Smarts unleashes clever creativity with launch of new 'Creator Hub'

New division to accelerate award-winning influencer and talent work

NEW YORK, June 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ --Smarts, the global PR and creative agency, has announced investment of over $1.25m in its new influencer and talent offering, 'Creator Hub' – co-led from the firm's New York office.

The new offering builds on 15 years' experience in influencer and talent marketing, working with Melissa McCarthy, Peggy Gou, Snow Patrol, Jenson Button, Dua Lipa, and brands like Johnnie Walker, ASICS, Bosch, and North Face. The 'Creator Hub' forges global partnerships between brands and content creators, aiming to co-create with cultural traction and dynamic talent.

'Creator Hub' will be led by Smarts US President, Mike DaRe (former Global Head of Culture and Entertainment for Diageo's Johnnie Walker), and Jill Boobyer, last year recognized in PR Week's 30 Under 30 list. The new division is already working on recently won global briefs for Booking.com and Zalando.

"We work with some of the world's brightest and celebrated marketing teams across many of our existing client partners and this investment will give us the ability to scale quickly alongside their strategic and executional brilliance, helping them continue to change the way brands engage with their audiences," said Smarts US President, Mike DaRe. 

"Talent and Creators are rapidly evolving the way brands communicate with their audiences and our experience in overall brand development, earned media strategy, and cultural comms, lends itself perfectly to maximizing the impact that this area can deliver for our client partners." 

Over the next year, Smarts plans to invest over $1.25mn+ in infrastructure, talent, and tools, hiring 10 creator specialists across offices in New York, Los Angeles, London, and Belfast. These new hires, along with the current team, will deepen partnerships with platforms like Meta and TikTok, enhance the agency's data stack, and support new business efforts.

"The old forced 'grip and grin with products' approach that dominated the influencer world for so long has had its day. The emerging opportunity is to unlock the cultural potential of thousands of creators who can work with brands to make work that really sticks – and that's exactly what we're trying to do with 'Creator Hub,'" said Boobyer.

The 'Creator Hub' builds on Smarts' existing global talent and influencer work, where $2.5m investment in content production, digital and influencer capabilities since 2020 has already seen the firm become a global leader in culture-driven communications.

Over the past year, Smarts' influencer specialists have worked with Bridesmaids star Melissa McCarthy on Booking.com's record-breaking 2023 Super Bowl ad; built Zalando's 'Style Creator Program' of 400+ micro-influencers, helped the fashion giant grow by 110% on Instagram and 25% on TikTok; and drove a 10x increase in ASICS' social following, delivering more than 10,000 sales in one campaign alone.

This announcement comes alongside the news that Smarts is also growing geographically, with a brand-new office opening in Amsterdam next month. As a home for culturally connected brands and creative talent, Amsterdam is a natural choice for Smarts' first office in mainland Europe.

About Smarts:

Smarts is a global PR and creative agency. Working with clients across more than 20 countries in Europe, Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas, the company's client portfolio comprises some of the world's biggest brands, including Visa, Booking.com, Zalando, BT, MSC Cruises and Johnnie Walker.

The business has bases in New York, Los Angeles, Amsterdam, London, Belfast, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. It is part of MSQ Partners, MSQ has 25 regional and national offices around the world in locations including New York, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore and San Francisco.  

SOURCE Smarts Agency