Disrupting Brand Trust: How Emily Steele Turns UGC Into a $500B Sales Powerhouse

Traditional advertising is losing impact as audiences seek authenticity. Emily Steele, CEO of Hummingbirds, is transforming marketing by using everyday creators to build local, trust-driven connections. Her platform helps brands generate user-generated content (UGC) that drives engagement, boosts sales, and outperforms traditional ads—reshaping the $500B creator economy.

TAMPA BAY, Fla., July 23, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- 87% of consumers say user-generated content (UGC) influences their buying decisions, yet many brands continue to rely on traditional advertising formats that audiences are increasingly tuning out. ⁽¹⁾ Emily Steele, Co-Founder and CEO of Hummingbirds, is here to change that by elevating everyday creators as the new cornerstones of brand marketing. Steele joined Karla Jo Helms (KJ) on this week's Disruption Interruption podcast to discuss how hyper-local, authentic connections trump glossy ads and celebrity endorsements.

"Authentic connections can create so many opportunities," says Steele. "People trust content from real people they know and relate to. That's where the true power of influence lies, not in overly polished campaigns that feel distant or forced."

Changing the Game with Everyday Creators

Traditional advertising is crumbling under its own weight as audiences grow tired of overly commercialized messages. Enter Steele's innovative model, which focuses on nano-specific, hyper-local creators who foster genuine connections with their communities. These creators aren't million-follower influencers but real people driving authentic word-of-mouth engagement through relatable stories.

"Celebrity endorsements and macro influencers have their place, but they lack the authenticity and hyper-local reach that today's brands need," Steele explains. "Nano creators, on the other hand, are everyday people sharing their experiences with products they actually use in their day-to-day lives. This honest storytelling resonates with audiences on a deeply personal level."

Underpinning this shift is the rapid expansion of the UGC-driven creator economy, now estimated to exceed $500 billion in size, triple that of local digital advertising. Steele's company, Hummingbirds, connects brands with these local creators to generate UGC that not only builds trust but also moves products.

How Hummingbirds is Reshaping Advertising

Hummingbirds distinguishes itself by empowering brands to launch scalable, hyper-local campaigns in 23 cities across the United States. Steele's platform automates creator recruitment and equips brands with authentic UGC to amplify their online and offline visibility.

"The brilliance of working with local creators is the dual impact," Steele notes. "Not only are they driving product velocity by encouraging real purchases, but they're also creating high-quality UGC that brands can repurpose for digital campaigns. It's a win-win."

This approach has propelled Hummingbirds' success, earning $13 million in funding and leaving a lasting mark on industries like consumer packaged goods (CPG), tourism, and even small business advertising.

Steele emphasizes the long-term potential of this model, noting, "The creator economy isn't limited to big consumer brands. Any sector that thrives on community engagement—from tourism to B2B services—can benefit from the authentic, grassroots influence of local creators."

Links

Disrupting Brand Trust: How Everyday Creators Are Outperforming Ads, with Emily Steele

https://omny.fm/shows/disruption-interruption/disrupting-brand-trust-how-everyday-creators-are-outperforming-ads-with-emily-steele

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilysteele12

Company Website: https://www.hummingbirds.com/

Disruption Interruption is the podcast where you will hear from today's biggest Industry Disruptors. Learn what motivated them to bring about innovation and how they overcame opposition to adoption.

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About Disruption Interruption^™

Disruption is happening on an unprecedented scale, impacting all manner of industries— MedTech, Finance, IT, eCommerce, shipping, logistics, and more—and COVID has moved their timelines up a full decade or more. But WHO are these disruptors and when did they say, "THAT'S IT! I'VE HAD IT!"? Time to Disrupt and Interrupt with host Karla Jo "KJ" Helms, veteran communications disruptor. KJ interviews badasses who are disrupting their industries and altering economic networks that have become antiquated with an establishment resistant to progress. She delves into uncovering secrets from industry rebels and quiet revolutionaries that uncover common traits—and not-so-common—that are changing our economic markets… and lives. Visit the world's key pioneers that persist to success, despite arrows in their backs at www.disruption-interruption.com.

About Emily Steele

Emily Steele is reimagining what brand marketing looks like in the age of community and authenticity. As the CEO and cofounder of Hummingbirds, she's leading a movement to localize and humanize advertising by connecting CPG brands with everyday creators—real people who love their products and live in the communities they serve.

Hummingbirds' fast-growing platform empowers brands to launch hyper-local, word-of-mouth campaigns across 23 U.S. cities, using niche creators to generate authentic UGC content that drives both awareness and sales. Under Emily's leadership, the platform is redefining influence—prioritizing passion and relevance over follower count—and making it easy for brands to reach customers in the places that matter most.

With over 15 years of experience in business strategy, tech, and sustainability, Emily brings a unique blend of operational rigor and creative vision. She is a sought-after speaker on modern marketing, grassroots growth, and women-led innovation, and is widely recognized for building inclusive, impact-driven companies that champion both people and purpose.

About Karla Jo Helms

Karla Jo Helms is the Chief Evangelist and Anti-PR® Strategist for JOTO PR Disruptors™. Karla Jo learned firsthand how unforgiving business can be when millions of dollars are on the line — and how the control of public opinion often determines whether one company is happily chosen, or another is brutally rejected. Being an alumnus of crisis management, Karla Jo has worked with litigation attorneys, private investigators, and the media to help restore companies of goodwill into the good graces of public opinion — Karla Jo operates on the ethic of getting it right the first time, not relying on second chances and doing what it takes to excel. Helms speaks globally on public relations, how the PR industry itself has lost its way, and how, in the right hands, corporations can harness the power of Anti-PR to drive markets and impact market perception.

References

1. Morreale, Megan. "Social Media ROI Statistics Marketers Need to Know in 2025." Sprout Social, 29 May 2025, sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-marketing-roi-statistics/.

Media Inquiries:

Karla Jo Helms

JOTO PR™ 

727-777-4629

SOURCE Disruption Interruption