At the first White House Creator Economy Conference last week, President Biden called creators “the future” and joked about how he could be part of it.
“You are the breakthrough in how we communicate,” he said. “And that’s why I invited you to the White House, because I’m looking for a job.”
The event, hosted by the White House’s Office of Digital Strategy, aimed to discuss issues like AI, privacy, pay equity, and mental health. Deputy Treasury Secretary Wally Adeyemo and Domestic Policy Advisor Neera Tanden were among those who hosted panels on the topics.
“I think the changes in this space have been so quick and dynamic and so fast with things like AI…it’s nice to know that the government is taking it seriously,” Julian Reis, CEO and co-founder of creator marketplace company SuperOrdinary, who didn’t attend, told Marketing Brew.
Around 100 creators were present, including Nick Arrington, who told us via email that he found the discussions around AI and misinformation to be “thought-provoking.” He said the representation of creators in the room spanned a variety of platforms and specialties, including health/wellness, beauty, and sports.
“My likeness is used in memes across the internet,” Arrington told us. “Although I enjoy the exposure and they often give me a good laugh, I am not being compensated for these images. I wanted to hear what the federal government had to say about protections around things like this.”
Plus, he added, “when the president of the United States calls, you show up. Full stop.”
Elephant in the room? In April, President Biden signed a bill into law that could ban TikTok in the US as early as next year and not long after, a group of TikTok creators sued the US government, arguing that the law infringes on the right to free speech. Arrington told us the TikTok bill was not discussed at the event, nor was anything election-related outside of the “civic duty to vote.”
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Politically charged: Beyond the event, election content is top of mind for some creators. Thomas Waters, founder and European CEO at creator agency Billion Dollar Boy (BDB), told Marketing Brew that “there’s a lot of appetite from US creators” to talk about the election, particularly on TikTok.
A recent poll from the agency found that around 28% of US creators have been approached by political organizations to produce content for the 2024 presidential election so far.
That may not be to some brand partners’ liking: Waters said some clients are considering their “cause-led” messaging and whether to push certain campaigns to the new year, depending on the political climate. The New York Times recently reported that some advertisers are looking at ways to predict if influencers might be likely to post about politics using tools like AI.
Even with potential risks, Waters doesn’t expect creator political involvement to slow down between now and November, given how much he thinks it’s already exceeded the 2020 election.
“We’re already seeing that on both sides of the aisle,” he said, citing the 70 creators at the RNC, Trump’s stunts with creators Jake and Logan Paul and Adin Ross, Vice President Harris’s very online campaign, and creator plans for the DNC, where more than 200 creators have been given credentials.
Reis agreed, saying creators are “going to be a big part of the next 100 days.”
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