What Can Retail Learn From the Creator Economy? Insights from ‘The Diary of a CEO’
In modern retail, building a brand is no longer just about selling products, it’s about creating movements, nurturing community, and telling stories that resonate.
Grace Andrews , brand director at Flight Story Studio , brings experience from both the creator and brand strategy sides. She joined “ The Diary Of A CEO ,” a globally recognized business podcast and YouTube channel hosted by British entrepreneur and BBC “Dragon’s Den” investor Steven Bartlett , when it had just 8,000 YouTube subscribers. Since then, she has played a key role in scaling the channel to nearly 11 million subscribers.
At eTail™ London, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Grace to unpack what it really takes to thrive in today’s creator economy. Grace has seen both sides of the coin: She’s helped shape brands from the inside, and knows first-hand what it means to build an audience from the ground up.
The Power of Deep Audience Insight
Grace’s first lesson is simple: “A great brand story isn’t just heard, it’s felt.”
Too many brands, she said, overlook the most important phase — which is to truly understand their audience. It’s not just about demographics, age brackets, or male/female split, but about knowing what your audience cares about, where they spend their time, and the conversations they’re having, both online and offline.
Brands often fall into what Grace calls the “audience gap, ” which she explained as the disconnect between who they think they’re speaking to and who’s actually listening. The only way to close this gap is to invest real time in audience research, immersing yourself in their world to build the trust and emotional resonance that underpins every great brand story.
The question is: How much time are big brands and teams really spending to truly get to know their customers, beyond the data?
From Transactional Marketing to Genuine Connection
In 2025, it’s not enough to simply deliver products or content to your audience. Grace emphasized that brands should bring their audience into the journey, not just the outcome.
“Don’t just put a poll on Instagram after you’ve already made the decision. Build the infrastructure that lets customers genuinely shape your products and your story.”
When customers are actively involved in product development or brand decisions, they become your most passionate advocates. “Your biggest advocate for the marketing that’s going to do the marketing itself is a customer who has helped you produce that product,” Grace explains. These advocates create a ripple effect, spreading your message organically and fueling sustainable growth.
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Community: The Engine of Brand Longevity
Community is more than a buzzword, it’s the foundation of brand resilience. Grace was very direct on this point: “Community is the most fundamental part of brand building in 2025.” Yet, she was honest about her own journey with “The Diary of a CEO” — while they built a massive audience, they only recently began to take the notion of community seriously.
So, what’s the difference? An audience listens. A community participates, connects, and even exists without you at the center. True community requires a place to belong, a two-way stream of communication, and shared values that go beyond the product.
Grace made the comparison of virality to a sugar rush: exciting, but short-lived. On the other hand, she compared community to a balanced meal — it sustains your brand for the long haul.
Are retail brands truly empowering their audiences to build meaningful connections and shared values with each other, or are most still focused on one-way communication and transactional relationships?
Read the full story by Lavina Suthenthiran on RetailWire here: https://retailwire.com/discussion/retail-learn-creator-economy-grace-andrews/
If you want a taste of what's to come at eTail Boston, check out the video of the full session with Grace Andrews below:
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Helpful insight
This really resonates me - "Build the infrastructure that lets customers genuinely shape your products and your story" We are nothing without our customers, so if they don't like the product, there isn't really a product in the first place. You have to connect with your community that builds your story. Great read pre-eTail Lavina Suthenthiran Grace Andrews
I am a huge Grace Andrews The Diary Of A CEO FLIGHTSTORY fan - so amazing to read how her background and storytelling process contributed to the growth of the brand.
What a fabulous read!
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