Next in Media spoke to Ben Mathews, general partner at Night Ventures, about creators like Mr. Beast becoming product marketing moguls, where investors are looking to spend in the creator economy, the latest on TikTok and ongoing woes at Twitch.
He highlights the shift in funding and customer acquisition strategies, with a focus on talent-led businesses. Matthews emphasizes the success and influence of Mr. Beast and the unique approach he takes to his business. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities in the creator economy, including the limitations of automating the industry and the potential for creators to launch their own products. Matthews concludes by discussing the impact of the disappearance of cookies on the advertising industry.
Takeaways
• The creator economy is on the rise, with talent-led businesses gaining traction and changing the way customer acquisition is approached.
• Mr. Beast is a prime example of a creator who has successfully monetized his audience and treated his business like a hypergrowth startup.
• The advertising market in the creator economy is disorganized and challenging, with a lack of automation and data available for both creators and advertisers.
• The disappearance of cookies and the shift towards a cookie-less internet will have significant implications for the advertising industry.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:16 The Rise of the Creator Economy
03:25 The Role of Knight Ventures in the Creator Economy
04:53 The Shift in Funding and Customer Acquisition
06:30 The Changing Landscape of Direct-to-Consumer Brands
08:14 The Influence and Success of Mr. Beast
09:46 The Business Approach of Mr. Beast
11:37 The Marketing Challenges in the Creator Economy
13:30 The Advertising Market and YouTube
16:08 The Limitations of Automating the Creator Economy
18:03 The Opportunity in the Middle Tail of Creators
19:08 The Potential for Creators to Launch Products
21:11 The Role of Short-Form Content Platforms
22:29 The Challenges of Monetizing Gaming Content
25:15 The Disappearance of Cookies and its Impact on Advertising
26:30 Conclusion
Guest: Ben Mathews
Host: Mike Shields
Sponsored by: Publica
Produced by: Fresh Take