The Brand Deal Desk: The Magic Middle

[00:04] being a creator, right? And when that's just a video camera, me making content, that feels really natural. And then the brand enters the group And the agency, the guy who's old enough to be your dad saying, "Can we just make

[00:16] this pop a little bit more?" So, how do we stay authentic when there's so many voices in the room? And how do we keep making content that our audience actually care about? Let's get into it. I'm Erin White and

[00:29] I'm a business YouTuber. >> I'm Max Fosh [music] and I'm a YouTuber >> I'm Grace Andrews and I'm a creator entrepreneur.

[00:44] your content is? >> I am very picky with brand deals because it always has to feel like me. So, I mainly only work with brands that I love, use. >> It's just more natural that way. The

[00:58] dream. >> When there's no like super finite script >> When there's no like super finite script that you have to follow, I love that. >> Now, as creators, we kind of know the ways you integrate a brand into content.

[01:10] we all know about. >> First one is a dedicated video. This is where the whole video is pretty much centered around that brand. You're advertising for them throughout the

[01:23] >> Also, a short mention. So, this is like somewhere inside of the video, you go then you end it. >> You then kind of have like an even lesser version of that, which is like a passive mention. And that's like really

[01:37] it can be really effective. >> But, if you want to go the full nine yards, what is the absolute holy grail [music] of brand integration? like produce a entire show around them. >> And creators have audience, so you're

[01:51] audience all in one go, which is why it's so effective. And there are four types? >> Yep. Sounds good. feel like a brand deal? I'm off to find out.

[02:05] I'm meeting German food blogger Andong, who somehow makes it all look easy. >> Hey everyone, today I am in London checking out two world-famous bagel shops, which is why I'm in Oh, hello. Look at this.

[02:22] >> It's taste test [music] time. Andong and I will put these bagels head-to-head as I find out more about the brand deal sweet spot. Right, Andong. That's for you. >> Mhm.

[02:35] a question for you about brand deals. I often talk with the team about the magic diagram about what the brand wants and what the creator wants to make. >> Yeah. >> The middle of that Venn diagram is the

[02:48] like that where you're like, this just this just totally works? >> 100%. The best brands don't tell you what they want you to say, they tell you what they need. Like, [music] we want to get this message out there and you do it

[03:01] your way. And I think whenever a brand does that, it makes it so much easier for creators like us to deliver. [music] >> And that is the magic middle. Now, A or B? On the count of three, I want both of us to say which bagel

[03:14] >> Mhm. Okay. >> Three, two, one. >> There we go. 100%. >> That's the clear winner today. >> And it had a much better center of the bagel as well, much like the magic

[03:28] message and exactly what the creator wants to make. See, look at that. Absolutely perfect. Right, we're going to finish off bagel A.

[03:48] working with a brand partner, we have to understand [music] trying to achieve. Do they want awareness? [music] Do they want more people to find out about the brand? Or are they more interested in traffic and

[04:01] Maybe it's new audience. Maybe they want more people to discover what they're doing. Or maybe it's about sales and >> [music] >> And ultimately, if we don't understand

[04:15] the what, we can't understand the format [music] and the creative. This informs they're trying to achieve, we can start to build the format. We can [music] brand partnership into that format. We can decide on the call to action. Are we

[04:30] driving people to buy? Are we driving people to discover? It's a different [music] to change the success metric, too. Ultimately, we have to ask the [music] for you?" If we want this to be successful for us as creators, too. So,

[04:45] [music] for a sec. Screenshot this. Note it down, because this is your framework for a successful, authentic brand [music] partnership. Cuz we're not looking for transactional deals, right? We're looking for long-term partnership

[04:59] and collaboration. [music] And this is the blueprint for that. Lucy Edwards. She's a YouTuber, activist, and brand collaborator on a

[05:12] mission to transform the beauty industry into a space that works for everyone. So, what are the things that you look for when it comes to deciding who you

[05:24] want to partner with for your YouTube and video content? >> If it's very prescriptive and it feels very narrow, there's no real way for me to put my authentic voice within that. People know me for being blind and being

[05:39] comes and goes, "Oh, we just want to, you know, doesn't feel right. >> Exactly. >> The best partnerships have come out of me being really open with what I feel

[05:54] would be right for my audience. The ideas that have come from that have been ideas that have come from that have been the best.

[06:06] >> Brand feedback. It's quite scary as a creator, especially when you're starting you know, standing your ground and taking what the brand have on board. well, they're paying some money to be part of this video. So, I need to kind

[06:18] of bend to any suggestion that they have. But, as you grow as as a creator, bit more. >> I love having a good briefing call before we get the ball rolling. So, that way I can let them know like you get X

[06:32] >> Smart. >> It needs to take X amount of time. before you start recording. And that's a tip for creators everywhere. >> Yes. Boom. >> Boom.

[07:00] CMO behind the marketing vision at Billion Dollar Boy, one of the world's leading creator marketing agencies. Becky, do you think creators sometimes make the mistake of honing in or focusing on pitching one format or one

[07:13] piece of content to brands instead of thinking about a multi-layered, they go too small? >> Yeah, I think brands sometimes can think quite narrowly about like the format. So, obviously you can have the long form

[07:28] which allows you to get into depth. Shorts are an amazing asset to leverage then live is incredible for conversations. Think about the audience journey through them and how each one is going to do something different in

[07:42] your overall theme. And a brand will thank you as well because they'll be really grateful that they're getting a richer ecosystem and a more tailored >> Ugh, you just nailed it. You just summed it all up right there, Becky.

[07:56] whole way through. It was like, "Yes, yes, yes." smarter and faster through the whole process when working with brands.

[08:16] from your stats, comments, and performance without you having to dig >> So, if you're building a pitch deck, that means less guessing and more actual >> Who your audience is, what they respond to, and why a brand should care.

[08:31] inform this, too. >> And then you can use Gemini to mock up before you even shot the thing, so you look very professional, which will in look very professional, which will in turn get you very employed.

[08:48] show the brand the look, the vibe, and the audience logic, you're going to skip so many rounds of feedback and get straight to the end result. >> It also makes the pitch feel more real. A brand gets a lot more confident when

[09:00] read a paragraph about it. >> Basically, fewer vague adjectives and like." So, you do not have to faff around with 17 emails about, "How can we make it feel more premium, not playful? Can we make it 10% less edgy?" Straight

[09:15] Can we make it 10% less edgy?" Straight to the point, please. multiple languages, [music] so your videos have the potential to >> And that matters for brand partners because if a brand works across

[09:30] different markets, multilingual delivery becomes a real necessity and not just a >> So, if your video can work in more than one language from one shoot, that is not just efficient. That is >> [clears throat]

[09:51] smashed that. I'm going to celebrate with the rest of my bagel. >> Well, I'm down for a bagel. >> There's enough for two. Come on. now the real work starts. How to turn a one-off deal into a

[10:07] How to turn a one-off deal into a long-term brand partnership.