Influencer and entrepreneur told how is the relationship with brands and how was his entry into Metaverse
Lucas Rangel is 25 years old and an empire at his feet. Considered one of the “dinosaurs of the internet”, the influencer started his career on the internet on the Vine app in 2013 and, since then, he has remained at the top when it comes to engagement and visibility.
Throughout his career, the influencer has featured in the most diverse advertising campaigns, such as Coca-Cola, Next, Americanas, Sadia and many others.
Currently, Rangel has overcome the barriers of the internet and become an entrepreneur, with the right to even a building in the construction process for his office, LR Content, in addition to having entered the Metaverse with his avatar, Luks.
To PROPMARK, he tells how his life on the internet began, his relationship with brands, the transition between networks and the change from influencer to entrepreneur.
You are one of the first digital influencers to emerge in Brazil. What has changed over these years of career?
Well, I think what has changed over the years in the general context of the internet is the amount of people who are producing content. So, the market, the profession grew a lot and at the same time, I think the hate grew. Consequently, people are more critical. People sometimes like to give an opinion that no one asked for and, in short, it is a profession that we will always be open to. But, in general, I believe that this has changed a lot in the market. The amount of people consuming and creating as well.
When and what was the first advertising campaign you did?
The first advertising campaign I did was in 2014, at the time of the World Cup, Vine still existed. It was a campaign I did on a panel on the social network and it was for a soda brand.
What do you consider when starting a partnership or advertising with a brand/company?
Look, I think the essential and crucial thing is that you have a connection with what you are promoting. I think it’s essential to be a consumer of the product you’re promoting and influencing other people to use, buy, etc. I’ve seen several cases where the person doesn’t consume what they’re trying to push and I think that’s absurd. Because if you yourself don’t believe in what you’re promoting, how will other people believe?!
How do brands get to you? Is there an agency or platform that bridges your gap with brands? How is this job?
Brands reach me in a variety of ways, many via email, and many directly through my agency, LR Content, which takes care of other influencers as well. So, brands often arrive through my own agency, either by calling my manager directly, calling LR directly or by email.
Do you participate in the creation of the campaign? Script, production, etc.
Yes, I participate 100%. I’m the person who loves to give feedback, I’m a perfectionist and every time I get a job, whether it’s doing a reels or an entire campaign with stories, reels, video on the channel and etc, I get involved in each step because I believe that if you are a creator, you have to get involved when producing advertising content. Even because no one better than you will know how to build this in an organic way by your own audience.
Do you have a brand you would like to campaign for? If yes, which one?
Let me think… I don’t know, did you? I believe, I don’t know, Balenciaga, that I’m a big fan. Or maybe Apple, which is a brand that I really admire in the advertising market. The others I believe I have already done everything, lol.
Of all the advertising work you’ve done, which one did you like the most?
Look, I have several jobs that were marked in my career. Some of them went with Disney, in opportunities that I had to go to Pixar, to know, how to produce an animation, to watch excerpts of films before launching. At the invitation of Coca-Cola, I went to the Premiere of Avengers Endgame when it was released, I met the actors, I saw them up close, even Miley Cyrus was there too and I took a picture with her. So these are experiences that money can’t buy and that work allows you to live.
More and more, new social networks appear. How important is it to adapt to them? How you do it?
I think the most challenging and essential part of the creator and influencer’s work is adaptation, because the internet is a very fast medium. I think it’s something that people can’t even think ‘do I create a TikTok?’, as I believe people two years ago must have been wondering. And then, cut to what we are living, where TikTok reigns and those who did not adapt to this network were left behind.
I do it organically, because, as I really enjoy my job, it doesn’t even require that much effort, you know? I like to adapt. I like to know new things, test new things, create different content. And this is already part of my essence on the internet.
In addition to being an influencer, you have also become a great entrepreneur. How did this happen? At what point in your career did you decide to take this further step?
It happened organically, it was a natural process. There wasn’t a moment, I think, that I decided to take that step. From the moment I created my company and it evolved and we started to manage new people, taking care of brand campaigns, I found myself in that a lot and became Lucas Rangel, entrepreneur, creator, artist, all at the same time .
How do you see yourself as a brand?
I see myself not only as a brand, but as a company. So, currently, I wear the shirt a lot, even more now that we built the headquarters building, we will expand in the market. Today, I imagine myself not only Lucas Rangel, but also LR Contents. I always imagined myself as a brand and not a personality. So I’m also a brand not only used by brands, but also a brand.
What would be the best definition of the Lucas Rangel brand?
Well, I believe it’s a solid brand because I’ve been in the market for almost ten years and keep creating, growing, reinventing. I believe that it is an innovative brand, that is always attentive to innovation, being in places that no one is yet and exploring fields that have not been explored yet. A fun brand, I like to be tied to the word fun, because that’s what I hope people find in most of my content, entertainment in general.
You went headfirst into the metaverse with Luks. Why and how did you decide it was time to invest in this?
I was following along and saw that it was a global trend. I studied about lots in the metaverse, about avatar, about the metaverse itself and so on. From there, I wanted to understand which model would be ideal to bring this trend to Brazil. The metaverse for me is the internet, only the immersive internet, the internet that we will be able to get inside and not just access. I wanted to innovate, I wanted to bring something new and I said ‘guys, I think the time is right for us to bet on this’.
Do you believe that the metaverse can be a viable Creative Economy model?
As it is in the emergence phase, it is still a model that has a very high cost, but I believe that within a year, two years, this will be very democratized, where people will have platforms to be able to create their own avatars, use them in places, accessing places with them in a way that is going to be much more viable than it is currently. So, just like one day accessing the internet, having internet at home, having a computer was something very inaccessible. Likewise, I believe that the metaverse will gradually become accessible to everyone.
