The creator-editor: How creators could help brand publishers build audiences

Last week, I wrote about how a changing media landscape can be an opportunity for brand publishers. I wrote that brand publishing is becoming more common as a response to overall changes in sources of information. In response, I got some thoughts from a marketing head at a mid-sized brand, who wrote in to say: This is interesting, but I’m curious on where the supposed “creator economy” fits in to the changing media landscape. Our thesis has been that individuals are gaining more importance, and thus are also competition when it comes to eyeballs and attention. So should we be partnering with them? Hiring them? Ignoring them?  For brand publishers, hiring individuals who have chosen to strike out on their own and build an audience can be a shortcut of sorts to building audi