In many global organizations, creator marketing remains fragmented. One team runs organic campaigns. Another handles seeding and affiliates. Paid media sits in a separate silo entirely.
Each channel is measured differently. Every region uses its own platform with a mix of agencies, inconsistent processes, and limited organizational visibility. Some brands even partner with the same creators across teams—paying them differently depending on which department owns the relationship.
This fragmented model is no longer sustainable—and leading brands know it.
As Unilever CEO Fernando Fernandez observed, “Consumers no longer trust traditional brand messaging.” That’s why Unilever is significantly expanding its investment in creators—to build what Fernandez calls “desire at scale.”
However, achieving meaningful impact takes more than increased investment.
Creator marketing must evolve into a unified, global system that drives brand equity and performance, scales efficiently, and integrates seamlessly with the company’s broader marketing strategy.
So, how do you shift from fragmentation to a scalable system? At Traackr, this transformation unfolds in three phases: organizing the chaos, optimizing the system, and building a future-ready strategy.
1. Organize: Fix the Chaos
Most creator programs didn’t start with scale in mind. They emerged organically—often within PR or social teams—and then expanded into seeding, affiliate, and eventually paid media. That evolution created a network of disconnected campaigns, fragmented regional workstreams, and agency-led efforts with inconsistent data and unclear accountability.
Fixing the chaos starts with ownership and clarity.
Brands must define who owns the function, consolidate data, and create systems that enable cross-functional collaboration. Standardizing briefings, rates, and contracts reduces duplication and helps identify top-performing market partners.
Most importantly, the brand (not the agency, not the platform) must sit at the center of the ecosystem.
2. Optimize: Drive Efficiency and Effectiveness
Once the foundation is in place, the next step is optimization.
Most brands are already investing in creators. The real question is whether they are maximizing that investment. Optimization means making creator marketing work more effectively and efficiently.
- Start by breaking down silos between organic, paid, and affiliate programs.
- Build measurement frameworks that directly connect creator activity to business outcomes.
- Benchmark performance across campaigns. Identify top-performing creators by format, tier, and contribution to results.
- Monitor which creators your competitors are partnering with. Then, amplify what works, distributing high-performing content across paid and owned channels to maximize impact.
Efficiency matters. But so do consistency, predictability, and the ability to scale globally.
As more organizations look to integrate creator marketing into their media mix models, they need precise, consistent data to understand what’s driving results. Without that visibility, shifting the budget, managing performance, or evolving spending strategies over time is impossible.
Clean, first-party data is the key to making creator investment measurable and operational at scale. The brand must own that data.
3. Strategy for the Future
With AI-generated content, social commerce, and volatile platform dynamics, the creator landscape is evolving quickly. Brands that rely on isolated campaigns will be left behind. What’s needed is a long-term, adaptive strategy.
A future-ready strategy positions creator marketing as a performance-driven function—not a series of ad hoc partnerships. It’s not about one-off campaigns or creative experimentation. It’s about identifying the right partners, operationalizing how they support brand and business goals, and holding those efforts accountable.
That level of impact doesn’t come from tactical planning. It requires infrastructure: cross-functional alignment, shared KPIs, scalable technology, and consistent internal education. Creator marketing must operate as a core business discipline—built into the organization, not bolted on.
This shift is already underway. Some brands are well into the transition, and others are just getting started.
Ready to Scale?
Let’s talk if your organization is ready to move from fragmented efforts to a scalable system. Traackr helps leading brands operationalize creator marketing globally, turning complexity into a competitive advantage.
