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The Power of Local: Hummingbirds' Charise Flynn on Transforming CPG Marketing

Charise Flynn article Cover

For emerging CPG brands breaking into retail, getting on shelves is only half the battle. The real challenge comes after– moving product and staying there. Enter Hummingbirds, a community-led growth platform that's revolutionizing how brands drive local sales through authentic content. We recently sat down with Charise Flynn, COO and co-founder of Hummingbirds, to discuss how they're helping brands succeed in today's retail landscape by connecting them with hyper-local creators.

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Can you tell us about the story behind Hummingbirds?

The foundation of Hummingbirds came from a key insight our CEO and co-founder Emily had while running a marketing agency. She noticed that while national influencers could create awareness, they struggled to drive local sales. A Chicago influencer might have followers distributed across the country, but that doesn't help if you need to drive sales at Costco Midwest.

Her hypothesis was simple but powerful– real people creating content to benefit brands in their own backyard could make a real difference. She started testing this with hyper-local brands, and the results were immediate. Brands went from having no recognition to seeing a 7x, even 17x increase in units moving off shelves in specific geographies.

I joined Emily a couple of years ago after seeing the tremendous potential. She had already created Hummingbird communities in Des Moines, Omaha, and Milwaukee. Today, we've scaled to over 20 cities and work with brands of all sizes, from emerging companies to national players like Olipop.

How would you describe Hummingbirds to someone unfamiliar with the platform?

We're a community-led growth platform where brands can engage with local creators at scale. Brands join our platform with an annual SaaS fee, and through a combination of AI and white-glove service, they can launch campaigns that connect with thousands of local creators simultaneously.

Companies start campaigns in days rather than weeks. Let’s say a brand gets into Costco, they would then offer Hummingbirds creators a $50 gift card, for example, to try their product. Our system matches this opportunity with interested creators in the target geography. We handle everything from gift card distribution to communication and reminders. At the end of each campaign, brands receive customized reports showing performance metrics and fully licensed content they can reuse.

What sets Hummingbirds apart in the creator economy?

Most creator platforms focus on working with a handful of large influencers. We've built technology that enables brands to work with many creators simultaneously, focusing on those with 500-3,500 followers. These creators typically have highly concentrated local followings—their followers are actually friends in their geography, which is crucial for driving local buying behavior.

When a brand gets into a new retailer like Kroger or HEB, they often miss the retailer's marketing lifecycle. We can spin up targeted campaigns within days, helping brands drive immediate awareness and sales in specific store locations. This speed and precision are game-changing for brands that need to prove themselves quickly in new retail partnerships.

What trends are you seeing in the creator economy?

We're seeing a significant shift toward authenticity in content. The era of highly curated content is giving way to more genuine, relatable posts. Content that feels authentic is performing better in algorithms, and people are more likely to engage when they see someone who looks like them using a product in a relatable context.

Interestingly, we're also seeing more viral moments from smaller creators. Someone with 1,000 followers can get 5 million views on a Reel, which is incredibly economical for brands. While you can't plan viral moments, working with multiple local creators increases the chances of these breakthrough moments.

How do you see the future of local marketing evolving?

Local marketing isn't new—there's over $170 billion spent annually on local marketing channels. However, traditional methods like TV, radio, and billboards are being disrupted by technology and changing consumer habits. Younger consumers aren't watching cable TV or listening to radio ads anymore. The challenge now is reaching specific local audiences at scale, which is where local creators become crucial.

Trust is another key factor. In an increasingly skeptical world, people trust recommendations from friends and local community members more than traditional advertising. Younger generations, in particular, are more distrusting of traditional advertising, making authentic, local voices more valuable than ever.

What advice would you give to emerging brands looking to work with creators?

Without a platform, managing creator relationships can be incredibly time-intensive. Many brands have horror stories of sending out hundreds of product samples only to get a handful of posts in return. Working with a trusted platform ensures you're connecting with creators who genuinely want to be brand advocates and guarantees content in return for your investment.

More importantly, influence doesn't just happen online. When local creators genuinely love your product, they bring it to picnics, dinner parties, and work. These organic, offline moments of discovery are invaluable for building brand awareness and trust.

How do you work with partners like Lunr Capital?

We believe strongly in the power of partnerships and maintaining an abundance mindset. When our CPG customers face challenges like needing working capital to launch new products, we want to connect them with trusted partners who understand their needs. Lunr Capital has been a great partner because they offer non-dilutive capital and truly understand the CPG space. Similarly, when Lunr's brands need help moving product after securing retail placement, we can help drive those crucial early sales.

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Hummingbirds represents a new generation of marketing technology companies that understand the changing dynamics of consumer trust and local commerce. For emerging brands looking to build authentic connections with local creators and drive retail success, partnering with platforms like Hummingbirds can be the difference between simply getting on shelf and building lasting success.

Ready to take your brand to the next level?