Silos No More: Why Creator Content Belongs on TV
Creator content and TV ads shouldn't be planned by separate teams anymore. Brands that combine them are getting the authenticity of social and the reach of TV in the same campaign.
This week I moderated a panel on exactly this topic at Brand Innovator's Future of Retail & Commerce summit in Nashville, hosted by Tractor Supply Co. I was joined by Tori Poole, Sr. Director of Brand Engagement at Cracker Barrel and Kelly Reeves, VP of Strategic Partnerships & Marketing at Scott Brothers Global. All three of us agreed: this trend is only going to grow.
I've been close to this shift for years. Before joining Simulmedia, I worked at influencer marketing agencies and then at Wattpad, where I helped brands repurpose user-generated content in creative ways. Over the past year, more and more brands have asked me the same question: can creator content work on TV? The answer is yes, and the proof is now in the results.
Social and TV are already one experience
Audiences don't separate social and TV, so brands shouldn't either. Think about someone watching Dancing with the Stars on the big screen. They're often reacting in real time on their phone, posting or scrolling through everyone else's takes.
That's why creator and UGC content belongs in TV creative. It brings three things traditional spots struggle to deliver:
- Authenticity. Real people, in their own voice, feel more believable than a polished brand script.
- Fandom. Creators bring built-in communities who show up to support them, wherever their work appears.
- Gen Z reach. Creator content speaks the language of audiences that tune out traditional ads.
Creator content often drives more engagement than traditional creative. TV then takes that engaging content to far more people, more efficiently, than social can alone.
Chipotle: 100 creators, zero brand-shot footage
Chipotle's "100 Creators" campaign is the boldest example yet. I've long admired Fernando Machado's work, so it's no surprise that his first national campaign as Chief Brand Officer tops my list.
The campaign, the latest chapter of Chipotle's long-running "Behind the Foil" platform, launched in late August. Chipotle invited 100 creators into about 50 restaurants across the U.S., U.K. and Canada. There was no script, no shot list, and not a single frame of brand-shot footage. The creators captured 345 hours of content, which was cut into 30- and 15-second spots for national TV and social. The creators also shared their films with a combined following of more than 100 million.
The timing matters. In 2025, Chipotle had its first full year of same-store sales declines in over 20 years. In Q3 2026, comparable sales rose 2.1%, and on the earnings call Chipotle credited the 100 Creators campaign as one of the ways its marketing connected with consumers.
Chipotle is doubling down. In late October it extended the approach to promote the return of Smoked Brisket, bringing food creators Max the Meat Guy and Newton Nguyen and reality star Carl Schmidt into its kitchens alongside Chipotle team members.
Applebee's: from TikTok dance to national TV
Applebee's showed how fast a brand can turn a social moment into a TV campaign. In summer 2021, Walker Hayes' song "Fancy Like" blew up on TikTok after he posted a dance to it with his daughter. Its hook: "Fancy like Applebee's on a date night."
Applebee's moved quickly. It turned the song into a national TV campaign with a reworked version, "Fancy Like Applebee's," starring Hayes himself. The spots kept the TikTok dance and showed everyday people doing it, including a couple of Iowa farmers. It felt like the viral moment, not a polished brand ad. Applebee's even brought back the Oreo shake named in the song.
TV gave the song mass reach, while social and influencer activity kept the TikTok audience engaged. The campaign went on to earn Cannes Lions recognition in Music and Influencer Marketing. Applebee's same-store sales beat 2019 pre-pandemic levels by 12.5% in Q3 2021, and the gain grew every month from July to September. Diners returning after the pandemic helped too, but the song gave Applebee's a cultural relevance it hadn't had in years.
Other brands that got it right
- Dr Pepper. The brand licensed a jingle that Romeo Bingham posted on TikTok and turned a remix of it into a TV spot, with on-screen lyrics and credit for Romeo. It aired during college football, and social chatter said the jingle made people crave a Dr Pepper.
- Doritos "Crash the Super Bowl." For years, fan-made videos aired as Super Bowl ads, long before "creator economy" was a phrase.
- Apple "Shot on iPhone." It started with user photos on social and grew into billboards and TV spots.
How to make it work at your brand
- Secure TV rights up front. Build paid usage and broadcast rights into creator contracts from day one. Renegotiating after content goes viral is slower and more expensive.
- Brief for both screens. Ask creators to capture horizontal or TV-safe footage alongside their vertical posts, without scripting away what makes them authentic.
- Plan media together. Have your social and TV teams build one plan, so TV airs while the content is still driving conversation online.
- Measure business outcomes. Look beyond likes and views to brand lift, reach and sales, the same way you would judge any TV campaign.
Time to break the silos
Creator-led TV isn't an untested idea anymore. Each brand brave enough to put social-first content on TV adds to the proof. The content is authentic and engaging, and TV gives it the reach that shows up in sales.
As we agreed on stage in Nashville, authenticity matters, but so do reach and outcomes. It's time for social and TV teams to stop working in silos and start building campaigns together.