How would you navigate conflicting creative visions with influencers in your game marketing campaign?

One of the keys to a successful influencer campaign is letting go. Barring any sort of brand risk or allowing something to be said that's factually incorrect -- the best way to address a difference in creative strategy is to let the creator do their thing. Creators are brand advocates. And damn good ones when you let them connect with their audience. Creators are *not* a paid media channel for brand voice. At least not an effective or efficient one. Hire creators whose demo, style, and track record of performance resonate with your brand. Then get out of the way and let them go.

I think you should give the influencer their freedom of speech about the game they're promoting for you, they know their audience better than you do, you may know the audience of your game, but they know their audience, so if you chose this influencer, yeah it would be wise to explain to him/her everything about your game and the core players who play it, but the narrative of the UGC video they'll end up producing for you should be theirs - if it's in their language/style it would catch a lot better than if you'll make it seems like an "advertorial"

Identifing areas where both your vision and the influencer’s creativity overlap. This could be any certain style of content, themes, formats, work style that meet both parties’ objectives. This would set a strong base of your collaboration .

A successful influencer marketing campaigns in gaming combine unique elements of the game with unique elements of the influencer and their content. These two different POVs can cause conflict. What sounds like a great idea to the game may not sound like a great idea to the influencer. Finding the happy balance between two different creative directions is where the magic happens. Don't be afraid to walk away if the visions on both sides are just too far apart to make it work.

In my experience, both sides should only be flexible to a point. If you are too flexible you will end up compromising the vision and the end result will make no one happy. Be willing to listen to other perspectives, but also be willing to hold on to your position to ensure the creative vision is carried out to fruition. If not, don't be afraid to walk away and find another partner who will align on the key messaging or creative.

Monitoring the campaign Throughout the campaign, it’s important to actively keep an eye on the content being produced by the influencers. This involves checking the agreed-upon creative direction and guidelines are being followed. Monitoring ensures that the content maintains alignment with brand values, messaging, positive impact and overall campaign objectives.