Faux Ads and AI Influencers Boost Creative Opportunity

Amid rapid growth of the creator economy, many marketers struggle to keep up with the speed of internet culture. This was a key theme that emerged during Social Media Week Europe last week. In a panel moderated by Adweek's Stephen Lepitak, VaynerMedia EMEA creative director, Dan Fryer, Accenture Song U.K. social and influencer head, Melody Meacher-Jones, and Billion Dollar Boy founder and Europe CEO, Thomas Walters, identified today's creator economy trends–from emerging platforms to AI-generated billboards and virtual influencers. It may be tempting for marketers to chase virality, but it is more effective to carefully identify the partnerships that can actually work for a brand, the panelists advised. For example, Walters delved into a case study around overnight TikTok star Tube Girl, who was quickly welcomed into fashion week shows from brands, including Valentino and Hugo Boss, after going viral for exclusively posting from London's underground system. https://www.tiktok.com/@sabrinabahsoon/video/7266860388287892737?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc&web_id=7209027831875978798 "As with Barbie, I'm sure there are still brands that are thinking 'How are we going to get our Tube Girl reactive post out now?' when the crest is definitely on its way down," Walters said. "Brands that have that trust in their teams and can move quickly have won." Below, we round up three top creator economy trends to watch. To Threads or not to Threads When asked about the fall in popularity of Twitter competitor Threads, Fyer said brands should be thinking about the long-term potential of the platforms they choose—and taking advantage of the creative freedom that comes with testing strategy in a quieter space. "Maybe CMOs aren't looking right now and you can have a bit of fun," said Fyer. "Then you can be one of the brands that is still there when it picks back up again." Emotionally connecting with robots Another creator economy trend to watch is the rise of virtual influencers, which Meta has invested in with its AI personas that borrow celebrity images and voices. According to Meacher-Jones, this technology carries economic benefits—brands with lower budgets can now work with major talent—while enabling heightened creativity. "I'm an avid follower with these guys now, and I think the future of this is quite bright," they said. "It would be silly to say that it's just a fad." Distorting content while maintaining trust When experimenting with CGI ads, or faux out of home billboards and installations, Fryer emphasized that brands should approach this trend with an understanding of how it could enhance, instead of replace, the creative process. "When you make a special build happen somewhere like The Truman Brewery in London, it doesn't live there. It lives on social," he said, emphasizing that the new work flow allows for brands to "cut out the middle guy" and move straight to the design. "The tone of what you're producing has to be so massive that it's clear you're playing with it. If you don't have that ambition, I'm not sure it's going to work."