Latest / Influencer Marketing with Fexingo: Creators, Sponsorships, and Modern Endorsement Deals / Why Brands Now Embed Influencer Content Into Retail Media Networks
Transcript
- Lucas: So a few weeks ago I was looking at a beauty brand's Amazon storefront, and something caught my eye. Right there, below the product title and above the buy box, was a video of a creator I recognized — she has about 200,000 followers on Instagram — talking about why she uses this particular serum. Luna: Was it labeled as an influencer video, or did it just look like a regular demo? Lucas: It had a small disclaimer — 'creator testimonial' — but visually it looked like any other product video. And that's the interesting part. That brand didn't just post the video on Instagram and hope people found it. They took that same creator content and placed it inside Amazon's ad system, paying to show it to shoppers who were already searching for serums. Luna: So they're essentially treating the influencer's organic content as a paid media asset on a retail platform. That feels like a pretty big shift from the old model where you'd just post and pray. Lucas: Right. And it's not just Amazon. Walmart Connect, Instacart, even Target's Roundel — they're all opening their retail media networks to let brands upload creator content. The idea is that social proof works better when it's right next to the buy button. And the data backs it up. Luna: Before we go deeper, I want to flag something. If this conversation has given you a useful angle or a tactic you've actually applied, honestly, if it was worth a coffee to you, that's the link — it's buy me a coffee dot com slash fexingo. No pressure, just a way to keep these conversations ad-free and focused. Lucas: Yeah, exactly. We're not sponsored, we don't read ads, and listener support is what makes that possible. So thank you to anyone who has chipped in. Now back to the retail media piece — I want to walk through a specific case that shows why this works. Lucas: There's a midsize brand called Ursa Major — they make natural skincare, not a household name but strong on Amazon. They worked with about 15 micro-influencers last year, got maybe 40 pieces of content. Instead of just using those for social, they licensed the rights to republish on Amazon. Luna: Licensing. That's key, right? Most influencer contracts don't automatically include retail media rights. Lucas: Exactly. They had to go back and negotiate a separate usage clause. But the result was a 34% lift in conversion rate on product pages that featured the creator video versus those that didn't. That's not a small bump. Luna: Thirty-four percent is huge. And I imagine the cost per acquisition looked pretty good too, since the content was already produced. Lucas: That's the real efficiency play. The brand already paid for the influencer post — maybe $500 to $1,500 per creator. Putting that same video into Amazon's ad platform cost them maybe another $200 to $300 in media spend per product. The combined cost was still less than producing a studio-quality commercial. Luna: So the influencer's audience sees the post on Instagram, and then a completely different audience — people searching on Amazon — sees the same content. It's like syndication. Lucas: Yeah, syndication is the right word. And the retailers love it because it keeps shoppers on their platform. Amazon's Sponsored Brands ads now have a 'video' format that specifically lets you upload creator content. Walmart Connect has a similar beta. They're basically commoditizing influencer credibility. Luna: But there's a tension here. If a creator's content appears on a retailer's ad network without their direct involvement, does that dilute their personal brand? Or does it just look like another endorsement? Lucas: That depends on the disclosure. Most brands are adding small text like 'paid testimonial' or 'in partnership with X.' But the FTC is watching this space. If a consumer sees a creator on Instagram and then sees the same face on an Amazon listing, they might not realize it's a paid placement both times. Luna: Right, especially if the Amazon version doesn't have a clear 'this is an ad' label. Some of those disclaimers are tiny. Lucas: The better practice is to have the creator themselves post about the retail placement, so their audience knows it's happening. A few creators are now including 'available on Amazon' language in their organic posts, which also helps the brand track attribution. Luna: Attribution is the other messy part. How do you know if the sale came from the influencer's Instagram post or from the Amazon ad? Lucas: Right now, it's hard. Amazon's attribution window is seven days for most clicks. If a user saw the creator on Instagram, then searched for the product on Amazon a week later, the credit goes to Amazon. The creator gets none. Brands are starting to use unique promo codes or custom URLs, but those don't capture everything. Luna: So the creator's value is being partially absorbed by the retailer. That seems like a problem for the creator economy long-term. Lucas: It could be. Some creators are pushing back by asking for a share of the retail media ad spend. Not just a flat fee, but a percentage of what the brand spends to boost their content on Amazon. A few agencies are negotiating that now. Luna: That's a smart evolution. If your face is driving conversions, you should get a cut of the media dollars. Otherwise the brand is essentially double-dipping on your content. Lucas: The other angle is measurement. Amazon's brand analytics now shows 'repeat purchase rate' and 'new-to-brand' metrics. If a brand can prove that the influencer content on Amazon brings in new customers — not just existing buyers — then the creator has more leverage. Luna: And that's exactly what the Ursa Major case showed, right? They had a 40% new-to-brand rate from the Amazon video ads. Lucas: Yeah. That number changes the negotiation. A creator who can say 'my content drove 40% new customers on Amazon' has a much stronger case for a higher fee or a revenue share. Luna: So the trend is clear: brands are moving from 'influencer marketing as social media' to 'influencer marketing as retail media.' The content lives on the retailer's platform, not just the creator's feed. Lucas: And that shift has implications for how brands budget. Right now, most have separate budgets for influencer campaigns and retail media. Those are starting to merge. I've seen brands create a single 'commerce content' budget that covers both the creator fee and the ad placement. Luna: That makes sense from an efficiency standpoint, but it also means the creator is now competing for budget against display ads and search terms. It's a different kind of relationship. Lucas: Yeah. The creator becomes less of a spokesperson and more of a content vendor. Which some creators are fine with — they'd rather just produce the asset and move on. But others want the ongoing partnership. Luna: Where do you see this going in the next year or so? Are retailers going to build their own creator marketplaces? Lucas: Amazon already has the Amazon Influencer Program, but that's mostly for on-site content. I think we'll see Walmart and Instacart launch formal creator marketplaces where brands can browse and license content specifically for retail media. It's a natural extension. Luna: That could commoditize creators even further. If your content is just one of hundreds in a marketplace, the pricing pressure goes up. Lucas: True. But the creators who perform — who actually move product — will still command a premium. The key is having the data to prove it. Right now, most creators don't have access to retail media performance data. Brands hold that. Luna: So the power imbalance is still there. But the smart creators are starting to ask for that data as part of the contract. Lucas: Exactly. If you're a creator and a brand wants to use your content on Amazon, ask for a quarterly performance report. Show them that you understand the metrics. It changes the conversation. Luna: It's a different skill set. Not just making content, but understanding retail analytics. That's where the next wave of creator sophistication is heading. Lucas: And for brands, the question is simpler: are you leaving money on the table by not repurposing your influencer content into retail media? Based on the numbers I've seen, the answer is probably yes. Luna: Especially for brands that already have a library of influencer content sitting in a Dropbox folder. That's a huge untapped asset. Lucas: Right. So the takeaway for today: if you're a brand, start auditing your influencer content for retail media eligibility. Check your contracts for usage rights. If you're a creator, start building retail media performance into your pitch. The channel is maturing fast.