Why so many creators are joining the C-suite

Call it the C(reator) suite.

This year alone, T-Mobile made Druski its chief switching officer. Candy company Katjes named Jake Shane as its chief creative officer. And the NFL dubbed Dhar Mann its chief kindness officer for the Super Bowl.

As influencers take on founder roles at their own companies and business executives get under the social media spotlight, some brands seem happy to tap internet personalities to fill executive-level positions—or at least executive-sounding positions. It’s a continuation of a trend that Lily Comba, founder and CEO of creator agency Superbloom, said can be smart for any brand looking to stand out and build stronger ties with creators beyond traditional partnerships.

“Influencers have real input, and they’re not just faces on the internet,” Comba told us. “Brands that are doing it are taking it to the next level, as they should be.”

Why opt for a creator over a more traditional hire? In a word, impact. Earlier this month, creator-turned-reality-star Whitney Leavitt of The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives was named chief creative and brand officer of the New York soft-drink-shop chain Cool Sips; Andrew Moger, CEO of Cool Sips, told us that the brand opted to bring on Leavitt instead of a seasoned executive because of her social capital, which he hopes will help it scale and turn “viral interest into real-world demand” for dirty soda.

“Dirty Soda didn’t start in a boardroom, it grew through culture and social momentum,” Moger said in an email. “As one of the original drivers of that movement, Whitney has an authentic connection to the audience and a proven understanding of what resonates.”

But it’s not always simple bringing a creator into the boardroom, actually or metaphorically. We spoke with marketers about the ins and outs of creator executive deals and what to consider before any big promotions.

Meet me in the break room

Kristen Hollingshaus, known also by her handle, @HausKris, has long been a fan of Diet Coke, sharing videos of her daily Diet Coke breaks and tips like how to “marinate” the beverage to achieve maximum flavor potential. As soon as the brand became aware of Hollingshaus’s content, it didn’t take long for it to amplify it through a more formal arrangement, Morgan Bullock, the North America brand lead of Diet Coke, told us.

For the last two years, Hollingshaus has posted on behalf of Diet Coke—and in September 2024, she announced that she was assuming the role of director of Diet Coke breaks.

Bullock said Coca-Cola decided to give Hollingshaus an official title as part of an effort to make “Diet Coke breaks” a well-known thing while establishing that their work together goes beyond a traditional creator/brand relationship.

“It solidifies that this is not just a transactional partnership,” Bullock said. “It’s a way for us to provide honorary titles to acknowledge the role beyond a moment in time and [as] more of an ongoing relationship, emphasizing creative direction, cultural consultancy, and how the brand shows up and attaches to its community and consumers.”

Bullock classified Hollingshaus’s role as “more of an integrated consultancy,” meaning she’s not technically in the Coca-Cola staff directory, though she is currently the only brand ambassador with an official title. As part of the Diet Coke team, Bullock said Hollingshaus frequently participates in briefings, sharing insights on how her audience is consuming the beverage and coming up with new product ideas.

Since Hollingshaus’s role was announced, Bullock said Diet Coke’s followership and engagement have increased, as have organic mentions of Diet Coke breaks. There have been other meaningful contributions: Hollingshaus helped develop a merch line for the brand, and her habit of putting lime flavoring in her Diet Coke was part of the impetus to bring back a lime-flavored version of the beverage, which she, of course, helped roll out.

It’s a similar story at Cool Sips, where Leavitt not only came up with a signature drink (“The Whitney”) but is also “actively leading creative direction and menu innovation,” Moger said. At the financial services company SoFi, Vivian Tu, who became the brand’s chief of financial empowerment last November, has direct input on the financial company’s products and features based on insights from her audience, she told us.

Overarchingly, Bullock said having a director of Diet Coke breaks has given the brand a new way to connect with its consumers.

“Having it be a two-way street where we can learn about how consumers are enjoying our brand [and] talking about our brand takes traditional marketing and research to a more granular level and allows us to think more broadly outside of the four walls in which we typically would operate,” she said.

What’s in a name?

Elevating a creator to an executive role can also have brand-lift benefits. The NFL’s decision to make Dhar Mann its chief kindness officer during the Super Bowl drove more than 10-point positive sentiment lift for the league, according to data from the measurement platform Swayable.

When deciding whether the move is right for a brand, Comba said it’s important for marketers to check that a creator’s audience cares and fits a brand’s target demo and its overall strategy. There can also be brand safety risks, which is why Comba said it’s important to do one’s due diligence and be ready to support creator partners—in addition to having contract terms that protect both parties.

“Have a backbone, have some conviction, and really mutually invest into this person,” she added.

One way to signify that a creator executive partnership goes beyond a traditional arrangement is through equity deals, Comba said. Tu is an equity holder of SoFi stock through her deal with the brand, and she said that it has made her feel “compelled to make sure that anything that I do” with the brand is “to the absolute best of my ability.”

As for what to call the new executive creator? Comba said it often makes sense to personalize the title, as Diet Coke did with Hollingshaus and SoFi did with Tu.

“People don’t expect them to be full-time, W-2 employees,” she said. “So have some fun with it.”