The Untapped Creator Network: How Rainbow Shops Scaled an Employee Creator Program at Lightning Speed

By Brand Networks

At the ANA Creator Conference, Maria-Angela Sanzone, Head of Partnerships at Brand Networks, sat down with David Cost, VP of Digital & Ecommerce at Rainbow Shops, to share how Rainbow built and scaled one of the fastest-growing employee creator programs in retail.

What followed was not just a conversation about social content—it was a blueprint for how brands can activate their most powerful and underutilized creator network: their employees.

This is the story of how Rainbow Shops embraced employee-generated content (EGC), scaled it with structure and strategy, and drove measurable impact across engagement, reach, and sales.

Rainbow Shops is one of our fastest-growing partners—and a standout example of how to do this right.

Phase 1: Activate and harness their motivation and desire to create

Employee-generated content is not a trend. It’s a movement waiting to be unlocked.

According to a BN-commissioned study,

• 94% of Millennial and Gen Z employees say they would create and share content on their company’s social media.
  
  
• 90% say they would create content about their work and share it on their personal social channels.

The willingness is already there.

When asked what sparked Rainbow’s decision to launch a formal employee creator program, David shared:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – What prompted the Texas moment and initial spark]”

Rainbow recognized that their store associates were already active on social. Instead of letting that momentum remain informal, they harnessed it.

When asked whether employees were vocal about wanting to create content, David noted:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Employee interest and enthusiasm]”

The takeaway? The desire to create exists. Brands simply need to activate it.

Phase 2: Inspire creativity and content generation  

Willingness alone doesn’t create consistency. Structure does.

1 in 3 employees who felt reluctant to post would be more inclined to do so if they had creator resources like templates and content ideas.

That insight shaped Rainbow’s approach.

Within BN Influencer, Rainbow created structured “content activities”—essentially briefs that provide guardrails without stifling creativity. These activities can be:

• Platform-specific
• Broad or narrow in scope
• Designed around product launches, trends, or seasonal moments
• Inclusive of suggested copy, hooks, or creative prompts

Every submission is automatically reviewed through Brand Networks’ proprietary brand safety technology, ensuring content aligns with brand standards before it ever goes live.

When asked about their content goals, David shared:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Content strategy and guardrails]”

And on authenticity:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Desire to let employees be creative while staying brand safe]”

The result? Authentic, community-driven content that feels personal—not produced.

And the engagement metrics speak for themselves:

• Individual creators driving 41.2K likes
• Posts generating 1,393 saves
• Employees building audiences of 1,000+ to 232K followers

Rainbow’s associates weren’t just posting—they were building communities.

Phase 3: Make participation a no-brainer with gamification 

Sustaining momentum requires motivation.

1 in 2 Millennial and Gen Z employees say tangible incentives (bonuses, gift cards, rewards) increase their likelihood of posting.

Within BN Influencer, we co-developed a customized gamification and leaderboard system for Rainbow.

The program:

• Tracks participation and engagement metrics
• Rewards content submissions and performance
  Aligns incentives across employees, store leadership, and regions
  
  

When asked how Rainbow structured their rewards system, David explained:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Reward structure across employee/store/regional levels]”

And on the impact of gamification:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – How leaderboards and incentives supported program growth]”

Gamification didn’t just increase participation—it made the program culturally embedded within stores.

Phase 4: Scale via content diversification, experimentation, and optimization  

The most successful employee creator programs are living ecosystems.

Rainbow leaned into experimentation—testing trends, content formats, styling videos, try-ons, in-store experiences, and seasonal storytelling.

• Posts drove 3,675 likes
• Generated 662 saves
• Built creator followings exceeding 2,100 followers
• Consistently delivered high engagement across varied content types
  
  

Content variety not only drove engagement—it reinforced trust.

When asked what they’ve learned since launch, David shared:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Key learnings since launch]”

On where the program is headed:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Future vision]”

And on business impact:

“[RAINBOW QUOTE – Most impactful aspect to the business]”

The Results: Lightning-Speed Scale

Rainbow’s program didn’t grow slowly—it accelerated rapidly.

• 770+ employees onboarded within one month
  
  
• 645,000 impressions in the first two weeks post-launch
  
  
• 15% average engagement rate
  
  

Most importantly, Rainbow successfully tapped into existing employee behavior—and transformed it into measurable reach, engagement, and sales impact.

The Bigger Picture: The Untapped Creator Network

Employee-generated content isn’t new.

But empowering employees as true creators—at scale, with brand oversight and gamified motivation—is still in its early stages.

Brands that activate now are ahead of the curve.

Rainbow Shops proves what happens when you:

• Activate intrinsic motivation
• Create structured, inspiring content opportunities
• Gamify participation
  Diversify and optimize continuously
  
  

At Brand Networks, we believe your most powerful creator network is already on payroll.

The question isn’t whether employees want to create. The data says they do.

The question is whether brands are ready to empower them.

To learn more about how BN Influencer powers scalable, brand-safe employee creator programs, contact Brand Networks.

‍