Ashley Rudder on Steering Deutsch NY Deeper Into Creator Content

'This is going to be a place where there are no lanes'

Ashley Rudder has spent nearly a decade of her career at the intersection of creators, brands and platforms. This makes her uniquely qualified for her new role as Deutsch New York’s chief creator officer.

“Creator” being the key word. Rudder is the first-ever to hold this post at the agency, which recently launched a content creation practice dubbed SociStudio.

Deutsch NY’s commitment to becoming a major player in the social media and content creation space “was the biggest draw for me,” Rudder tells Muse. “I know that that’s the future.”

Rudder previously oversaw content creation at Whalar. Her career path also includes a stint as assistant vice president of strategy and content at Lashify. Earlier, she spent two decades at MAC, the cosmetics firm, where she began her career as a makeup artist, rising to become director of digital content and artistry.

Rudder is also co-founder of the digital creative collective known as HAUS OF SÔS. And she has experience as a creator herself, having shared beauty and lifestyle content via her @ashley_rudder.

Here, Rudder discusses early days on the job at Deutsch NY and working with creators:

Muse: I’ve never spoken to a “chief creator officer.” That title feels so of our times.

Ashley Rudder: I’ve been seeing this evolution for quite a while. Even eight years ago, I was kicking down doors and letting my presence be known and seeing how valuable my point of view was because I actually had a handle and I actually was a creator.

I’ve seen it through those phases of me being in beauty and then going to Whalar and understanding the platforms and how the entire ecosystem looked. It was the same challenges every single time: How do we meet the demand? The volume’s too large! The beast can never be satisfied! And how do we keep our brand voice? All this time, I’ve been helping clients with that.

And, now, this is my dream job. Through our interview process, I knew I was with the right people when Val [DiFebo, Deutsch NY CEO] said, “We already have a content shop.” And I thought, Okay, they get it. They really get it. We’re going to really do something powerful if there’s no convincing involved.

The fact that you didn’t have to convince the leadership to see the value in this space says a lot, because there are still people in this industry focused solely on the “traditional” way of doing things. They do need to be convinced that we’ve arrived in an era of social content.

I’ve been told a thousand times that this isn’t right, this isn’t how it’s done. So, there’s a blind spot for you, and I’m here to let you know what it is and how we’re really about to partner and do something incredible.

And, slowly but surely, the leaders that I’ve worked with have double clicked on what I had to say and could see the value there.

You’re just a few weeks into your new role. What have you been doing? And what have your priorities been in these early days?

It’s listening. It’s a lot of listening and understanding the anatomy of Deutsch NY and understanding how things have been working here. The priority is to understand what’s good, which is where we are now—and then envision what the better and best version of this brand will be. I’m just writing in my Moleskine where I think improvement should be. But right now they’re just hypotheses.

Of course, I can’t keep myself out of the work. So, all of the clients that I know we currently have, where I know I can make an instant impact, I’ve been loving being on those calls as well.

What does SociStudio have to offer?

We’re in the war room with this deck that we’re building. [She motions around the room she is sitting in during our Zoom call.] But, overarchingly, SociStudios is here to solve those problems for paid and organic, for social for brands, and, of course, with an endemic advertising eye.

Everyone working for Soci is a creator on the platform. We don’t have anyone who does not have the practical experience. Theory is fine. But if you’ve been in there doing it—those people know how it works.

It really is a holistic moment, because most brands are focused on paid, and paid can frequently be very unexciting. But to those who are creators, we know how to put a fresh face on paid social so that it’s even more successful.

And also we’re excited to be offering the organic piece of it, which is dicating how our brand is showing up in the space. We need that perfect balance between being a part of the conversation and getting used to not owning it. It is more about a telephone than a microphone, and that’s really where we’re keeping all of this.

Some brands only want to link up with creators who have massive followings. Do you see any value in getting in on the ground floor with someone who is interesting, but has fewer followers? And building them up while they’re promoting your brand?

Absolutely. You’re smelling what I’m cooking for sure. If you love a creator’s lens, you have to also understand that they often have limited resources. They’re doing everything by themselves. So, it’s adding value to the contracts [with creators] and saying, “OK, we’re not only paying you for your creative, but we’re going to provide you with an editor. We’re going to provide you with a crew, so you can have more than just your own camera on site, so you can start doing things that are your actual dream.” It’s a bigger relationship than just transactional.

I recently interviewed Jordan Palmer and Alex Bauer, a gay couple who run a salon in Omaha. They have a huge TikTok following and have done brand deals in the hair space. But they also want to do deals with brands outside of that niche. What are your thoughts on creators seeing the bigger picture and casting a wider net? Should brands think this way, too?

I’m glad that they’re thinking that way, because that’s how you create longevity on the platform. You’re going to get bored if you’re only doing one schtick. You need not be a one-trick pony. You can have opinions and show up in spaces where people don’t expect you. For brands, it’s shortsighted to only work with endemic creators.

I also talked to another TikTok creator, Garrett from Goldies, a former finance bro who shares lifestyle content and supports small businesses in NYC. He does brand deals, but he is also working on creating products, including a tote bag . What do you think about the idea of creators making such products? Do you see instances where brands could partner with them to help make those products?

Absolutely. I would love to get in some sort of venture capitalist moment with creators to help support them and help them understand how to break into that market—helping them find better vendors that aren’t eating away at their profits. But, also, creators are doing what they do. They will burrow and find a path to get to where they need to be.

While you are experienced in the world of social and creators, some of this must be new territory for your colleagues. How are people at Deutsch feeling about diving into this pool?

I’ve hit the ground running with a lot of different people from so many different departments at Deutsch NY. They have a real passion for social, and may not normally get to work on that stuff.

A lot of people have said, “I would never have asked to do that because I just think I should stay in my lane.” And I’m like, “Yeah, this is going to be a place where there are no lanes.”

We’re coming up with a launch plan and creating our content buckets and asking how we want to show up with the brands. Both brands, Deutsch NY and Soci, are going to show up in this space. The energy is high over here.