With the rise of social media, the job of influencer and content creator has become a widespread and coveted profession, especially among new generations. The Slalom UGC platform, developed by young Catalan entrepreneurs Pia Mill and Berta Quirante, opens the possibility for anyone, with an interest in video creation and simple editing knowledge, to become an influencer from the comfort of their mobile phone.
This platform, a pioneer in Spain and practically throughout Europe, and created in Barcelona, is based on UGC (User Generated Content), that is, created directly by users and not necessarily by influencers who accumulate thousands of likes and followers. A model of social media videos that has consolidated in the United States, and that is also beginning to spread throughout Europe. "Brands no longer look for influencers with millions of followers, but rather opt for organic and quality content, which manages to reach the audience more directly," remarks Berta Quirante, co-founder of the platform. "They no longer look for a perfect body or life, but prefer real people who can connect with their followers," adds her partner Pia Mill.
However, although this is a booming content creation model, in Europe there was still no platform that allowed connecting emerging content creators, or people who want to start in this world and who do not yet have followers, directly with brands. The platform, therefore, allows these connections or matches to be established between brands and creators —as if it were a dating or relationship app—.
It does so by also offering the possibility of filtering by various elements: from physical traits, such as hair type or age, to the desired language or tone of voice. With these filters, the idea is that brands can find the content creators that best fit what they are looking for: "for example, creators with curly hair if they are promoting a specific product for that type of hair," explains Quirante. When a brand publishes an offer, in fact, the available creators appear according to the percentage of match with the different profiles according to what is being sought.
These creators, even if they don't have experience or followers, must go through a prior filter and meet certain requirements to be able to appear on the platform and sign up for the offers published by different brands. Thus, for example, the creator must provide example videos of the content —whether they have already worked for brands or not—, in addition to demonstrating that they can issue invoices, guaranteeing that the entire process is legal for both parties.
Currently, the platform has more than 300 registered content creators. The goal is for this number to grow exponentially in the following months: reaching one thousand creators in the next half year. Likewise, they also have more than a dozen brands that have already published offers on the platform: from menopause supplements from Domma, acne products from Hero Cosmetics, the Oh My Baby line of baby toys, or even shopping centers.
A variety in the type of brands that also requires a variety of available profiles among content creators: from young girls and boys who suffer from acne to women over 50 who are going through menopause. In fact, it is the specific brands, which usually look for creators who escape the canon or who do not fit the typical influencer profile —who are usually young women between 20 and 40 years old— those who bet the most on this type of content offered from the platform.
"Brands are starting to bet on the diversity of profiles to respond to an increasingly global and varied audience," explains Mill. The platform is available in a wide variety of languages, designed to reach both clients and brands from all over Europe. These brands pay an average of 250 to 300 euros per video created. From this price, Slalom UGC keeps a variable part of the budget, depending on the work behind each production: since the brand can choose, for example, that the video is not edited by the creator but by the Slalom team or that the team also selects the creator. All in all, the platform expects to exceed one million euros in its first year, reaching 7.7 million euros in its third year of activity.
A billing expectation that they emphasize responds to a booming market sector, as it is estimated that videos generated by these particular content creators generated 781 million euros in Spain last year. And the forecast is even higher for the coming years: reaching 2 billion euros by 2030. To accompany this growth in the sector and the platform's business volume, Slalom UGC also plans to launch a financing round this September, with Wizard Partners. This financing will be invested in strengthening and promoting their platform in the face of a booming content format. "This type of content is increasingly attractive for both brands and users who can become content creators from the comfort of their mobile," concludes Quirante.