Torres Pit on how brands can cultivate the right 'soil' for creators to flourish

The term "creator economy" has become a staple in the marketing lexicon, with social media feeds flooded with authentic videos and branded content. However, what content creators truly care about is the "soil" provided for their creation.

The business case for influencer marketing remains rock-solid. According to Rakuten Advertising, nearly 80% of global consumers trust recommendations made by influencers. Locally, the sentiment is mirrored: data from VS Media reveals that 73% of Hong Kong consumers trust an influencer’s product recommendation even when they know it is a paid partnership.

But how do brands turn this consumer trust into high-performing content? According to Torres Pit (pictured) - a local content creator boasting 433,000 Instagram followers and 1.2 million YouTube subscribers - the secret to a successful brand partnership lies in the creative freedom and environment a brand provides. Speaking at MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Content 360 Hong Kong, Pit emphasised that content consumes his thoughts "80% to 90% of the time."

"If marketers can create an environment for creators to flourish, we get incredibly excited," Pit said. "We start thinking, ‘Wow, I can do this, I can do that.’ In fact, if a brand creates a genuinely fun concept, I’d even be willing to give them a discount because I want to make it happen."

He urged brands to focus on experiential and entertaining setups rather than rigid briefs, citing a past collaboration as a prime example. "Cathay Pacific once had me dress up and run around fields. It was so much fun that I would have probably paid for the experience myself. Because I was naturally so excited, I wanted to film it. If a brand can naturally integrate into my content, I’m happy and the brand is happy. Brands need to think of something fun."

Balancing commercial and organic content

When it comes to balancing commercial obligations with organic content, Pit views brand briefs not as a restriction, but as an exciting creative challenge.

"I think it’s crucial that the commercial element itself is inherently interesting," Pit explained. "For instance, I did a campaign with The Hong Kong Council on Smoking and Health. We flew an 'oil king’ character all the way from Dubai to Hong Kong to showcase the city’s effort to build a smoke-free environment. The entire video was hilarious and engaging, but at the same time, we successfully got the message across."

According to Pit, a well-executed ad should elevate a video rather than detract from it. "If you can incorporate a great commercial angle, it doesn’t make the video worse - it makes it better. I love this challenge every day. When viewers watch a fun commercial and think, 'Wow, that was actually cool,' I feel 10 times more satisfied than I do with a non-commercial video. I get excited when clients give me a brief that pushes me to think about how to keep viewers glued to the ad portion so they love it and remember it."

Keeping viewers glued to a branded segment, however, requires mastering the underlying math of social media. Pit noted that while different platforms compete fiercely for eyeballs, they all operate under the exact same fundamental logic.

"For any content, there is one ultimate rule that includes two parts: Why must people click? and Once they click, why must they watch until the end?" Pit said. "If people click but immediately realise the video isn't what they wanted, they drop off. When that happens, the platform stops pushing your video."

Whether it is YouTube or Instagram, Pit emphasised that every platform's goal is to keep users within their ecosystem for as long as possible. "Think of a way to get people to stay. The same logic applies universally, so I don't heavily customise my core strategy for different apps. I focus on this dual logic: the click and the retention."

He warned that mastering only one side of the equation leads to failure. "It’s easy to think about why people click - that's the initial 70%. But if they enter and feel disappointed, they leave. Conversely, if you have amazing content but nobody clicks, there’s no point. It’s like being a nice guy who can never land a date. Both criteria must align."

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