How Carhartt Built a Scalable Creator Content Library With Popfly

High-quality lifestyle content is one of the hardest things for brands to produce consistently. Traditional photo shoots are expensive and slow, while one-off influencer partnerships rarely generate enough usable assets to support ongoing marketing needs.

To solve this, Carhartt partnered with Popfly to test a different approach: turning creator-generated content into an always-on licensing engine.

The result was a campaign that produced hundreds of authentic lifestyle photos that could be used across social and marketing channels—without the friction of traditional production.

The Challenge: Content at Scale, Without Losing Authenticity

Carhartt needed a reliable way to source real-world, lifestyle imagery that reflected how people actually wear and use their products. The goal wasn’t a single hero campaign. It was volume, variety, and flexibility.

At the same time, Carhartt wanted to ensure:

• Clear ownership and usage rights
• Fair compensation for creators
• Brand-safe, high-quality visuals

The Solution: A Creator-Powered Licensing Campaign

Popfly helped Carhartt launch a creator licensing campaign that invited creators to monetize content they had already created.

Instead of commissioning content upfront, creators were given the opportunity to submit existing lifestyle photos and short video clips featuring Carhartt apparel. Carhartt could then review a large pool of real-world content and license only the assets that best fit their needs.

This flipped the traditional model. Creators weren’t guessing what the brand wanted, and Carhartt wasn’t locked into paying for content sight unseen.

How the Campaign Worked

1. Open Creator Submissions

Creators were invited to upload as many lifestyle images or short video clips as they wanted. Static imagery was the primary focus, with video welcomed as an added bonus.

All submissions had to meet clear guidelines:

• Creators owned 100% of the rights
• No competing brand logos visible
• High-quality, lifestyle-driven visuals

2. Asset-By-Asset Licensing

Acceptance into the campaign didn’t guarantee usage. Instead:

• Carhartt reviewed submitted content
• Selected individual assets for licensing
• Made compensation offers only for chosen content

This ensured Carhartt paid only for assets they planned to use, while creators were compensated fairly when their work was selected.

3. Popfly Managed the Backend

Popfly handled everything behind the scenes, including:

• Creator onboarding and submissions
• Licensing workflows and usage tracking
• Invoicing and payments
• Ongoing content management

This allowed Carhartt to focus on creative selection, not administration.

The Results

The campaign delivered:

• Hundreds of high-quality lifestyle photos from real Carhartt customers
• A flexible content library for social and marketing use
• Faster access to usable assets compared to traditional shoots
• Clear, compliant licensing with no ambiguity around rights
• Strong creator participation driven by transparency and trust

The result was a scalable, repeatable system for content creation—not a one-off activation.

Why This Model Works

This approach succeeded because it aligned incentives on both sides.

For Carhartt:

• Authentic content at scale
• Lower production risk and cost
• Full control over which assets were licensed

For creators:

• The ability to monetize existing work
• Non-exclusive licensing with full ownership retained
• Ongoing opportunities with a major brand

The Bigger Takeaway

This campaign shows how brands can move beyond traditional influencer marketing and build creator-powered content systems that scale.

By focusing on licensing, transparency, and operational efficiency, Carhartt was able to unlock a steady stream of authentic visuals—while creators were paid fairly and kept full control of their work.

With the right infrastructure in place, creator content stops being a one-off tactic and becomes a long-term growth engine.

Want to see how this works in practice? Book a demo to explore how Popfly helps brands license and manage creator content at scale.