StreetFight Live: All Content Creators are Not Created Equal!

Next in our series about the highlights of Street Fight LIVE is an overview of the UGC (User Generated Content) panel. Moderator Steph Hadas of 5WPR spoke before the session about the definition of public relations today and touched on how the lines have blurred between earned and paid media.

MULO (multi-location) brands have discovered that engaging real consumers to write and post about their products (UGC) brings a level of authenticity and credibility to their businesses that conventional advertising can’t deliver.

The Street Fight LIVE panel covered various types of content and the people who create it.

• Elijah Khasabo is the Founder of Vidovo, a creator-focused platform that helps brands connect with creators for their products or services. He emphasized the importance of a strategic match. He said, “ROI depends on more than just follower counts. It’s about aligning with creators who reflect the brand’s values. Simply selecting an Instagram influencer with a huge following may not ultimately result in credibility and sales. Some of the company’s case studies and metrics can be found on Vidovo’s site.  “It’s not about finding the biggest following. It’s about finding the right one,” says Khasabo.  “True ROI comes when creators connect authentically with a brand’s message and can speak to it in a way that feels real. Consumers love real.”
• We have been tracking Emily Steele’s journey since she launched Hummingbirds. The company’s highly localized model matches everyday creators with brands in their own backyards. They can try a new-to-them brand or one they’ve loved forever and share that on socials with their local friends and followers, driving real, geographical impact for brands tapping into localized marketing. “From personal grooming franchises to grocery store chains, brands seek innovative, relevant ways to get in front of digitally-savvy consumers who are discovering and deciding about brands from their peers,” says Steele. Think of it as word-of-mouth on steroids.
• But all content isn’t comprised of TikToks and talking heads. Founder and CEO of Props Joseph Perello emphasizes, “Talent matters more when you use paid media to promote creator content.” The talent sourced by Props (many of whom are conventional journalists) use compelling UGC storytelling to drive traffic and engagement to brands’ websites (and, ultimately their locations). The company takes a (digital) page from old school newsrooms and creators are encouraged to pitch stories that they are passionate about. Says Perello,
  “Props’ virtual editorial meeting and the conversion power of authentic stories has proven effective. When we empower skilled creators to pitch content rooted in their own experiences and insights, the result is naturally compelling and authentic storytelling. Time and again, we’ve seen that these genuine, unbranded stories—when aligned thoughtfully with a brand—outperform traditional direct ads in customer conversion, at a lower cost. While it might seem counterintuitive by conventional standards, our data, sourced from our work across diverse industries, shows that authentic stories not only attract audiences but convert them more efficiently into loyal customers.”

All three panelists stressed the important of engagement rather than just “eyeballs.” Although they all believe that the creator economy is here to stay, brands will become even more results-focused. Attribution is extremely difficult in this media space, but sophisticated MULO brands now know that LIKES and clicks are worthless unless viewers and fans ultimately engage and convert.

Watch this space for more summaries of the presentations and trends revealed at Street Fight LIVE 2024, and look out for our announcement of the 2025 location and date!