Commercials With Celebrities and Creators: How to Make One Production Work Across the Media Mix in 2027

Written by Jacob Boe with the help of AI

Cover: Commercials With Celebrities and Creators

A commercial in 2027 is rarely made for one channel. The same production needs to work as a TV spot, a YouTube ad, Instagram Reels, a TikTok video and a Snapchat ad – and the faces in it decide whether people stop watching or scroll past. That is why more and more brands make commercials with celebrities and creators: they bring recognition and a natural tone, and their content can be cut into every format in the media mix.

Here is how to plan a commercial with well-known faces, what the agreement must cover and how one production can feed the whole media plan.

Why make commercials with celebrities and creators?

Because attention is the scarce resource. Viewing has moved: according to Nordicom’s Mediebarometern, 52 percent of Swedes aged 9–85 watch YouTube on an average day, and YouTube has overtaken traditional TV in daily reach. A commercial now competes with creators in the same feed, and the faces people already know and trust are the ones that make them stop.

Brands are also investing more in creator content as media. The IAB forecasts that paid amplification of creator content beyond social media will grow by 56 percent to 11.1 billion dollars in the US this year. Creator content is becoming commercial content.

Celebrity commercial or creator content – what is the difference?

Celebrity commercial: a well-known personality in a scripted concept produced by the brand or agency. Strong for reach, recognition and TV-like formats.
Creator-made content: the creator films in their own style, often vertically, and the brand uses it as ads. Strong for social media and testing many versions.
Hybrid: a professional production with a well-known face that also delivers creator-style cuts – the model most campaigns choose today.

How do you plan a commercial for the whole media mix?

Start with the media plan, not the script. Decide which channels the film will run in, which formats each channel needs and how many versions you want to test. Then plan the shoot so it delivers all of them in one go:

A main film for TV and YouTube in 16:9, often 20–30 seconds.
Short cuts of 15 and 6 seconds for in-stream and bumper ads.
Vertical 9:16 versions for Reels, Stories, TikTok, Shorts and Snapchat.
Several openings and calls to action, so paid media can test what works.
Stills and behind-the-scenes material for organic posts, PR and e-commerce.

What makes a commercial with a well-known face work?

A real fit: the person should have a natural connection to the product or the situation.
A story, not a product shoot: humour, effort or a real moment makes people watch to the end.
The face in the first second: on social platforms, the first seconds decide whether the ad is seen.
The talent’s own voice: let well-known people sound like themselves, not like an advertising script.

What does Collabri’s experience show?

For Ellos, Collabri developed and produced a humorous video concept where Carolina Gynning and Carina Berg took on the Tough Viking obstacle race in Ellos activewear – real effort, real laughs and the products in genuine use. The campaign became one of the year’s top performers, with over 756,000 views. For Coca-Cola Loves Tacos, three well-known duos – Pernilla Wahlgren and Sofia Wistam, Carolina Gynning and Carina Berg, and Mia Skäringer and Sanna Persson – were part of a 360° activation that reached over 4.5 million views. In both cases, the faces and the story did the work, not the product shot.

What must the agreement cover?

Rights are the core of any commercial with well-known people. In Sweden, the Act on Names and Images in Advertising requires consent before a person’s name or image is used in marketing, so everything must be agreed in writing:

Media and channels: TV, online video, social media, out-of-home, cinema, in-store and e-commerce.
Period and markets: for example twelve months in Sweden, or the Nordics.
Editing: whether the brand may cut new versions, add subtitles or translate.
Accounts: whether ads may run from the talent’s own account via whitelisting.
Exclusivity: whether the person may work with competitors during the period.
Approval: what the talent wants to see before the film is published.

All versions must also be clearly recognisable as advertising. Konsumentverket stresses that the company has the main responsibility for marketing published on its behalf.

What does a commercial with celebrities cost?

There is no standard price. The budget consists of the talent fee, which depends on who the person is and how broad the rights are, the production itself, and the media budget to show the film. Broad rights – many channels, long periods, several markets – cost more, but they also mean one production can work much harder. Plan the three parts together, so the production is not so expensive that nothing is left for media.

How does Collabri work with commercials?

We handle the whole chain: concept, choice of talents and creators from our own roster and our wider Nordic network, negotiation of fees and rights, production, versions for every format and paid distribution. The goal is always the same – one production with the right faces that works across TV, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat.

Key takeaways

Commercials in 2027 must work across the whole media mix, not just TV.
Well-known faces and creators make people stop, especially in feeds full of creator content.
Plan the shoot from the media plan: main film, short cuts, vertical versions and test variants.
Agree channels, period, markets, editing, accounts and exclusivity in writing.
Budget for talent, production and media together.

Frequently asked questions

Can a commercial with a celebrity also be used on social media?

Yes, if the agreement covers it. Plan vertical versions and short cuts during the shoot, and agree social media use and any whitelisting in the contract.

How long does it take to produce a commercial with well-known people?

It depends on the concept and the talent’s availability. Booking the right person and agreeing rights often takes longer than the shoot itself, so start early.

Is it better to use one celebrity or several creators?

It depends on the goal. One well-known face gives recognition and reach; several creators give more versions and broader audiences. Many campaigns combine both.

Who owns the film after the campaign?

The brand usually owns the production, but the right to use the talent’s name and image is limited to what the agreement says. After the period ends, the film may not be used without a new agreement.

Planning a commercial with well-known faces for the whole media mix? Contact Collabri at info@collabri.se. You can also browse our talents and client projects.

Sources

Göteborgs universitet – Rekordnivåer för Youtube under 2025 (Mediebarometern 2025) (2026): https://www.gu.se/nyheter/rekordnivaer-for-youtube-under-2025
Digiday – Here’s what the creator economy is expected to look like in 2026 (IAB forecast) (2025): https://www.digiday.com/marketing/in-graphic-detail-heres-what-the-creator-economy-is-expected-to-look-like-in-2026
Riksdagen – Lag (1978:800) om namn och bild i reklam: https://www.riksdagen.se/sv/dokument-och-lagar/dokument/svensk-forfattningssamling/lag-1978800-om-namn-och-bild-i-reklam_sfs-1978-800/
Konsumentverket – Influencers reklaminlägg – regler för företag: https://www.konsumentverket.se/marknadsratt-foretag/influencers-reklaminlagg-regler-for-foretag/

This article was written with the help of AI and reviewed by Collabri.