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The human connection: How SEEN Connects is redefining cultural relevance

SEEN Connects puts human connection at the heart of influencer marketing, driving cultural relevance through authentic, long-term partnerships

By
August 11, 2025
Editorial
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"We're known for making the whole process of partnering with influencers feel seamless and stress free, handling the heavy lifting for our clients while delivering real, measurable business results," explains Mae Reddaway, managing director of SEEN Connects.

In an industry often characterised by transactional relationships and fleeting partnerships, this refreshingly human centric approach stands out. As influencer marketing continues to evolve at breakneck speed, brands increasingly seek agencies that can navigate the noise while delivering measurable impact and maintaining authentic connections throughout.

Beyond the pitch: Building partnerships that last

The agency's foundation rests on a simple but powerful premise: genuine partnerships outperform transactional relationships every time. With the majority of their clients remaining loyal to the agency for over three years, they've clearly struck a chord in a notoriously fleeting industry.

"We really pride ourselves on the strength of our relationships," Mae notes, pointing to their integrated approach that brings influencer marketing, social media management, paid social, and strategy under one roof. This holistic methodology creates what she describes as "more efficient campaigns that drive full funnel impact."

What's particularly striking is SEEN Connects’ commitment to senior leadership involvement throughout the entire client journey not just during the pitch process. "We're really intentional about our structure to make sure senior leadership doesn't disappear after the pitch," Mae explains. "We work in a pod system, so there's always a dedicated member of our senior leadership team on every account."

This approach addresses one of the industry's most persistent pain points: the infamous "bait and switch" where senior talent wins the business only to vanish once work begins. Their pod structure ensures clients receive both continuity and strategic oversight from kick off to completion.

The catalyst for cultural relevance

At the heart of their methodology lies a proprietary framework called "The Catalyst", a strategic approach that prioritises human connection above all else. Rather than relying solely on follower counts or engagement metrics, the agency also examines emotive data, human instinct, and cultural trends to identify what they term "Connected Voices."

This framework has delivered impressive results for clients like eBay, whose "See Things Differently" campaign tackled the estimated 294 million unused items gathering dust in UK homes. By segmenting influencers into behavioural archetypes, "Economisers" motivated by financial gain and "Musers" seeking to declutter - the campaign achieved a 15% boost in awareness for eBay's free selling proposition and 32,000 organic clicks.

The campaign's centrepiece, "Listings in Lights," transformed central London with immersive digital screens showcasing shoppable pre-loved items from real eBay sellers, including personal pieces from Nick Grimshaw. This blend of digital strategy and real-world activation exemplifies the agency's integrated approach.

Culture from the inside out

Perhaps most telling is how the agency's external positioning mirrors its internal values. Earlier this year, Mae conducted a company wide "manifestation session" to revisit their identity and aspirations, a process that sparked difficult but necessary conversations about client selection, agency culture and team structure to ensure everyone had their voice heard in the vision for the agency and the goals for the year ahead.

"Having those honest discussions helped us realign, refine our goals, and get really intentional about our client relationships," Mae reveals. "Sometimes the best clarity comes from the hard chats and I always want my team to feel like we’re all on this journey together and are all here to support each other."

This introspection reinforced five core values: integrity, passion, collaboration, curiosity, and innovation. When recruiting, they prioritise attitude and energy alongside technical skills, seeking "curious, kind, and switched on" individuals who are genuinely passionate about culture.

Mae shared a particularly revealing anecdote: "One of my favourite moments was seeing a junior team member lead a huge client presentation, they absolutely nailed it. The whole room applauded, and it was a real reminder of how much we back our people."

This flat hierarchy and emphasis on personal growth has helped maintain their distinctive culture even as they've expanded. Regular training, meaningful recognition, and connection opportunities - from team lunches to their intriguing "lottery of wishes" programme keep their team engaged and motivated.

The dream brief: Beyond metrics

When asked about their ideal client brief, the agency's response is telling. While most agencies might focus exclusively on deliverables and KPIs, they prioritise briefs with "a clear ambition, not just KPIs" alongside "creative freedom and collaboration."

This preference for purpose driven work aligns with their enthusiasm for "big brand moments", high stakes campaigns that tap into cultural currents. Whether it's fashion week integrations or Love Island partnerships, the agency thrives when helping brands become culturally relevant rather than merely visible.

"We help clients to become culturally relevant, we're not just focused on brand awareness," they emphasise, highlighting a crucial distinction in an industry often fixated on surface level metrics.

The human element in a data driven world

What emerges most clearly from the agency's approach is a refreshing counterbalance to the industry's often overwhelming focus on metrics and algorithms. While they certainly deliver measurable results, setting clear KPIs for every project and benchmarking against industry standards, they never lose sight of the human connections that drive authentic engagement.

Their immersion process exemplifies this philosophy. Before launching any campaign, they conduct deep research that includes experiencing the brand from the consumer's perspective. "We put ourselves in their audience's shoes wherever possible to help understand the consumer journey and experience," Mae explains.

This empathetic approach extends to their client relationships as well. They're most energised by "clients who see us as true partners through collaborating closely and bring us into the process from the start, respecting our expertise and being willing to trust us and push the boundaries of what's possible with influencers."

In an industry where the term "authentic" has been diluted through overuse, SEEN Connects offers a compelling reminder that genuine human connection, between agencies and clients, brands and creators, and ultimately between creators and audiences, remains the most powerful catalyst for meaningful engagement.

As influencer marketing continues to mature, their integrated, relationship focused approach provides a valuable blueprint for agencies seeking to deliver not just impressions and engagement, but lasting cultural relevance and genuine human connection.

The future: Long form content and lasting relationships

Looking ahead, the agency has identified several significant industry shifts. "The resurgence of YouTube and long form content" features prominently in their forecast, with client briefs increasingly seeking to leverage deeper, more substantive creator collaborations.

They're also noting a marked shift toward "long term influencer collaborations to enhance the relationship between the brand and creator," moving away from one off engagements toward sustained partnerships that build authentic community connections.

This trend aligns perfectly with SEEN Connects’ own evolution, as they expand their social media management capabilities and refine their "ecosystem of service offerings across insight and strategy, organic influencer, paid social and social media management" for 2025 and beyond.

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