Share the mic with the next generation
Since the beginning, WeTransfer has championed emerging creators, those we believe will shape the next generation and our industry moving forward. Drop School, a podcast and TikTok documentary, is a testament to this.
Launched in October, it follows an emerging creator on a journey to drop the first product from his brand. Tasked with challenges and graded on his efforts in each episode by industry experts, the series explores whether hype can be taught, and what it takes to market a brand in an ever-evolving industry obsessed with newness.
Aimed at a younger audience, it was important to us that the series be led by them (because is there anything worse than a bunch of brand types puzzling over Gen Z like they’re an entirely different species?), so we looked to people like Pablo Attal, the 25-year-old fashion entrepreneur who works with the likes of clothier Corteiz, to advise 19-year-old Jordy on what it takes to make it today.
It’s important to know when to hand over the mic to the experts, no matter what age they are. Drop School was a hit; when Jordy finally dropped his product—a pair of vintage military-inspired trousers—they sold out and, so far, the social videos have been viewed over a million times.
In this instance, we leaned on our creator collaborators to let us know what they felt would work for the target audience (their peers) as opposed to enforcing our vision on the series and risking alienating those that it was intended for. It was a learning curve, but when working with creators you have to trust them, learn to listen and build a two-way relationship.
Focus on the ‘now’
When it comes to brand marketing, there’s maybe one lesson that’s the most important of all: Never assume that you know everything. In a world that keeps moving faster and an industry that is almost unrecognizable from what it was a decade ago, be willing to accept that you will need to continue learning every single day. Instead of trying to predict the future, focus on trying to understand the present.
