Source: Fortune
Summary
Jamie Laing, founder of Candy Kittens, believes that content creators will be the next big business owners. He argues that creator-led companies are nimbler, more culturally attuned, and closer to their communities than traditional corporations. Laing’s company, Candy Kittens, has grown into a credible challenger brand, and its acquisition of Graze from Unilever for £36m is a case study in the limitations of big corporate ownership. Laing thinks that creator-led brands have an advantage over traditional corporations, as they are built on years of giving, sharing, and entertaining, rather than just acquiring customers through advertising.
Our Reading
The numbers tell one story.
Candy Kittens’ £15m in annual revenue is a drop in the ocean compared to the $50bn generated by Mars, but Laing’s company is winning shelf space, consumer attention, and market share without the mega marketing machine. The acquisition of Graze from Unilever is a bold move, and Laing’s comment that “big corporations aren’t agile at all” is a telling insight into the limitations of traditional corporate ownership. The fact that 73% of Gen-Z consumers rely on creators when making purchasing decisions is a clear signal that the market is shifting. Laing’s ambition to one day acquire McVitie’s, the biscuit brand originally built by his great-great-grandfather, may seem lofty, but it speaks to a broader shift in brand ownership.
Creator-led brands are not just a novelty, they’re a new reality.
Author: Evan Null
