The news: Starbucks will be the first company to test TikTok’s custom creator network capabilities, according to a joint announcement made during Cannes Lions.

The feature enables advertisers to select a pool of creators, employees, partners, or other brand advocates to receive campaign briefs or turn existing content into ads. TikTok says it will make it easier for brands to discover, leverage, and scale creator partnerships while maintaining greater creative control.

Starbucks will use the capability to reward and amplify employee-created content, making it an extension of its existing Green Apron Creators Program.

The strategy: The TikTok partnership reflects the company’s broader effort to use employee engagement to regain goodwill with both workers and customers.

• The Green Apron Creators initiative has yielded “engaging” and “authentic” content while also serving as a development opportunity for Gen Zers, who account for the majority of Starbucks’ baristas, global chief brand officer Tressie Leiberman wrote in a blog post.
• Employee-generated content helps improve sales and customer connection while enabling Starbucks to “extend the coffeehouse experience beyond the walls of our cafes,” Leiberman added.

Beyond that, the formalized creative network gives Starbucks a steady pipeline of content it can use to bolster engagement on TikTok and other channels. The company’s employees post three times more than workers at similarly sized chains, Starbucks said in press materials—content that can be quickly and easily repurposed for advertising.

Implications for brands and retailers: Using employees as brand advocates is not a new concept, but it can be highly effective: 40% percent of consumers frequently discover a product or service through employee-generated content, according to Sprout Social. That figure rises to 61% for Gen Z, which explains why brands like Starbucks and Staples are so eager to lean in.

However, brands should exert a light touch. Creators like “Staples Baddie” are popular because they project authenticity, which is the top factor US adults consider when looking for online product reviews and deciding whom to trust, according to an October Ipsos survey. Forcing employees to adhere tightly to campaign restrictions could make their advocacy efforts feel less organic—and ultimately less effective.