Making Creator Headlines · Page 5

The Endorsement Would Like a Stake in the Outcome

October 23, 2026 at 6:01 PM EDT · New York time

SonderCo talent partnerships chief Leslie Fogel argues that creators and celebrities work harder for brands when their deals include equity or a share of sales. In her assessment, making both sides financially invested in the outcome can produce stronger client results. It is an argument for changing incentives, not evidence that every endorsement should arrive with a miniature ownership certificate. The distinction is practical. A fixed payment compensates a creator for agreed work. A sales share or equity interest ties at least some potential reward to the business relationship's performance or value. Fogel's case is that this can encourage greater effort and creativity because the talent participates in the upside. The contract becomes more than a receipt for appearing enthusiastic. That remains an attributed business view rather than a universal guarantee. The structure of the deal determines what the creator receives and when, so the appeal cannot be assessed from the word partnership alone. For brands considering the model, the useful question is whether the incentives genuinely fit the work. Calling someone a partner is easy; giving that word a financial meaning requires more than enlarging it on the presentation slide.

Satire. Not factual reporting. Read the original reporting from the linked publishers.