American University
Kogod School of Business

The Creator
Impact Initiative

One year. A flagship creator summit, a selective student-creator cohort, and rigorous academic research on what impact-driven creator marketing actually changes.

L'Oréal ParisAn invitation
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The 2026 Proof

Sold out at 200 —
with zero paid promotion.

The inaugural Kogod Creator Summit filled the room on organic pull alone: student creators, industry panelists, and brand conversations that turned into internships, gig work, and changed content strategies.

0
Estimated combined reach*
0
Combined followers among attendees
0
Attendees — sold out
$0
Paid promotion

*Estimated audience across all channels for event-related content, including attendee-creator posts.

See It, Don't Read It

This is what the room felt like.

Student creators, working panelists, and a room that filled itself. The energy that reached 2.3 million people started here — and 2027 scales it.

Kogod Creator Summit · 2026
Why Now

Influencer marketing has a research problem.
Beauty sits at the center of it.

Creators want real community. Brands want real evidence. Scholarship has delivered surveys about intentions — not measurements of behavior. Four gaps define the opening.

01

Credibility & medical influencers

Dermatologists compete for attention in a feed dominated by unlicensed beauty creators. The evidence on whether social content builds or erodes clinical credibility is conflicting — and unresolved.

02

Social impact is an afterthought

No established framework exists for when creator advocacy translates into real social impact — or how it moves purchase decisions.

03

Body image, done responsibly

Research links idealized imagery to body-image dissatisfaction — yet almost none examines how a beauty brand can deploy creators in ways that improve it. Whoever answers this leads the category.

04

Real behavior is rarely measured

Most studies stop at cross-sectional surveys of intentions. Experimental and longitudinal evidence on actual behavioral outcomes is scarce. We measure what people do.

For a company whose purpose is to create the beauty that moves the world, these gaps aren't a risk. They're a leadership opening.

The Program

One year, built to a crescendo.

Every component feeds the next: the cohort creates, the research measures, the summit showcases, the white paper makes it citable.

Summer 2026

Partnership launch

Summit planning, cohort recruitment, research design, and IRB submission.

Fall 2026

Cohort kickoff & baseline

20–25 selected student creators begin the year-long curriculum. Baseline data collection opens the embedded study.

Winter 2026–27

Masterclasses & campaigns in field

L'Oréal practitioners mentor the cohort. Impact-oriented creator campaigns go live, with outcomes measured as they run.

Spring 2027

The L'Oréal Creator Impact Summit

The flagship event, modeled on the sold-out 2026 summit: 250+ students, 10–12 creator and industry panelists, title sponsorship, keynote slot, on-site brand activation — capped by the capstone showcase, private insights briefing, and co-branded white paper.

Five components
I

L'Oréal Creator Impact Summit

The flagship campus event — title sponsorship, keynote, and activation in front of 250+ student creators.

II

Creator Cohort & Masterclass Series

A selective cohort of 20–25 student creators on a year-long, impact-driven curriculum — a direct talent and ambassador pipeline.

III

Embedded Research Study

Faculty-led, in partnership with the Market Impact Lab, measuring actual behavioral and social outcomes of impact-oriented creator content in beauty.

IV

Capstone Showcase & White Paper

Cohort creators present L'Oréal-briefed impact campaigns; findings delivered in a private briefing and co-branded white paper.

V

Case Study Series

Three business cases for undergraduate and graduate curriculum — creator networks, branding, social activism, and creator well-being.

What L'Oréal Receives

Headline means headline.

Category exclusivity

The only beauty brand on the stage, in the cohort, and on the white paper. No competitor shares this platform.

Proprietary research access

First look at the research process and findings, delivered in a private briefing before anyone else sees them.

Talent & brand presence

Year-long visibility with Gen Z creators and marketing students at American University — and recruiting access to the cohort.

Category-defining thought leadership

Co-presentation at industry and academic venues, positioning L'Oréal as the standard-setter in responsible creator marketing.

The research remains academically independent — L'Oréal receives first access, never editorial control. That independence is exactly what makes the findings worth citing.

The Investment
$150,000
One year · All five components

Covering summit production, cohort programming and masterclasses, the embedded research study, and delivery of the white paper and case series. A detailed allocation is available on request.

American University × L'Oréal Paris

Let's set the standard together.

We'd welcome the chance to present the full program and research design to your team — on campus or at your offices.

Dr. Kelli Frias
Marketing Department Chair · Kogod School of Business · American University
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