The creator economy is a two-way street
Opinion | The Future of Brands: Creator Economy Week in Focus
KISS demonstrates that by combining the strengths of traditional media and the creator economy, established media brands can build on their heritage while adapting to changing audience behaviours.
As the creator economy continues to grow, trusted media channels like audio and creators can learn from one another and build on their respective strengths. Both have cultural relevance, create immediate connections with audiences and build relationships rooted in personality and trust.
Creators bring fresh perspectives, while established media brands offer scale, trusted platforms, audience insight and the expertise to turn great ideas into engaging content and effective commercial partnerships.
Bauer Media sees an opportunity to bring these worlds together
KISS has spent more than 40 years cementing its place in music and youth culture, but even the most established brands need to evolve to stay relevant. Audiences are changing how they consume content, where they discover it and the personalities they choose to spend time with, and media brands must evolve alongside them.
Earlier this year, the KISS brand went through a ‘glow up’; not only did the brand get a bold new visual identity, but it also strategically rebuilt the brand around how audiences live, listen and scroll today, bringing together radio, social, talent, live experiences and commercial partnerships under a distinctive, connected identity.
A key part of that evolution is understanding how talent can connect with audiences in different ways.
KISS Breakfast presenters Tyler West and Chloe Burrows bring their own personalities, experiences and audience relationships to the brand. Burrows’ significant social following and reality television profile offer KISS new ways to reach audiences, while KISS’s scale and reach introduce her to a wider audience of music lovers. It’s a two-way exchange that benefits both talent and brand.
The latest RAJAR figures show that this approach works, with KISS growing its audience by 32% year on year in Q2 2026, while KISS Breakfast with Tyler and Chloe was up 40%.
The wider KISS Network also grew to 3.7m weekly listeners. While this reflects the wider transformation and refreshed line-up, it also demonstrates the opportunity for established brands to evolve how they connect with audiences.
This approach also creates opportunities for brands to connect with audiences through culture. The Mentos Yes to Fresh campaign saw KISS partner with UK rapper Aitch on a surprise pop-up performance in a Manchester university library, shared across KISS social channels and supported by radio and events. By combining talent, music, content and live experiences, the campaign brought Mentos to life in a way that felt relevant to Gen Z audiences.
The opportunity extends beyond audio
Villa Verdicts, one of KISS’s biggest digital-first success stories, generated 30m views in its latest season. Fronted by former Love Island contestant Cach Mercer, the series puts Islanders in the hot seat to get real answers, in their own words.
Mercer’s first-hand understanding of the Love Island experience gives the format a distinctive perspective, demonstrating how the right talent can help create content that feels authentic, relevant and compelling.
These examples reflect a wider opportunity to connect audiences across platforms. A conversation on air might spark a social moment; an audience interaction could become a live experience; a talent-led idea might develop into original content. The key is to make each touchpoint feel natural to its platform while contributing to a coherent brand experience.
Radio has always offered an intimate relationship with its audience, becoming part of listeners’ daily routines through companionship, entertainment and a sense of connection.
Creators often build their followings through a different kind of closeness, where audiences feel they know the person behind the content and are invested in their world. Recognising what makes each environment valuable, and bringing those strengths together can create something powerful.
For advertisers, this creates opportunities to move beyond reach alone. Established media brands and creators can combine audience understanding, compelling storytelling and personal connection to develop partnerships that resonate with audiences and deliver meaningful outcomes for brands.
Bauer Media’s partnership with Channel 4 on Prize & Seek illustrates how this can work in practice.
The multi-platform treasure hunt brought together KISS Breakfast, Hollyoaks and social channels, inviting audiences to follow clues across different touchpoints (pictured). Rather than simply placing a message in front of an audience, the campaign gave people a reason to engage and participate.
Making these partnerships work requires a clear fit between the talent, the media brand and the advertiser, alongside the creative freedom to ensure the collaboration feels authentic.
Media owners bring audience insight, production expertise, distribution, and commercial experience to turn a strong idea into a connected campaign, while creators contribute their own perspectives and relationships with their communities.
KISS shows how established media brands can build on their heritage while adapting to changing audience behaviours. By combining the strengths of traditional media and the creator economy, we can create more meaningful audience experiences and new opportunities for brands, talent and advertisers alike.
Liz Parkin is the talent director at Bauer Media UK