Next in Media spoke to Ben Mathews, general partner at Night Ventures, about creators like Mr. Beast becoming product marketing moguls, where investors are looking to spend in the creator economy, the latest on TikTok and ongoing woes at Twitch.

He highlights the shift in funding and customer acquisition strategies, with a focus on talent-led businesses. Matthews emphasizes the success and influence of Mr. Beast and the unique approach he takes to his business. He also discusses the challenges and opportunities in the creator economy, including the limitations of automating the industry and the potential for creators to launch their own products. Matthews concludes by discussing the impact of the disappearance of cookies on the advertising industry.

Takeaways

• The creator economy is on the rise, with talent-led businesses gaining traction and changing the way customer acquisition is approached.

• Mr. Beast is a prime example of a creator who has successfully monetized his audience and treated his business like a hypergrowth startup.

• The advertising market in the creator economy is disorganized and challenging, with a lack of automation and data available for both creators and advertisers.

• The disappearance of cookies and the shift towards a cookie-less internet will have significant implications for the advertising industry.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and Background

02:16 The Rise of the Creator Economy

03:25 The Role of Knight Ventures in the Creator Economy

04:53 The Shift in Funding and Customer Acquisition

06:30 The Changing Landscape of Direct-to-Consumer Brands

08:14 The Influence and Success of Mr. Beast

09:46 The Business Approach of Mr. Beast

11:37 The Marketing Challenges in the Creator Economy

13:30 The Advertising Market and YouTube

16:08 The Limitations of Automating the Creator Economy

18:03 The Opportunity in the Middle Tail of Creators

19:08 The Potential for Creators to Launch Products

21:11 The Role of Short-Form Content Platforms

22:29 The Challenges of Monetizing Gaming Content

25:15 The Disappearance of Cookies and its Impact on Advertising

26:30 Conclusion

Guest: Ben Mathews

Host: Mike Shields

Sponsored by: Publica

Produced by: Fresh Take