Ava Lee and Michelle Kwak: Turning 15-Sec TikToks Into Lasting Creator Partnerships

‍Why are long-term partnerships important? ‍

This was the main theme of our conversation with Michelle Kwak, Director of Integrated Communications at LANEIGE US, and Ava Lee, Creator (@glowbyava) and Founder of ByAva.

On this episode of the Fast Traack, Ava and Michelle discuss how moving to long-term partnerships are beneficial to both brands and creators – diving into the authenticity it brings to brand content and the trust it builds with creators’ audiences. 

During the conversation, Ava and Michelle also share:

• Their journey to breaking into the creator economy (and how they built their relationship!) 
• How brands and creators can use trends to enhance their strategy (and what not to do!)
• How brand and creator partnerships have evolved to accommodate consumer’s behavior (and how it will continue to change!) 

“We’ve come a long way in how we partner with creators. At the beginning, we were looking at partnerships on a launch-by-launch basis – inevitably leading to one-off sponsorships. Now, we moved to a model of investing in our creator relationships and creating long-term contracts with our ambassadors. This has given our brand more longevity and made our content more authentic, relatable and fun!” - Michelle Kwak, Director of Integrated Communications at LANEIGE US

“Consumers can sniff out paid partnerships instantly, so I want to build excitement for a brand as organically as possible. I’ve found that the best way to achieve this is by being a true ambassador of the brand, where I am talking about them all the time. By regularly mentioning and working with a brand, I not only become more familiar with their products but my audience feels they can trust my recommendation. Longer-term partnerships allow me to authentically talk about brands I love so much, while truly connecting with my audience.” - Ava Lee, @glowwithava and Founder of byAVA

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