Creator programs have been beauty’s favorite selling tool for years. Brands have thrived in the hands of influencers who have shared their #GRWM routines featuring must-have products that go viral on every platform from YouTube to TikTok. It’s a phenomenon that every brand wants to be a part of — aiming to hit on the promise of online crazes and mass sell-outs of products.
As influencer marketing has progressed, it has gone through many phases with influencers becoming content creators who then became community leaders and now, business partners. Throughout the evolution — which has included brands wavering from working only with creators touting massive follower counts to focusing on niche micro-influencers with tight communities — a few themes have emerged as paramount, starting with producing quality content that is authentic and engaging.
Related Articles
Creator platform, Odore, was quick to work out a successful formula to build advocacy, loyalty and authenticity when brands bring creator campaigns to life. Known for working with leading beauty groups including L’Oréal, Coty, Estée Lauder, Amorepacific and Kao, among others, Odore has kept its finger on the pulse of the rapidly evolving industry. Its solution blends the efficiency of a SaaS platform, the high-touch service of an agency and the long-term engagement of a community-driven platform.
Odore’s goal is to take brand fans to brand advocates, building lasting creator communities that drive real brand loyalty. In the current phase of the creator evolution, the company is helping brands to embrace content creators as business partners with strategic input, product development and long-term equity at the forefront.
As the industry continues to evolve, Armaan Mehta, cofounder of Odore, told Fairchild Studio that some misconceptions are holding on in many brands’ strategies. First, is that success correlates solely with follower count or the sheer volume of partnerships. In reality, he said, it’s about diversified engagement.” This happens through content creation, product seeding, events, affiliate programs and more.
At the same time, there is a “misunderstanding that increased investment should go toward more partnerships alone, when in fact investing in meaningful touchpoints and nurturing relationships can yield better results.” These myths persist because the industry is still evolving, and many brands are learning to measure beyond what experts now consider to be superficial metrics, like likes or follows.
“Influencer marketing today is a relationship-driven approach focused on authenticity rather than pure reach,” said Mehta. “Over the past decade, the spotlight has broadened from celebrity endorsements to include nano and micro-influencers — creators whose smaller, devoted followings translate into stronger engagement and trust. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok have accelerated this trend, enabling brands to connect with niche audiences on a more personal level.”
Looking at beauty specifically, Mehta went on to say that “it’s no longer just about broadcasting messages; it’s about cultivating communities where trust and genuine interaction lead to lasting impact.”
In beauty, he said, trust is everything.
“Consumers often rely on relatable voices when exploring new products. Nano and micro-influencers excel here, sparking highly targeted conversations that feel more authentic than traditional ads. Building a community around these creators keeps engagement levels high and content flowing, as their audiences feel personally invested. This, in turn, generates a network effect: a steady stream of user-generated content and authentic advocacy that boosts a brand’s credibility in a crowded market.”
Notably, Odore’s research found that 40 percent of creator partnerships dissolve within three months – which the company said is a crisis of relationship, not loyalty. Rather than focusing on surface metrics, campaign mindsets and transactions, Odore has found that success comes from genuine partnership, creative freedom and long-term vision.
“Partnerships often go awry when there’s a misalignment between a brand’s goals and a creator’s audience or values,” said Mehta. “Lack of clarity on expectations — whether around deliverables, timelines or brand identity — can derail even the most promising collaborations. Late product deliveries, insufficient briefings or purely transactional one-off deals also dilute the potential impact.”
Ultimately, if there’s no long-term vision or mutual understanding, building the authentic content and loyalty that drive real results is a tremendous feat. Essential traits of a successful partnership include trust, open communication and aligned objectives.
Mehta explained that brands need to give creators the freedom to speak authentically while offering clear guidelines to ensure campaigns stay on track. “Continuous, multi-layered engagement, beyond just a single post, fosters deeper loyalty, transforming creators into genuine brand advocates.” Moreover, brands that diversify how they collaborate are more likely to further solidify relationships and amplify long-term impact.
Importantly, as the creator industry has evolved many brands are also facing the challenge of scaling relationships. In 2024, the new reality become the Nano Scale with thousands of creators being managed and increasing complications with relationship tracking, mass product fulfillment and real-time performance monitoring. According to Odore, each 10x increase in community size requires entirely new systems and approaches.
“As the number of nano and micro-influencers grows into the hundreds or thousands, managing them becomes a complex, ongoing effort—tracking content, distributing products, handling contracts, and more,” said Mehta. “True success at scale is less about one-off activations and more about building cohesive communities of creators who feel connected to a brand and each other. This broader ecosystem drives collective momentum and keeps campaigns authentic, even when hundreds of creators are involved.”
With this in mind, he added, that in an online environment saturated with marketing messages, authenticity continues to be what resonates most.
“Consumers increasingly ignore generic endorsements, so forming a trusted community of influencers is a powerful differentiator,” said Mehta. “Additionally, by diversifying creator touchpoints, brands can maintain better control of their narrative, balancing out any single creator’s voice. In short, a well-managed influencer strategy offers both near-term engagement and long-term brand equity.”
Understanding what is needed in the industry, Odore’s solutions have been built and evolved to meet today’s standards and go above expectations. In practice, Odore simplifies the daunting task of nurturing and managing large communities of nano and micro-influencers by combining advanced technology with hands-on expertise.
The company concentrates on smaller-tier influencers acknowledging that they deliver high engagement and authentic connections. The solution automates logistical tasks — like product seeding and performance tracking — while its team focuses on the human side of community-building, ensuring creators feel supported and motivated to champion the brand.
“Odore goes beyond one-off collaborations, offering features like tiered programs, missions and challenges that keep creators engaged over the long term,” said Mehta. “Our technology integrates seamlessly with each brand’s identity, while our dedicated account managers handle time-consuming tasks. By diversifying engagement—seeding, events, affiliate collaborations—we help create ecosystems where creators form genuine bonds with the brand and each other.”
Notably, the solution has been proven to save more than 45 hours a week per brand for large-scale programs.
“Influencer marketing isn’t about amassing more partnerships for the sake of numbers,” said Mehta. “It’s about diversifying how you engage
with creators. When you focus on building communities instead of one-off deals, you keep the brand narrative dynamic and in your control. At Odore, we dedicate ourselves to this community-driven approach, especially with nano and micro-influencers, to help beauty brands establish genuine, enduring connections.”
How Odore Fosters Long-term Communities
Odore’s cofounder discusses the hybrid solution addressing the challenges of the ever-evolving creator industry.
Fairchild Studio: What is Odore and what was the impetus for its creation?
Armaan Mehta: Odore is a hybrid solution that helps brands create and manage thriving communities of nano and micro-influencers by combining technology with human expertise. We saw that brands were struggling with the time and complexity of coordinating large influencer groups.
Our mission is to streamline these operations through an integrated platform and a dedicated team for each brand, enabling brands to build genuine, high-impact communities without administrative overload.
Fairchild Studio: How does Odore stand out from other influencer marketing solutions on the market?
A.M.: Odore’s goal isn’t just to facilitate single campaigns, but to foster long-term communities that evolve with a brand. By managing the administrative workload, our platform and team free brands to focus on creativity and strategy. In turn, creators receive ongoing support and unique engagement opportunities, forming lasting, genuine connections. That’s how we help build beauty brands that endure.
Odore specializes in nano, and micro influencers and community building — leveraging their deep relationships for more authentic engagement.
Our hybrid model pairs a powerful tech platform that automates logistics — such as product fulfillment and content tracking — with a hands-on service team that personally supports creators. Additionally, we emphasize varied engagement strategies — content, seeding, events and affiliate programs — so brands can retain narrative control and foster lasting creator relationships.
Fairchild Studio: How does Odore serve as a hybrid of a tech platform and a service provider?
A.M.: Software alone can’t cultivate meaningful relationships. Odore’s platform automates time-consuming tasks — like product shipments and data analytics — while our account managers offer strategic guidance, maintain personal contact with brands and creators, and handle day-to-day communications. This dual approach saves brands significant time and ensures creators feel valued, mitigating the high effort that would otherwise fall on in-house teams.
Fairchild Studio: What is the value added for brands that introduce Odore to their strategy?
A.M.: Odore reduces operational headaches — potentially saving brands upward of 45 hours a week — by taking on the logistics of community management. Our specialized focus on nano and micro-influencers drives higher engagement and richer content, strengthening brand reputation. We also diversify touchpoints to keep brand messaging fresh and in-house control intact, ultimately leading to greater ROI and a stronger market presence.
Fairchild Studio: What does the future hold for Odore?
A.M.: Our vision is to remain the go-to solution for community-centric influencer marketing. We plan to deepen our platform integrations and refine analytics, giving brands more advanced tools to measure and optimize performance. As we grow, we’ll stay committed to perfecting the art of supporting nano and micro-influencers — enabling brands to expand without compromising authenticity.