Althea Lim: The future of luxury is data-driven

When Althea Lim co-founded Gushcloud in 2011, the influencer marketing space barely had a name. Today, the industry is worth billions, and Lim stands with its creators — building bridges between brands, creators, and cultures across the U.S., China, Southeast Asia, and beyond. Her career began far from boardrooms and brand campaigns. Trained in biomedical sciences, Lim’s entrepreneurial path was anything but linear, and her knack for identifying cultural tastemakers soon evolved into a newfangled business model. Now, with 13 offices worldwide and a client roster that spans celebrities and luxury giants, the CEO is focused on what’s next. Recently, Gushcloud acquired Wizdeo, a leading YouTube-certified multi-channel network based in France, in a strategic move to deepen its foothold in Europe. The deal granted Gushcloud access to YouTube’s Reserved Media inventory, a powerful tool for maximizing creator monetization — and also brought over 500 creators and 700 million monthly views into its network. The acquisition reflects Gushcloud and Lim’s broader ambition: building an international infrastructure for creators that blends data, IP, and AI to drive global growth. In this conversation with Jing Daily, Lim shares how she spotted the pivot from blogging to Instagram before it happened, why AI will transform — but not replace, human influence, and how luxury brands should start seeing creators not just as storytellers, but as data-driven brands in their own right. Jing Daily: You’ve been in the creator space for about 15 years now. What originally drew you into this world and how has it evolved? Althea Lim: Let me start with a bit of background. I graduated with a biomedical degree from the National University of Singapore and had always planned to become a doctor. But while I was in school, I needed to find a way to pay my tuition — and hopefully buy a car. I asked myself, “What’s the fastest way I can make money with the skills I already have?” The answer was party promotion. I became really good at booking clubs in Singapore and bringing in crowds: my friends, my classmates, entire faculties. I kept doing it throughout school and eventually became one of the largest party promoters in the country. At the time, I promoted my events using social media, specifically Friendster. I would find cool kids or influencers on Friendster or through their blogs, pay them a bit, and have them bring their friends. I developed a knack for identifying who was already “popping” or about to become popular. Eventually, even politicians reached out to me. That’s when I realized something interesting: we could take people who weren’t considered cool, like politicians, and make them more relatable to young people. We gave them a twist, made them more engaging, and suddenly youth were paying attention to government policies. I thought, “If I can make a politician popular, why not do the same for brands?” Back then, media buying houses were still spending heavily on traditional magazines. I approached them and said, “Give me one-tenth of your budget and try it on these bloggers or Friendster influencers.” I could already see that the blogging space was about to disrupt traditional media. Then I took a trip to the U.S., and that changed everything. I realized that blogging itself was also going to become outdated. Content was going in two directions: short photo-and-caption formats like Instagram, which targeted the most beautiful people in the world; and video formats like YouTube, which replaced long-form writing with daily visual storytelling. When I came back to Singapore, I immediately told our team, “We’re putting all of our bloggers on Instagram and YouTube, ASAP.” I also went to our brand clients and told them to stop investing in blog posts. Blogging was too slow; a diary entry might take one or two weeks to go live. Instagram and YouTube were immediate. Posts could go up daily, and the visuals were much more polished. From there, we leaned heavily into monetizing those platforms. We started generating more revenue from Instagram and then from YouTube. That’s when everything started to scale. JD: When it comes to identifying who’s “popping” and who’s not, how can you tell? Is it based on comments and analytics? Or is it more intuitive? AL: In the past, it was largely based on intuition. I actually had a similar conversation with a music label recently. When I asked them how they know who’s popping, they said, “It’s a vibe check.” That used to be enough. But today, at Gushcloud, we don’t rely on vibe checks anymore. Our process is about 80% data-driven. We look at engagement velocity and audience interaction. We now have tools to track how quickly someone’s growth is accelerating. It’s much more analytical than it used to be. JD: How do you translate that into leadership within your company? AL: We bring in brilliant people and make sure they’re aligned with the big vision. Once they’re in, my job is to step back, provide resources, and let them build. I also serve as a spokesperson internally, helping the rest of the team understand the power of data. One of the most important things we’ve done as a company is continually disrupt ourselves. We always say, “If we don’t disrupt ourselves, someone else will.” So we’re constantly asking: what’s going to disrupt this team, this product, this person? Then we use data and AI to drive that evolution. JD: Outside of TikTok and Douyin, how do you see the creator economies of the U.S. and China differing? AL: I think the U.S. and China are the future of the creator economy. We spend a lot of time in both markets because each gives us a different lens on what’s coming next. One major difference is how each country handles data. The U.S. is more protective of data privacy, whereas China is more open. That openness allowed China to advance faster in AI; many of the top AI scientists today come from there. You see that innovation extending into electric vehicles, automation, and more. The U.S., on the other hand, still dominates in branding, creativity, and IP. American companies understand how to build global products and how to localize them for different markets. The U.S. is also more collaborative in that regard. Meanwhile, China excels in data infrastructure, logistics, and operational discipline. But they’re not as strong at localization. In the creator economy, both countries are essential; they hold the most data, drive the most innovation, and will continue to be market leaders. JD: How does that shift the way creators interact with their audiences? AL: We’re going to see top creators and celebrities earning even more in the next decade. Their name, image, and likeness (NIL) rights will become incredibly valuable. AI will help these major figures scale and monetize more efficiently. But AI also threatens the middle and micro tiers. We’re going to see companies managing AI-generated creators, avatars with 20,000 or 50,000 followers, and entire teams writing their stories and scripts. In some cases, audiences might not even realize the creator isn’t human. That said, AI won’t replace people like Snoop Dogg, Mr Beast, or Dr. Dre in the space. These creators are already too well-established, and audiences crave a genuine connection with them. So, we’ll see more live formats, whether livestreams or physical events, because those offer real-time interaction, which people value deeply. And that kind of authenticity will command serious revenue. JD: Let’s talk about the commercial side. How are luxury brands evolving their approach to influencer marketing in light of these changes? AL: I think two things are happening. First, luxury brands have taken a hit in recent years due to declining spending from China. But despite that, their brand value will continue to thrive long term. More consumers are gravitating toward authentic luxury with heritage. The more these conglomerates invest in heritage brands, the stronger their position becomes. And they’ll rely on creators, celebrities, and influencers to help tell those stories. Creators are key to communicating a brand’s heritage and evolving narrative. That storytelling, especially when done through influencer content, is one of the most efficient ways to connect with today’s audience. JD: Is there anything else you’d like to say about the growing connection between the luxury space and the creator economy? AL: The creator economy will continue to be a major marketing outlet for luxury brands. It provides valuable data that helps these brands understand where their audiences are, geographically and demographically. If you consistently work with top fashion influencers, you’re essentially using them as channels to reach their audiences and, in turn, to sell. But it’s not just about reach anymore. If you can close that loop, luxury becomes both aspirational and data-driven. Eventually, brands will be able to forecast which countries will bring in more buyers. That helps them activate more strategically, spending marketing dollars in smarter, more efficient ways. So, the creator economy shouldn’t just be seen as a promotional tool; it should be treated as a rich source of insight for luxury marketing departments. We’ve already seen luxury brands developing more immersive experiences in cities like Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, and Shanghai. For instance, Cartier launched the “Red Cartier Club,” a global community of trendsetters invited to curated dinners and experiences. In the end, luxury needs to stay exclusive and aspirational, but it also needs to connect with as many people as possible. That physical, on-the-ground engagement remains essential. JD: What advice would you give to others working in the cross-border creator space? AL: The biggest challenges come from cultural communication. Every culture has its own style, unspoken rules, and expectations. For example, in the U.S., there’s a strong emphasis on work-life boundaries; no calls after a certain hour. In the Philippines, it’s different. There’s a national culture of service, and people are incredibly warm and giving. Singaporeans, meanwhile, are very meticulous and protective of their numbers and metrics. When you operate a 13-office global company like we do, you have to be deeply sensitive to these cultural nuances. That means respecting how each of your colleagues was raised and understanding that their context is not your own. Empathy is essential, especially in a multicultural company. One of Gushcloud’s core values is “honor,” and that stems from something I heard Jack Ma say years ago. He said he built Alibaba in the spirit of honor, and it struck a chord with me. And honor goes beyond loyalty; it’s about empathy, putting others’ needs above your own, and truly serving. If every person and every country could honor each other that way, we could operate as one unified collective with a shared purpose. Jing Daily presents C-Suite Visionaries, an exclusive interview series spotlighting the most influential executives at the helm of today’s leading brands in art, fashion, commerce, and culture. Get inside the minds of the decision-makers driving growth, innovation, and cultural relevance at the highest levels.

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Althea Lim: The future of luxury is data-driven