The story behind Asociet

Hi! I’m Emma. Founder of Asociēt, creative strategist, marketing consultant and mother. I love connecting people and helping brands bring their ideas to life. I’m inspired by brilliant creatives on a daily basis, and with a growing network I decided to launch the Asociēt network alongside my consultancy work as a way to do things differently.

The idea for Asociēt began years ago, when I’d been blogging myself for a while and had started to notice some frustration with the way some brands and agencies were partnering with bloggers. I saw many talented creatives get exploited (remember the old ‘create this content for the chance to win a prize’?), and working within the agency world gave me a unique insight into the way bloggers and, later, influencers, were often viewed. I felt frustrated that so many people in the industry were missing out on the real value of this new way of working.

So it got me thinking, there must be a better way of collaborating. Partnerships based on recognising the value of creators, being mutually beneficial, and creators being seen as talented creatives in their own right, not just distribution channels for an advertising message. And so it began…

Fast-forward many years and I’ve been working on this message ever since. I built and developed an influencer division within the content marketing agency I worked for, focusing on the idea of ‘sustainable influence’ and helping brands build out long-term strategies for communities of advocates. I spoke at Social Media Week on the issue of trust within advertising and what this meant for bloggers (in a nutshell: creatives needed to protect their audiences), and I won an industry award for innovation in influencer marketing.

I later left to go freelance and start my own consultancy, and I’ve since built communities for global businesses, written strategy for brands in industries ranging from music and fashion to beauty and interiors, hosted international press trips and dozens of bespoke events, helped agencies pitch for new business and brands build out their influencer marketing teams. And all of this has been done with that original message at the front and centre: there must be a better way. I genuinely believe there is. And I’ve proven it over and over for my clients.

I’ve launched Asociēt as a way to do things differently, with a belief in the importance of respectful partnerships and empowering brands to build out their own connections with creatives. Working with Asociēt means collaborating with the most relevant talent from around the world – creatives who embody the brands they partner with and are genuinely excited to connect with them – project managed and lead by our consultancy team.

Influencer marketing, advocacy marketing, collaborations, partnerships – I believe that this way of working is here to stay, and approaching it creatively, strategically, and as something that is inherently ‘human’, will be key to supporting brands to harness its power moving forward.

If you’re a brand interested in working with Asociēt, I’d love to chat! You can say hello here or via hello@asociet.com.