Authenticity and Humor Drive Creator Influence and Brand Partnerships

Key Quotes

"You have to entertain first and to sell second, whatever you're creating something that you want people to consume whether that's to watch or to read or to listen or look at or anything you're exchanging their time for your attention or vice versa and you have to be mindful of the fact that you're you're taking people's most precious commodity so you have to entertain them you have to give them something they have to learn something or feel better about something or feel introspective or get something out of it first."

Stewart Reynolds, known as Brittlestar, argues that the primary goal of any content should be to entertain the audience before attempting to sell them something. He emphasizes that time is a precious commodity, and creators must provide value, whether through learning, emotional connection, or introspection, to earn the audience's attention and build trust. This approach establishes a foundation for any subsequent sales or promotional efforts.

"My sort of credo in life if that's a thing is to entertain first and to sell second... Once you've done that, you've established trust and then you can sell them something."

Stewart Reynolds explains his core philosophy for creating content, particularly in the context of brand partnerships. He posits that by prioritizing entertainment and audience engagement, creators can build a strong sense of trust. This trust then becomes the foundation upon which any commercial objectives can be effectively built, making the selling aspect more palatable and successful for the audience.

"I remember being told at the time after the video came out and it did really well like 35 million views in the first five days which is essentially the population of Canada was that sales that weekend for Canada day weekend went up 10 at kfc and i even had people saying to me wow this should be an ad for kfc and i thought haha it is an ad for kfc and that's exactly what you want I think for a really good ad is you want to be able to be entertained first and have that messaging sink in and sell second."

Stewart Reynolds highlights the success of his KFC campaign, "Explaining Canada Day to Americans," as a prime example of his "entertain first, sell second" strategy. He notes that the campaign achieved significant viewership and a measurable sales increase for KFC, demonstrating that an entertaining and humorous approach can effectively integrate brand messaging without feeling overtly promotional. Reynolds believes this is the ideal outcome for any advertisement.

"My thing at the time was always to say to agencies and to say to this particular deal is like what's the last ad that you personally shared that's how you know an ad's good I think is if the ad is so good that you're like I know this is an ad but I'm going to share it because it's entertaining it's worth the time I'm asking now my social social circle of friends and family to watch this as well and in exchange for that they're going to be entertained and by the way it's an ad."

Stewart Reynolds proposes a metric for evaluating the effectiveness of advertising: whether it is personally shareable. He argues that a truly good ad is so entertaining or compelling that an individual would willingly share it with their own network, even knowing it is a commercial. This act of sharing, he suggests, is the ultimate testament to an ad's ability to provide value and entertainment, thereby embedding the brand message organically.

"I get approached for brand deals now it's like does this make sense to me like does this does this seem like something that a guy like me would do and by a guy like me i mean like you know a guy who's over 50 and is making generally brand safe content because my brand brings value and that's why the brands are coming to me is because they want to capitalize on the trust that i have built up with my audience and that's fine that's okay as long as the messaging makes sense that's totally fine it's what you betray your audience and it doesn't make sense at all so that's that's my my thought process is is it going to work as an alignment with my own brand is it going to cause any damage to my brand in the future or does it add benefit to my brand if it adds benefit and it adds more trust then i'm i'm all in."

Stewart Reynolds outlines his rigorous criteria for accepting brand deals, emphasizing alignment with his personal brand and audience trust. He explains that as a creator over 50, he prioritizes content that is "brand safe" and adds value, ensuring that any partnership capitalizes on the trust he has cultivated. Reynolds will only engage in deals that make sense for his established persona and audience, avoiding anything that could damage his reputation or betray the trust his followers place in him.

"I think also what's really interesting to me and it'll be determined over the next couple of years is the the death of spectacle... I think that with the progression of things like ai for use in video it's like i don't know if you saw the video of the rabbits bouncing on the trampoline it's like oh that's adorable you're like oh it's ai it's still adorable but less less impressive now and that's no discredit to ai ai has its place it's a very powerful tool but I think that idea of authenticity and trust will become even more and more important."

Stewart Reynolds speculates on the future of content creation, suggesting a decline in the impact of pure spectacle, particularly with the rise of AI. He believes that while AI can produce impressive visuals, its prevalence may diminish the awe factor, making authenticity and trust even more crucial. Reynolds posits that as technology advances, the human element of genuine connection and reliability will become the distinguishing factor for content that truly resonates with audiences.