• What was the reach and engagement of the latest advertising campaigns?

Delivery history

• Does the creator meet deadlines?

• Does the creator deliver quality creative?

• Can they adapt the brand’s message without losing their voice?

Tone and cultural alignment

• Does this creator's audience fit with the brand's audience?

• Is there aesthetic, value, and language compatibility?

Expected role in the campaign

• Will this person just be a distribution channel?

• Or will they be a consultant, co-creator, curator, ambassador?

The mistake brands make is thinking that every creator has to deliver everything: reach, content, strategy, sales. That’s not realistic.

Each creator has a strength. Knowing how to identify that strength and use it correctly is what separates mediocre campaigns from memorable collaborations.

In the next section, we’ll address the structure that sustains long-lasting partnerships: contract, recurrence, and relationship building.

Contracts and long-term relationship: think as partnership, not as media

Creators are not vehicles with a price list.
They are people, personal brands, and creatives with their own visions.

And like any relationship with real value, the partnership between brands and creators is built — not bought.

What changes when you treat it as a partnership:

Value-based negotiation, not just delivery

• The brand invests in continuity, not just in a one-off post

• The creator understands the brand better, refines the language, and creates with more depth

Feedback and joint construction

• The brand shares data and results with the creator

• The creator adjusts formats and approach based on performance

Recurrence = efficiency

• The audience recognizes the brand as a natural part of the creator's universe

• The content gains authenticity over time, and conversion grows proportionally

Seeing the creator as a constant partner allows the message to mature with them. This results in a more solid, credible — and strategic campaign.

Creators who know the brand deliver more than reach: they deliver legitimacy.

In the next section, you will understand how all this translates into real impact — and why the metric that matters in 2025 is cultural influence with business results.

The new success metric: cultural influence applied to business

Engagement is important. Reach is too. But none of these metrics alone translate what really matters:

Did the brand gain cultural relevance? Did it create real value? Did it advance its business objectives?

This is the new standard.

What smart brands are starting to measure:

Narrative

• Did the content with the creator connect with the right audience?

• Did it expand or deepen the brand's perception?

Spontaneous relevance

• Did the content generate conversation outside the script?

• Did other creators, media, or consumers react to the campaign?

Business outcome

• Did the partnership influence traffic, sales, sign-ups, direct return?

• Did the creator help build a lasting asset: IP, community, product?

The case of Royal Caribbean and publisher Atria is emblematic:

A book brand surfed the hype of a viral cruise on TikTok by sponsoring a creator — and turned a meme into a real awareness campaign. That is vision.

If you only measure CPM or likes, you're playing an old game.
True influence happens when the creator integrates the brand into culture, and this reflects in business.

And for this type of partnership to happen, it takes more than intent.
It requires structure. Capital. Agility. This is where DUX comes in.

DUX and the new infrastructure for the creator economy

Creators are more strategic. Brands are more open.
But even with vision and desire, many good ideas die in the most sensitive phase: execution.

There's a lack of flow. A lack of stamina. A lack of capital to turn intention into delivery.

This is where DUX enters:

DUX anticipates receivables from campaigns, contracts, and projects in the creator economy.
It releases capital at the speed of culture — so creators can produce, brands can launch, and agencies can scale.

The right creator, with cash at the right time, delivers much more than content:

They deliver growth, innovation, and cultural value.

If you are thinking about hiring creators more strategically — or if you're already one — you need a structure that keeps up with this new game.

DUX is that structure.

The right creators, the right structure, real impact

The new era of influence isn't made with a simple ad.
It's made with partnership, strategy, and constant presence in the conversations that shape behavior.

Brands that understand this are building with creators — not just hiring.

And creators who understand this are structuring their operations to deliver value — not just visibility.

If you want to turn intention into impact, start by structuring the right relationship with the right voices.

Read also: Creators Are Media and Product: How to See the True Value of Those Who Move Culture

This article is the starting point to understand why creators aren't media — they are strategic assets of the new creative economy.

Talk to us and learn more.