We’re sure you’ve been following the boom in social media content in Trinidad and Tobago. From Keevo TV to Ro’dey to the Trini Alphabet series, local comedic content creators are killing it daily, earning love and laugh reactions from the second they hit ‘post’.

Regional content creators are also pulling in lots of engagement. Everyone is still trying to figure out how Majah Hype hits every Caribbean island’s accent and obscenities so perfectly.

This is great to see. Trinidad and Tobago and the rest of the Caribbean have always boasted creative talent that could rival the best in the world, and we are happy to see more people putting their talent out there. We’re even happier to see brands taking risks and using some of these content creators to market their products.

However, some of these partnerships are … questionable. Not naming names, but some dude just roleplaying in a wig won’t necessarily make us want to buy ice cream. Both content creators and corporate brands need to think a little more deeply about their brand personas and strategically choose partnerships that best match their brand values.

It’s not enough to just pull the most viewed comedian off of the internet, or get in bed with the biggest corporate brand with a cheque handy, and cobble together a collaboration.

Now, don’t get us wrong, we’re not saying that brands should pull back from collaborations with these local content creators. Definitely not.

From the outside looking in, companies may seem to have their brand strategy all together with their online presence. They use consistent fonts and colour palettes. Their social media copy is always Standard English and their stock photos are polished. They would never dream of asking Ro’dey’s AhRightDey to be their brand ambassador.

But is that good brand strategy? In this era, that may indicate a tendency to stagnation. Brands that are risk-averse may have even less strategic vision than those that take risks and fail.

Put simply, good brand strategy means making calculated decisions that can not only make your brand stand out in its category, but also turn it into one of the defining brands in that category.

Working with a well-known social media comedian is one way to differentiate yourself from the generic noise. But if your comedian is best known for how authentically his characters swear and quarrel, and your brand is trying to appeal to families, how will you become the best option in your category to your audience? You have to become the embodiment of your target audience’s values and anyone who speaks on your behalf should already be on the same train as them.

So, keep taking risks. Keep collaborating with popular content creators. But take a minute. Survey the market. When you collaborate, let it be as close to a perfect partnership as Bey and the Jigga Man, where your goals, personas and values are all aligned.

Best case scenario: you are The Carters – producing the Blue Ivys, Sirs and Rumis of marketing content that inspires your audience to long-term brand loyalty.

Worst case: your partnership is glittering, profitable and short-lived, like Brangelina.

Either way, it’s the strategy for us.