Tumblr Launches Creatrs And Taps Its Power Users To Make Content For Advertisers

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david hayes tumblr

Business Insider

David Hayes, Head of Creative Strategy at Tumblr

Tumblr's head of creative strategy, David Hayes, announced a new Tumblr initiative Thursday morning, "Creatrs."

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Creatrs and Creatrs Networks will tap the platform's best artists to make content for internal Tumblr initiatives, like good causes, and advertisers.

A team of Tumblr employees will be dedicated to protecting artists' legal rights, making sure their content is credited properly across the web, and licensing their work so they can make more money and get more exposure for their creations.

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Hayes pointed to a recent University of Georgia graduate, Cindy Suen. He found her art, which features colorful animations of cats and other creatures, during his second week at Tumblr two years ago.

He began by featuring her art on his personal Tumblr, then Tumblr figured out more ways to work with Suen. Suen helped Tumblr with a few pilots for its Creatr Network, making animations for a Tumblr sizzle reel, plus campaigns for Starbucks and KitKat. Later, her graphics were featured on NBC's The Voice as a backdrop for one of the show's live performances.

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Hayes says a quarter of a million dollars have been paid to Tumblr's select artists over the past year while it has tested Creatrs and Creatr Networks.

The Creatrs Networks' goal is to ensure advertisers have the best native advertising experience possible on the network by tapping its power users to design messages instead of an agency's traditional creative department.

Tumblr isn't splitting a percentage of advertising revenue with creators who work on the campaigns. Instead Tumblr pays its artists a flat fee that they request for every campaign they work on.