Creator Connections Has Changed. Should You? With Adam French of Acadia - Episode 418

🎙️Interview With Adam French of Acadia

DESCRIPTION

Welcome to The Ecommerce Braintrust podcast, brought to you by Julie Spear, Head of Retail Marketplace Services, and Jordan Ripley, Director of Retail Account Management.

Today, we're diving into one of the most quietly powerful and still widely underutilized growth levers on Amazon: Creator Connections.

To help us unpack how brands can tap into this channel effectively, we're joined by first-time guest Adam French from our Account Management team. Adam has been deep in the trenches running the Creator Connections program across dozens of consumer brands, and he's bringing a ton of hands-on insight to today's conversation.

Let's dive in.

Quote:

We always recommend starting with a 10% baseline commission and running that for 30 days. That gives a great indication of who's engaging and what kind of traction the content gets before adjusting upward.

Adam French

KEY TAKEAWAYS

In this episode, Julie, Jordan, and Adam discuss:

• The history and evolution of Amazon's creator and affiliate programs, including the Associates Program, Influencer Program, and now Creator Connections.

• Limitations of earlier programs and how Creator Connections offers new opportunities for brands to proactively collaborate with creators.

• The difference between Affiliate Plus campaigns and the new Sponsored Content Requests, and how each fits into broader marketing strategies.

• Guidance on setting commission rates for campaigns, testing performance, and optimizing investment.

• Tips for brands on managing selection and content quality control when working with Amazon creators.

• Real-life success stories of brands in categories like home & kitchen and premium beauty using Creator Connections to drive sales and brand awareness.

• Key limitations and current challenges of the platform, particularly in terms of granular reporting of campaign results.

• How Amazon could improve Creator Connections to better meet brand needs in the future.