The advertising conference, that annual gathering where marketing executives collect tote bags and hear about the future of their industry, has acquired something new: a chief creator officer.
Dhar Mann, the digital video producer whose morality tales have made him one of the most-viewed creators on the internet, has been installed at Advertising Week New York this week with a specific brief. He is to play matchmaker between the brands that want to spend money on creators and the creators who would like to receive it. The goal, according to Mr. Mann and the event's organizers, is $100 million in creator-brand business within 12 months.
That figure, Mr. Mann was careful to note, does not represent contracts to be signed before the week is out. "I understand brands allocate Q4 budgets in Q1 or Q2," he told Digiday. "They're not suddenly going to unlock dollars that did not exist." Rather, the number represents pledges from chief marketing officers — whom Mr. Mann declined to name — whose combined commitments he said already exceed the benchmark.
The appointment reflects the structural shifts rippling through Madison Avenue as the so-called creator economy demands an ever-larger share of marketing budgets. (Unilever's substantial creator spending was cited as evidence of the sums in play.) It also reflects a persistent awkwardness: brands remain uncertain what creators can deliver, while creators — even very successful ones — often have no idea how to pitch a marketer.
"Some of the biggest creators in the world were like, 'Wait, are you serious? I don't know how to do that,'" Mr. Mann said of his invitation to have them present ideas on stage.
To facilitate introductions, Mr. Mann has organized what might charitably be called themed networking: a "Masked CMO" event hosted by Nick Cannon, creator karaoke with Christina Milian, and a deal-making room with the rapper Fat Joe.
"Advertisers like process. They like consistency. They like spots and dots," said Jamie Gutfreund, founder of Creator Vision, a consultancy. She noted that Mr. Mann's team speaks the language of pipelines and deal flow rather than artistic vision.
Whether $100 million in business will actually materialize remains, of course, to be seen. But as Brad Hoos, chief executive of the Outloud Group, an influencer agency, observed: "Big round numbers are something that people can connect with."
So is a conference with a new reason to exist.
Original story published in Digiday: "Dhar Mann claims $100M AWNY deal has been pledged", by Alyssa Mercante, Seb Joseph