James Creech joins us today to talk about the growth, evolution, and possibilities of influencer advertising. This marketing tool developed its strength, reach, and effectiveness in the last decade and has become a great asset for the gaming and esports industry. 

James is the SVP of Influencer Strategy at Brandwatch; he is an Entrepreneur, Startup Coach and Advisor, Angel Investor, and host of the All Things Video podcast. James co-founded the recently acquired by Brandwatch, Paladin, where he honed his influencer strategist craft. 

Our conversation revolves around online marketing growth and evolution. We analyze the changes in online content consumption, the possibilities the internet opened for the video industry, and how those changes affected how brands engage with their audiences. James shares his experiences as an entrepreneur, why he decided to start his own thing, and describes his feelings, mistakes, and correct decisions made during the acquisition process. We also talk about influencer marketing as an answer to interruptive advertising and where companies should start to look to engage with their audiences.  

Resources:
Visit Brandwatch’s website: https://www.brandwatch.com/.

Listen to the All Things Video Podcast with James Creech: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/all-things-video/id1048524075.

Connect with James on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jlcreech/

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Full Episode Breakdown:
1:51 – James talks about the beginning of his journey and the creation of Paladin.

3:09 – James explains what they do at Brandwatch and what solutions are bringing to the industry. 

8:22 – James takes us back to YouTube’s early ages, how it changed the destiny of video content consumption, and the rise of the first influencers. 

10.22 – James talks about why he decided to start his own business.

13:46 – James talks about his family, how supportive they were, and how they reacted when he started his own business.

17:19 – James describes how influencers have diversified their income stream throughout the years.

21:29 – James shares some advice on the proper way to do influencer marketing.

25:52 – James talks about how brands should decide which influencer is the right one for them.

29:33 – James explains the things Brandwatch is working to improve on itself and how they plan to help the industry grow and improve.

36:19 – James kindly shares some valuable experiences from his entrepreneurial journey.

40:55 – James talks about perfectionism, learning to delegate, and the things CEOs and company owners should focus on, helping their businesses to grow faster. 

42:39 – James describes Paladin’s acquisition process and shares some of the mistakes he made along the way.

52:34 – James talks about his podcast, why he started it, and how the journey has been so far.