A few weeks ago, Sezane's fans decided the brand had become a more expensive H&M. (Ouch!)

If you're unfamiliar with Sezane, and why comparing them to H&M hurts: it's a French apparel company built on a very specific kind of romantic, Parisian style. Their Fall/Winter 2026 collection is nothing like that. Cue the comparisons to H&M, Cos, and every Scandi brand out there.

I found out about this betrayal (Excuse the drama!) from a creator on TikTok. Then two more. I read more comments than I care to admit. (Imagine Michael Jackson eating popcorn GIF here) 

The consensus was not positive. Scathing, some would say.

And somewhere in there, my Google newsfeed served me an interview with the founder. (I only got as far as reading the headline!)

The brand's own version of events reached me last. And by the time it did, I'd already formed my opinion.

Which is roughly the point Brooks Miller, EVP of Creators at Edelman, made during June's Modash Live.

Public opinion is no longer shaped by newspapers, magazines, TV stations, and conversations around the dinner table. Today, much of it is shaped by millions of independent voices we call creators.

A brand makes an announcement. A creator explains what it really means.

A campaign launches. A creator tells everyone why they love it—or why they don't. (See: Sezane)

As marketers, we publish the original, but creators help determine how everyone understands it.

Which leaves us with a choice.

We can treat creators like media placements and cross our fingers that they repeat the message we give them. Or we can recognize the influence they already have and invite them to help build our story.

If you're feeling as uncomfortable as I did about handing over so much control, here's how Brooks said we can do it:

Creators are good at making content. I’d argue that they’re good at that because they understand what their communities talk about and which ideas will send them running to the comments section. 

Brooks’s team at Edelman takes advantage of this by bringing creators into what they call a Creator Lab. There, creators advise on campaigns, pressure-test ideas, contribute audience insights, and flag any problems. 

One example Brooks shared was Dove’s collaboration with Emma Chamberlain and Chamberlain Coffee.

Emma wasn’t brought in to slap her name on a finished campaign. She helped shape the idea and even edited the copy for Dove’s posts to make sure it felt right for her community. The resulting post on Dove’s account landed in the top 1% of its Instagram content.

You don’t need an official Creator Lab to try this. Pick two or three creators who understand the community you want to reach. Pay them for their time and ask them:

With this information, you build a campaign together. 

For decades, brands have given journalists briefings, exclusives, expert access, and early looks at products.

Now that creators are reporting on brands, interpreting news, and explaining industry changes to their audiences, we should be doing something similar. Something more than just sending someone a product they didn’t ask for, with a card that says, “there’s no obligation to post.” 

How can we give creators the information and access they need to form a more informed opinion? And make more interesting content as a result. 

Brooks recommends: 

The important question to ask yourself: What can I offer that is actually valuable to this creator?

Or better: just ask them.

When Simone, who you'll know from our TikToks and past events, was a full-time YouTuber, Lush Cosmetics asked her how she’d like to collaborate. She asked for a factory tour. They agreed. Simone got a day making soap and a piece of content she'd never have made otherwise. Lush got an authentic piece of earned media.

A factory tour is worth talking about. An unboxing of a bath bomb isn’t.

OK, so I’m aware that sometimes, you won’t need a consultant or an earned strategy. “We have nothing to offer but our product, Eleni!”

Good old-fashioned influencer marketing. You want to pay a creator and get content. 

But paying someone doesn’t mean we have to treat them like they’re media placements.  

Brooks recommends working with creators over a longer period, providing more context, and making the partnership personal enough that they understand the brand beyond a single brief.

That could mean briefing important creators in person rather than relying on a document. It could mean supporting their work when they aren’t posting about you. Or remembering that they moved house, had a baby, got engaged, or hit an important milestone.

But I think the most useful place to start is with the campaign itself.

Instead of sending a creator a finished idea and asking them to make it authentic, show them what you’re trying to achieve and ask how they’d approach it.

Instead of saying: “We need one 30-second Reel mentioning these five product benefits.”

Try: “We want to show people why this product is useful when they travel. What would make that story feel natural in your content?”

You’re still allowed to have objectives, deadlines, budgets, and deliverables. Handing over some control doesn’t mean abandoning your job and hoping the creator figures everything out.

It means being clear about what the brand needs while leaving the creator room to decide how they can get you there. 

If you enjoy the kind of info we share in this newsletter, then you won’t want to miss out on the Return on Influence Festival ‘26! A full day dedicated to influencer marketing with people running some of the best campaigns out there.

We’ll be rolling out the agenda as we get closer to the day. In the meantime, I’ll be sharing some of the best stuff I’ve picked up from former speakers.

See you next time,
Eleni Zoe xx
Brand @ Modash. Say hi on LinkedIn

Who he is: Brok Bresser, an Oregon-based comedy creator with 1.5M followers on Instagram and 1.1M on TikTok with an engagement rate of over 11% on both platforms.

Why he's worth a follow: Brok's signature series is "If Introverts Were Honest.” The social battery that dies after five minutes. The friend who invited extra people to your plans. He’s got the best smile on the internet, and there's this "ooh!" he does from behind the camera after saying something rude that gets me every time. But he's not a one-format creator — he does mom characters, sibling dynamics, dating skits, all with the same smile and sharp observations. He's already worked with brands like Cricut and DoorDash, and the collabs blend right into his content.

Dream collab: A noise-canceling headphones brand. Headphones on means don't talk to me, and every introvert knows it. Let Brok do "If Introverts Were Honest About Their Headphones" — they're not for music, they're for looking unavailable at the office, on the train, and at family gatherings. It's the most introverted product on earth, and it's a perfect fit for his format.

Tell me about a creator you love and any dream collab you have in mind. Email me at [email protected], to be featured.

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