Creators used to be the garnish on big-budget campaigns: a few sponsored posts next to the TV spot. That equation has flipped. At Advertising Week New York 2026, marketers from Chili’s Grill & Bar, The Walt Disney Company and Alaska Airlines explained how long-term creator deals now shape creative strategy and deliver cost efficiencies that one-off sponsorships rarely match.
Luz Bickert, director of social, influencer and integrated campaigns at Chili’s, said influencers are “100% part of every single tentpole.” All of the chain’s influencer content also runs as paid media. Where paid social once meant a cutdown of the TV commercial, it is now fully creator-led.
In May, Chili’s brought back its Baby Back Ribs jingle with a comedic cover by Lizzo. The bigger response came when the brand paired Lizzo with creator Keila Pacheco for a mukbang filmed in Pacheco’s car with almost no production. Bickert said it “performed so much better than the spot that we spent so much time creating.” Creator partnerships also moved the menu: the Triple Dipper grew from 7% of total Chili’s sales to 15% of its category.
Nicole Leo, vice president of creator content and partnerships at Disney, said creator-led work now accounts for 40-plus percent of assets in any media campaign, up from probably under 10% five years ago. A corporate restructuring lets Disney share creator ideas across divisions, so a creator first hired for a film release might later promote a seasonal treat at a park or appear at the D23 fan event.
Leo stressed that Disney does not simply circulate creator lists internally. Each recommendation is tailored to business objectives and audience fit, because generic lists never feel authentic to the creator or to their followers.
April Johnson, head of influencer marketing at Alaska Airlines, said brands “find way more budgeting efficiencies by contracting creators long term,” and that creators prefer working that way too. Longer relationships cut repeated sourcing and negotiation work and keep content more consistent.
The panel advised involving creators at the planning stage instead of handing them a rigid brief. Early involvement reveals what uniquely motivates each creator and often yields more content than planned, Leo said. Chili’s has also merged its influencer and media agency teams and combined their reporting to show the channel’s value more clearly.
Two lessons stand out. First, plan creator content as core paid media, not a side channel; writing paid usage into creator contracts from the start stretches the same budget further. Second, measurement is still unfinished. Chili’s pairs purchase-intent KPIs with organic signals such as shares and comments, which is a practical model. For a framework on choosing the right creators, read Influencer Selection Is About Choosing the Conversion Context, Not Just the Person — Five Checks for IMC Campaigns, and for context on this year’s event see Advertising Week New York 2026 Bids for $100M in Creator Deals — A Show Built Around Budget Holders.
They reduce repeated sourcing and negotiation costs and let brands reuse the same creator across campaigns. Alaska Airlines says creators also prefer long-term work.
The Triple Dipper grew from 7% of total sales to 15% of its category, and a low-production creator mukbang outperformed the brand’s polished TV spot.
Disney says more than 40% of assets in any media campaign are now creator-led, compared with under 10% about five years ago.
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