Earned: Unlocking the Power of the Creator Economy

In Ep. 55 of Earned, we sit down with Dan Reich—entrepreneur, investor, and co-founder of top-ranking, probiotic-powered skincare brand TULA. We start the episode by diving into Dan’s entrepreneurial trajectory, beginning with his first company in high school, to co-founding software companies Spinback and Troops, both of which were acquired by Salesforce, to launching TULA with Ken Landis and Dr. Roshini Raj. We learn why Dan decided to hire an outside CEO for TULA, and what made both Julia Straus (now the CEO of Sweaty Betty) and current leader Savannah Sachs the best fits for the role. Dan then shares the rationale behind TULA’s influencer marketing philosophies and approach, explaining why the brand looked beyond the traditional beauty influencer to drive momentum. We unpack the differences between the influencer relationships that worked well for TULA versus those that didn’t, and Dan emphasizes the importance of building long-lasting, mutually beneficial partnerships. To close the show, we discuss the evolution of the social media landscape, and Dan reiterates why word-of-mouth marketing, a tactic as old as time, is only going to continue to accelerate.

On Ep. 54 of Earned, we spoke to Doug Jensen, SVP of Go-to-Market Analytics & Activation for the Estée Lauder Companies (ELC). We start the episode by unpacking what Doug’s analytics-focused role entails, and learn more about his path from statistical analyst to business consultant to beauty analytics expert. We then explore how Doug leverages an industry technique called “marketing mix modeling” to understand the impact that various marketing tactics have on ELC’s sales, search, and traffic. Doug explains how measuring all parts of the marketing funnel can help prove a strong relationship between influencer marketing and sales. From there, we dive deeper into the effect that content creators and social media have on consumer sales, before discussing ELC’s viral TikTok campaigns and learnings from the platform. To close the show, Doug emphasizes how his job is not measurement for the sake of measurement, but rather measurement in service of an outcome: brands and marketers making better decisions.

In Episode 53 of Earned, Conor sits down with skincare veteran Susan Yara, powerhouse YouTuber and co-founder of ingredient-focused skincare line NATURIUM. We start the episode by diving into Susan’s career path, from her stint as a broadcast news reporter to her time as an online beauty editor. After recapping these experiences, Susan shares why she decided to transition to launching her own beauty-focused YouTube channel, Mixed Makeup. Susan reveals how the name represents her unique perspective as a half Latina, half Korean woman, and explains why she wanted to focus her channel on skincare concerns for women aged 25-40. Susan also gives advice for building and growing a community by creating valuable content that people can learn from and connect with. Additionally, we discuss the importance of mastering one social media platform rather than spreading your efforts too thin across them all, and why building a passionate community spurs longevity for your career. We then switch gears to NATURIUM, and Susan emphasizes how having a team of industry veterans has helped the brand navigate the pandemic and recent supply chain issues. Finally, Susan shares why she believes it’s a mistake to focus on creating viral products, before explaining why NATURIUM prioritizes relationships with micro-influencers.

In Ep. 52 of Earned, Conor sits down with fellow B2B social media marketing software leader Thomas Rankin, co-founder and CEO of Dash Hudson. To start the episode, Thomas explains how Dash Hudson puts creative at the center of everything they do, as well as how the brand helps its clients understand which creative will perform well and deepen consumer relationships. Thomas reveals that Dash Hudson was originally created to be a consumer shopping app, then shares why the company ultimately pivoted its focus, along with the key learnings that contributed to its success today. We learn how Thomas determined Dash Hudson’s ICP, and hear how he “hustled” to cut through the noise and acquire the company’s first set of customers. Switching gears, Thomas details the winning creative strategies that today’s top brands are using to produce impactful owned media across their channels. To close the show, we talk about TikTok, and Thomas previews the innovative features that Dash Hudson is rolling out to help brands optimize their performance on the platform.

In Ep. 51 of Earned, we sit down with Wall Street wizard Stephanie Wissink, Managing Director at global investment bank Jefferies. Stephanie answers all of our burning questions about the state of the market right now, including: are we entering a recession? And if so, how will that impact consumer behavior, and what will that mean for brands?  From there, we explore how companies have responded to market volatility in the past, and Stephanie walks us through the changing state of the economy from pre-pandemic to today. Next, we unpack the three biggest impacts the pandemic had on consumers and the markets, before diving into one of today’s top concerns: inflation. Stephanie shares how COVID-19, supply chain issues, and the war in Ukraine have disrupted the global economy and impacted consumer spending, leaving brands and businesses in an unexpected state of recalibration. Finally, we switch gears to the proliferation of social media platforms, and close the show by discussing the industries and verticals where influencer marketing has had the greatest impact.

It’s our 50th episode of Earned! Today we’re sitting down with David Chung, founder of Farmacy Beauty and CEO of innovation and manufacturing company iLABS. To start the episode, David walks us through his impressive entrepreneurial journey, and we hear how his frustrations with third-party contract manufacturers led him to launch OEM and ODM manufacturing company Englewood LAB. David then shares why he wanted to shift his focus to brand building with the launch of Farmacy Beauty, before revealing the challenges that led him to launch innovation-focused, full-service manufacturing company iLABS. We then discuss the importance of building strong relationships both personally and professionally, and David explains why he values a company’s reputation over revenue. Next, we talk about the factors that contributed to the success of Farmacy Beauty, a brand at the forefront of the clean beauty movement which was recently acquired by P&G. We then dive into iLABS, with David sharing how it’s different from Englewood LAB, and why the focus is on R&D and innovation and helping small businesses grow. To close the show, we talk about the brands David has in incubation right now, and where he’s seeing pockets of demand and opportunity in the space. To show our thanks for your support over the last 50 episodes, we’re giving away $100 to 50 listeners! Click here to enter the raffle: https://www.tribedynamics.com/earned-influencer-marketing-podcast-50th-episode-celebration

In Episode 49 of Earned, Conor sits down with Shai Eisenman, founder and CEO of the affordable, Gen Z-tailored skincare brand Bubble. We start by discussing the challenges of launching and scaling a business during the pandemic, and hear why Shai was inspired to disrupt the outdated mass skincare market and create a brand catering to today’s teens. Shai then explains how every decision the brand makes is rooted in research, and how Bubble invited over 10,000 teens and Gen Zers to provide insight and feedback about their product and shopping preferences. We explore how the brand’s mission to educate Gen Z consumers—without pushing products—inspired the creation of Bubble’s “Skin School,” and helped foster more genuine connection among its community. We then take a step back to discuss Shai’s background, learning why she decided to attend university at 15 and graduate at 18, and how playing chess professionally was a hugely formative experience that contributed to her business savvy. Next, Shai reveals how she learned that every assumption she had about Gen Z was wrong, and why it became her top priority to listen to these young consumers and understand their unique needs in order to create the best possible brand for them. To close the show, we hear why Bubble entered a retail partnership with Walmart while still nurturing its community through DTC. 

In Episode 48 of Earned, Conor sits down with Daniel Landver, CEO of influencer-brand incubator Digital Brand Products (DBP). To start the episode, Daniel shares which creator brand launches he’s most excited about, and reveals that DBP’s 50 brands at market are expected to achieve $250 million in retail sales this year. Daniel then breaks down what separates a $50 million brand from a $1 million brand, and provides a closer look into how DBP works with creators on brand operations, licensing, and partnerships. Next, we learn why the growing (yet largely unrecognized) power of the creator economy inspired Daniel to start DBP in 2015 as a division of influencer management company Digital Brand Architects. From there, we discuss how COVID-19 impacted the future of brand-retailer partnerships, and Daniel emphasizes the importance of an omnichannel approach. To close the show, Daniel shares the advice he gives creators who are considering launching their own brands, and reveals whether he thinks we’ve hit a saturation point with creator and celebrity brands.

In Ep. 47 of Earned, Conor sits down with Ju Rhyu, co-founder and CEO of Hero Cosmetics, an acne-focused skincare brand that achieved $100 million in revenue last year. We start the episode by learning how running Hero Cosmetics today differs from when Ju launched the brand four years ago, and Ju shares why she says no to a lot more opportunities that come her way. We then hear why Hero Cosmetics launched on Amazon with only one SKU, and how Ju went on to build a successful business on the platform. Next, we take a step back to explore Ju’s career journey: from earning her MBA at Columbia, to her time working at Kraft, Samsung, and American Express, to starting Hero Cosmetics. We discuss how Hero Cosmetics focuses heavily on earned media, including building relationships with publications and influencers to drive brand awareness. To close the show, Ju shares the “game-changing” advice she received that fueled her extremely intentional product development and distribution strategies.

In Episode 46 of Earned, we sit down with a true industry leader: JuE Wong, CEO of Olaplex, a top-ranking haircare brand valued at $15 billion. We start the episode with JuE sharing her general leadership philosophies, as well as how her leadership style has evolved since her first executive role. We then explore the investments that JuE made when she joined Olaplex in January of 2020 that helped accelerate the brand’s growth, before hearing how the company maintained its culture after quadrupling in size over the following two years. Next, JuE emphasizes the importance of omnichannel synergy between retail, professional, and DTC, and we learn how Olaplex supported its professional hairstylist community during the COVID shutdowns. Switching gears, we hear why JuE, who grew up in Singapore, wanted to move to the US, before JuE opens up about how the passing of her husband made her a more empathetic leader. To close the show, JuE shares how she wants to use her professional influence in the industry for good.