How do you wake up a room full of 200 brands, creators and marketers at 9AM?!
By joelbjarni · September 16, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
How do you wake up a room full of 200 brands, creators and marketers at 9AM?!
Yesterday I delivered the opening keynote at the IAB UK Creator Marketing Summit.
The Creator Economy Trend Wrap: Hits, Misses & What’s Coming Next.
The hill I’m willing to die on is that creators and brands treat trends like a quick shortcut.
You still need to do the work of understanding the human psychology or cultural context to WHY a trend is rising (I’m looking at you, “kinda chic”).
When I look at the social landscape, there’s one word that sits behind almost every trend. ACCESS.
→ More creators are now sharing their income online because ACCESS to the behind-the-scenes of a partnership has become as interesting as the partnership itself.
→ The rise of Gen X employee generated content. Brands have spent years assuming TikTok is 'just for ‘Gen Z’, meanwhile audiences want access to Gen X employees with authority.
The goal is never to blindly chase every trend because it worked for a competitor. I love finding the connecting ideas behind seemingly unrelated things happening on social, all at the same time.
Thank you to IAB UK for trusting me to open the summit... and to the audience who brought the energy.
Is there a trend you’re ready to see the back of?