Social media is integral to our daily lives—from waking moments checking a night’s worth of notifications to connecting with friends and family. Culture, media, and commerce are continually transmuted by the fluctuations of an ever-changing digital landscape. In the endless torrent of rapid-fire scrolling and clicking on social media, viewers’ attention is a newfound commodity.
In the early aughts of social media, a few mega-influencers dominated the landscape. Brand partnerships, sponsored posts, paid placement, and awareness campaigns were still rudimentary, and businesses struggled to tap into audiences and drive consumers through the purchasing funnel.
Now, the creator ecosystem has a life of its own and has proven invaluable to businesses looking to unlock new audiences and, ultimately, consumers. According to a recent study from Deloitte, high-ROI brands now invest 42% of their social media budgets into creator partnerships, which is nearly twice the amount of low-ROI companies.
The creator economy has turned online commerce and advertising on its head, with 50% of consumers reporting that they are more likely to purchase a product accompanied by a creator’s recommendation. Three out of five consumers also say they are more likely to recommend a brand, buy a product, or explore it when a favored creator endorses it.
And while Instagram and TikTok boom with a steady influx of new creators and influencers, the distinction between the two has become increasingly paramount. According to the traditional model, creators and influencers offer respective value propositions to marketers and businesses alike.
For marketers, influencers are akin to versatile digital salespeople, offering product recommendations, affiliate links, and brand partnerships posted on their platforms. Brands and companies often look to influencers to shape their top-to-middle funnel consumer behavior and long-term awareness.
Success as an influencer hinges on a robust personal brand and highly engaged audience, which influencers can leverage by charging brands to access that audience. Props estimates that the average influencer post or partnership drives engagement among only 10% of their following. While this personal yet parasocial connection has rocketed many influencers to stardom, the sheer volume of product recommendations has created consumer fatigue and frustration with constantly being “sold” every time they log on.
Conversely, creators stand out for their unique approach to production and are heralded as an authentic alternative to traditional influencers. Rather than selling or promoting products, creators advertise their creative skills and build an audience based on interests and artistry. This authenticity translates to trust, and audience trust is a golden currency of the creator economy. With the invaluable skill set of creators, brands can unlock new audiences, community growth, and conversions. Frequently, creators appear as ideal candidates to shape the bottom-to-middle funnel.
Rather than remain constricted to the traditional model of using influencers and creators to capture different facets of the funnel, Props revolutionized its model. Built on a foundation of journalism-quality creators, photographers, and filmmakers, Props leverages authentic storytelling at every funnel level. People respond to stories, trust stories, and trust creators more than brands or institutions, which is why authentic storytelling and compelling creators are at the forefront of all the content we produce.
Our results prove that authentic creators, experts in their field and passionate about the connection they have with their audiences, are an indispensable asset, from non-branded stories that create a genuine connection with new audiences to branded endorsements that directly advocate for a product, service, or brand while interweaving the creator’s authentic experience.
By working with creators who remain true to themselves and their stories, we can stay ahead of the fluctuations of the ever-changing digital landscape continually shaped by media and commerce. Props stays ahead of the curve and excels at every funnel level.
For regional banks, advertising is fraught with some of the most stringent rules in marketing. Laws such as the Truth in Lending Act (TILA) and Equal Credit Opportunity Act (ECOA) require specific disclosures in promotions for loans, credit cards, and other financial products. Adding to these legal mandates, platforms like Facebook and Google impose “Special Ad Categories” for financial services, restricting the use of advanced targeting tools like lookalike audiences or detailed demographic segmentation.
The impact is clear: compliance-heavy messaging disrupts engagement, creativity is stifled, and marketing costs rise as cost-per-click (CPC) and cost-per-lead (CPL) escalate. For many regional banks, this combination of constraints makes reaching their ideal customers a frustrating and costly endeavor.
Props offers a transformative way for regional banks to overcome these challenges through a unique combination of creator-driven storytelling, strategic paid media promotion, and robust compliance solutions. Instead of promoting financial products directly, Props shifts the focus to authentic, lifestyle-oriented stories that resonate with audiences and inspire them.
These stories are published on the bank’s website (or a special landing page) and, critically, promoted through the creators’ social media handles. Publishing lifestyle content through creators’ handles bypasses the restrictions of “Special Ad Categories,” drives more engagement and click-throughs, and unlocks advanced targeting options. This allows banks to connect with high-intent audiences more effectively while reducing costs.
For example, rather than running a traditional ad for a home equity line of credit (HELOC), Props might collaborate with a creator to share a story about how homeowners can fund renovations—building trust and engagement without triggering compliance-heavy disclosures.
One of Props’ greatest advantages lies in its ability to sidestep disclosure requirements by avoiding direct product claims. Instead of advertisements laden with legal disclaimers, Props content centers on engaging narratives that educate and inspire. These stories provide value to audiences without overwhelming them, creating a cleaner, more effective path to engagement.
A creator might share how they used home equity to remodel their kitchen, illustrating a real-life application of financial tools while staying free from the burdens of compliance-heavy messaging. This approach not only eliminates the need for complex disclosures but also keeps content relatable and audience-focused, fostering trust and credibility.
Audiences are more likely to trust people over brands, and Props ensures this trust by selecting creators based on their expertise and storytelling ability, not their follower count. Creators are chosen for their ability to craft genuine, relatable narratives that resonate with specific audience segments.
Whether it’s a business owner sharing entrepreneurial insights or a parent discussing family finances, Props focuses on the quality of the story rather than the creator’s popularity. By publishing these stories directly on the client’s website, Props ensures that the bank owns the engagement and benefits from first-party data collection. Paid media promotion guarantees that these stories reach the most relevant audience with precision and scale.
Brand safety is paramount for financial institutions. Strict regulatory standards and a heightened need to maintain trust often prevent banks from collaborating with creators. Recognizing these challenges, Props developed Ollie—a proprietary AI-driven brand safety tool that ensures campaigns remain compliant, transparent, and aligned with institutional values.
Ollie reviews years of creator content history, continuously monitors posts in real-time, and flags potential risks using advanced AI. Its capabilities include detecting if a financial offer is being made or if financial advice is being given—two critical triggers that can complicate compliance for creators in regulated industries. By categorizing flagged content as low, medium, or high risk, Ollie empowers banks to avoid pitfalls while enabling creators to craft compelling yet compliant narratives.
This innovative approach ensures banks can confidently embrace creator storytelling, knowing that campaigns will uphold their values and meet regulatory standards. By bridging the gap between brand safety and creative freedom, Ollie empowers financial advertisers to connect authentically with audiences while navigating one of the most regulated industries in marketing.
Props has consistently delivered impressive results for its financial clients across consumer banking, mortgage lending, credit cards, secure cards, life insurance, auto insurance, and wealth management. Props takes responsibility for delivering actual, measurable business outcomes—a key reason for its rapid growth.
For regional bank CMOs, Props offers an unparalleled opportunity to navigate advertising regulations while driving measurable results. By avoiding restrictive ad categories and using creator-led storytelling, Props enables access to advanced audience targeting tools that improve reach and engagement.
Its compliance-friendly strategies reduce advertising costs and create cleaner, more effective campaigns. With Ollie’s oversight, banks can run creative campaigns confidently, knowing that regulatory standards are being met. Props’ focus on authenticity builds trust with audiences, while its full-funnel strategy ensures seamless progression from awareness to conversion.
By leveraging paid media through creators’ handles, Props ensures that each story achieves both the reach and relevance needed to deliver measurable results. For CMOs seeking to transform their marketing strategy and connect authentically with their audience, Props offers a proven path to sustainable growth and success.
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