Austin has no shortage of creators, small businesses, restaurants, shops, and people trying to tell great stories online.
But we kept noticing a disconnect.
Businesses often want more authentic content, but they may not want to commit money upfront without knowing exactly what they’re going to receive.
Creators, meanwhile, are constantly looking for businesses that actually value the work they make.
That question became the starting point for AdLulu.
We’re building AdLulu as a marketplace for finished creator-made content.
Instead of a business hiring a creator first and hoping the final result works, creators can make content around participating businesses and set a price for their work.
The business gets to see the finished content before deciding whether they want to purchase it.
That changes the relationship.
The business isn’t paying based only on follower count.
The creator isn’t limited to waiting for a brand to reach out.
The content itself becomes the asset.
We’re starting in Austin because this city has an unusually strong mix of local businesses, food, culture, creators, and people willing to experiment with something new.
Right now, we’re preparing a private Austin test with local businesses and creators so we can learn what works, what doesn’t, and what needs to change before a wider launch.
And we expect it to change.
We’re not pretending the first version will be perfect.
Part of building AdLulu publicly is being willing to listen to businesses and creators and adjust the platform around what actually happens, not just what we assume will happen.
There’s also a much bigger idea behind where this can go.
A creator video doesn’t necessarily have to remain one video forever.
Over time, we want businesses to be able to treat authentic creator footage as a reusable marketing asset — something that can be edited, reformatted, remixed, and adapted into multiple pieces of content while preserving the value of the original creator-made material.
But first, we have to prove the core idea.
Can creators make useful content businesses actually want to buy?
Can businesses get value from seeing the finished work before committing?
Can we build something that works for both sides?
That’s what we’re testing in Austin.
We’ll use this blog to document the process, highlight Austin businesses and creators, share what we’re learning, and give people a look at what we’re building along the way.
This is the beginning.
— Marc & Dave AdLulu