Starbucks is paying baristas to make TikToks. Expect more brands to follow.

For years, brands have spent billions chasing influencers with massive followings. Increasingly, they're realizing some of their most persuasive creators are already on the payroll. In June, Starbucks announced a TikTok update to its ongoing Green Apron Creators program, which will now pay select baristas to make TikTok videos through what the company says is the platform's first custom Creator Network for a brand. In the pilot program, employees will receive creative briefs, create content for Starbucks' TikTok presence, and share in advertising revenue — a notable shift from simply encouraging workers to post organically. On its face, the program looks like another influencer marketing campaign. But it's really a sign that brands are beginning to formalize employee-generated content as a core marketing strategy. For years, Starbucks has had a complicated relationship with Gen Z. The company became the target of widespread boycott campaigns amidst the Israel-Hamas war after what Starbucks called misinformation spread online about its political positions, while separate criticism surrounding its response to unionization efforts fueled additional backlash. Whether justified or not,