As a typical millennial, I was an early adopter of Facebook—back when it required a college email. I uploaded every photo from the previous night’s shenanigans with captions like “CrAzI NiGhTz In SF!” At that time, I had little regard for privacy—my own or others’. This level of oversharing felt normal, even integral to my identity.

However, as I matured, my perspective shifted. What once seemed harmless became a point of concern, particularly about our online presence persisting indefinitely. Will my early 2000s indie pop-punk selfies be available for everyone to see, forever? What if I want to, say, start my own business? Will I be accepted for who I was when I was in my early 20s?

The true awakening came when I became a parent. Proudly sharing photos of my babies online made me realize the implications of doing so without their consent. Even with a private Instagram account reserved for family and close friends, my maternal instincts to monitor what I share often feel insufficient. I’ve taken all their photos off Facebook, but I still find myself questioning if that’s enough. If I don’t post, will they wonder if I loved them? If I do post, will they resent me?

This topic can be sensitive, emotional, and complex. No parent is perfect, and each family must navigate these challenges in their own way. For my family, the concern about our children’s future traumas is palpable, especially as millennials strive to break the cycle of generational trauma. My husband and I are, more often than not, wondering what the next big “bad parenting” issue will be and if our children will point at us when it’s uncovered. That’s why it’s crucial that we address the issue of children’s privacy in the digital age and its intersection with marketing.

Research highlights the gravity of this issue: A 2023 survey by the American Academy of Pediatrics revealed that 60% of parents share images of their children online without fully considering the potential long-term privacy impacts. Moreover, 70% of teens expressed discomfort with how their parents manage their online presence. Another recent study found that 92% of children in the U.S. have some sort of online presence before the age of 2.

Once a photo is out there, it’s almost impossible to control where it ends up or who sees it. With the rise of AI technologies, these photos can be exploited for targeted marketing or manipulated for more troubling purposes, such as online predation or deepfakes. Our kids’ unease about their digital presence could lead to an overall lack of trust regarding privacy. These are the things that keep me up at night.

I was baffled by how a campaign like the 2022 Balenciaga scandal could ever be approved. Having worked within rigorous campaign standards, I couldn’t fathom how this oversight occurred—unless, of course, no one saw it as problematic, or they simply didn’t care, or, even worse, they thought it would be great PR. Witnessing that campaign sparked the idea for Grip Baby, the first baby brand ever to refuse to profit from the images of children. There was no blueprint for the brand, but I was determined to make it happen.

Digital privacy will inevitably be a significant issue for our children. We are the adults in the room—we must do better in protecting them from online predators, because even the most innocuous photos can end up in places we could never and would never want to imagine. Here’s how brands can commit to ethical marketing and seek innovative ways to promote their products without exploiting children.

Prioritizing child privacy

Before launching a campaign, brands should evaluate if including children’s images is completely necessary. If children are featured, obtain explicit parental consent, clearly outline how images will be used, and secure the content against third-party access. Lego, for example, has strict guidelines for using images of children in all campaigns and often refrains from showcasing faces in user-generated content on social media, focusing instead on creativity and play.

Brands can avoid showing children’s faces altogether by opting for creative angles or focusing on hands or silhouettes. They can anonymize children’s information, not tagging or identifying them by name or other personal details, to help protect their digital footprint. Target’s marketing often does this well by including diverse representations of family dynamics without personal identifiers, focusing more on products than individuals.

Embracing ethical marketing

Brands can establish a “no child exploitation” policy that prohibits using children’s images in exploitative or misleading ways. This could involve restricting retouching and respecting the authenticity of children’s lives by banning language or imagery that imply unrealistic expectations or “perfect childhood” ideals. Dove extended its “Real Beauty” campaign to children through Dove Kids without altering children’s appearances or suggesting unrealistic beauty standards, which helped set a benchmark for ethical marketing.

Emphasize messages around family values, community, and empowerment without directly showcasing children. Instead, tell stories that convey support, learning, or care, underscoring that your products are intended to enrich family life in a nonintrusive way. Ikea campaigns often feature inclusive family moments without drawing focus on individuals. By highlighting shared experiences, Ikea promotes family values without needing to center on children’s faces or identities.

Getting creative

Brands can reimagine product-centric storytelling by challenging creative teams to design campaigns that focus on a product’s features, functionality, or impact rather than on child models. This might involve playful product demonstrations or animations that capture children’s imaginations without a real child’s image being used. Illustrated characters or animated scenes can be effective in engaging young audiences and parents alike: Storybook-style ads or mascots can represent the product’s benefits in ways that are engaging and privacy-conscious.

Crayola frequently features vibrant animations and visual storytelling that emphasize creativity and color, inviting children to participate without needing direct exposure of children in campaigns. Additionally, Goldfish uses its animated characters in commercials, creating a playful, child-friendly brand image without featuring real children at all, which allows for endless creativity while protecting privacy.

Leading by example

Brands should set up ethical standards internally around the use of children in media and make these guidelines public to influence industry norms. This commitment to transparency could be built into the brand’s values, sending a message to both consumers and competitors about the importance of privacy and respect in advertising.

Partnering with advocacy groups focused on children’s rights and privacy also reinforces a brand’s commitment to child safety. These collaborations can lead to campaigns or certifications that highlight a brand’s dedication to ethical standards while raising awareness among consumers. Lego has partnered with UNICEF on child safety initiatives, taking a visible stance on children’s welfare and setting an industry standard that inspires other brands to prioritize ethical considerations.

By embracing these principles, brands can foster a more ethical future for marketing, setting a foundation that prioritizes children’s well-being in the digital age. Together, we can ensure children’s privacy is paramount.

In this special episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast, host Jenny Rooney speaks with media and marketing legend Gary Vaynerchuk. They explore the future of marketing, how creative content is reshaping reach, the rise of live shopping, and the need for brands to adapt to the fast-evolving social media landscape.

The Vaynerchuk family immigrated to the U.S. from Belarus in 1978, starting in a small studio apartment in Queens before settling in New Jersey. Even from a young age, Vaynerchuk had a knack for business, first with a lemonade franchise at age 7, then selling baseball cards and toys in high school.

At 14, he joined his family’s liquor business, where he saw the early internet as an “untapped land” in the late ’90s. Transforming his father’s store into one of the country’s first ecommerce sites for alcohol, Vaynerchuk rebranded it as Wine Library, growing sales from $4 million to $60 million.

In 2006, he launched WineLibraryTV, one of YouTube’s first long-form video series, which led to national TV appearances and his growing reputation as a digital marketing pioneer. After his 2008 keynote at Web 2.0, Vaynerchuk published Crush It! with HarperCollins, a bestseller that launched his career in media and as an angel investor in companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Uber.

He went on to co-found VaynerMedia with his brother AJ, building it into a leading digital agency with top clients like PepsiCo and Johnson & Johnson. Expanding his media ventures, Vaynerchuk acquired PureWow, launched several bestselling books, created The #AskGaryVee show, and grew his personal brand to over 44 million followers across social platforms. His life goal remains owning the New York Jets.

“For the first time in the history of marketing, the creative creates the reach,” he says on the podcast. “And if it creates reach, it earned it. When you understand that truth, it will flip this industry upside down, putting social creative at the starting point, not the matching luggage to a campaign we’re doing at the end.”

Key takeaways:

01:22 Why Social Media Is More Than Just an Add-On — Driven by advanced social media platforms, Vaynerchuk highlights that today’s social media platforms offer marketers a unique opportunity: organic content itself can drive massive reach and generate invaluable consumer insights without the heavy costs of traditional media campaigns. Social isn’t just an add-on; it’s a powerful, data-rich starting point. Testing creative ideas directly on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube shorts allows brands to quickly see what resonates and adjust in real-time, saving on ad spend and connecting more authentically with audiences.

04:28 Adapt or Fade — The future of marketing is shifting fast, with smaller, agile brands, often with minimal venture capital, winning market share from industry giants. Agencies must quickly adapt to add real value as companies increasingly move tasks in-house due to frustration with outdated approaches. Now, creative success will be measured on actual performance, not just reputation or charisma.

12:02 Why Leaders Should Embrace Authenticity and Failure — Vaynerchuk underlines the importance of being open and authentic as a leader, sharing that while much of his professional life is public, his personal life remains private. He encourages others to embrace failure without fear of judgment, noting that many people overly value external opinions, often based on limited context.

In early October, I saw a post on X floating around with a flyer promoting a Timothée Chalamet look-alike competition. I thought it was a big old gag to get some attention. After looking into it, I was surprised to see there were over 900 confirmed attendees and articles from local news publishers about the event.

I immediately texted our CMO, Meridith Rojas, and said, “This feels like prime social content for us.” She replied right away with a resounding “omg yes.”

And we were off. The next day, my social team and I started brainstorming what we could do with this moment.

Why crash a look-a-like competition? Let me catch you up.

MCoBeauty is Australia’s leading luxe for less, cruelty-free beauty brand creating trend-focused makeup and beauty solutions for $30 or less. We’ve translated the mission of the brand to a lot of our marketing touchpoints.

One way we’ve done this is to replicate/dupe celebrities and looks. You might have seen our viral Sabrina Carpenter dupe post on social last month. So, once we saw the Timothée Chalamet look-a-like competition, we immediately knew it would fit right into our current strategy.

Fast forward to October 27, the day of the look-a-like competition, and there we were. We flew in our very own Timotheé dupe Cramer Ekholm aka @CoffeeCramer, a creator on TikTok whose top comment on his content is “Timothée Chalamet dupe.”

We had no idea what to expect the day of. At this point, there were over 2,000 RSVPs. Were they going to show up? Will anyone even care? Where is the real Timotheé?!

Well, by just being there, MCoBeauty and Cramer were photographed in countless images that were circulating across social media that day and a few days following. We landed a brand mention on Variety, Vulture, and a top spot on the Pop Culture Reddit. The content we were able to capture at the event has generated hundreds of thousands of organic views.

As a nice bonus, our team even got to see the real Timothée Chalamet for a few brief seconds. Chef’s kiss.

Moments like these are nearly impossible to replicate. We totally had luck on our side.

But we learned three valuable ways of working that will help us hi-jack moments like this in the future.

Trust your social team

I think it’s important to start with this because our CMO ensured there were zero barriers for our team to execute this idea. There were no swirly meetings to discuss our strategy. No rounds of approvals to potentially dilute or add layers of complexity to our ideas.

Our CMO says it best, “There’s no recipe for brand magic but you can have a fast and fearless relationship to the cultural conversation. Show up, jump in, test and learn, and have fun – if you’re early you can get lucky, and we did with this one! Brands don’t make culture, but the best ones have teams (especially social) that know what is happening and how and when to show up.”

Permit yourself to go off-script

As someone who’s spent the majority of their career on the agency side, I’ve been so used to having really specific brand guidelines and countless lists of ‘Do’s and Don’ts.’ And all those things are great—they help keep the train on the tracks. But at the same time, they can severely limit your brand from evolving or participating in relevant conversations.

Make sure you constantly question whether it’s time to have important conversations with stakeholders and update how your brand shows up on social and interacts with your audience.

Like our social media manager Malene Hold likes to say, “The world around us changes so rapidly, and for brands to stay relevant, we have to make sure our brand moves just as rapidly.”

Don’t get it your own way

This might be the hardest thing to do. Marketers love to be perfectionists. It’s easy to talk yourself out of an idea if you think long enough about it. But this is your sign to stop overthinking.

If you had a spark that made you feel genuinely excited about the potential content you could create, pursue it.

Social media should feel fun. Fun content is what gets most people to stop scrolling. So get out there and start having fun with what your brand is publishing.

In this election, we witnessed unique campaign strategies by both presidential candidates. What struck me most was former President Donald Trump’s ability to deploy marketing in a powerful and polarizing way, a true reflection of his approach to everything: all in, all out, no holds barred. It’s symbolic of how marketing shapes our perceptions of the candidates and even goes a step further in reimagining democracy in the broader American psyche.

As we wrap up this election cycle, let’s dive into the defining moments in the Trump campaign’s marketing tactics.

X and Twitch: The era of unfiltered campaigning

A standout element of Trump’s campaign strategy this cycle was his heavy use of X (formerly Twitter), especially under Elon Musk’s leadership. This platform allowed him to bypass traditional media and communicate directly with his supporters.

While this approach kept his base energized and highly engaged, the unfiltered nature of his posts, which included controversial statements, also raised concerns about deepening societal polarization. On the other hand, this direct communication style gave his campaign a sense of authenticity that resonated with his core audience, even as it risked alienating moderate voters.

Trump also leveraged Twitch, a platform typically associated with gaming, to reach younger, tech-savvy audiences. By streaming rallies and speeches, he connected with viewers who might not follow traditional political coverage. While some users on Twitch criticized the use of the platform for political messaging, this strategy demonstrated his campaign’s adaptability and willingness to engage with emerging digital spaces.

Podcasting: A key player in modern political strategy

Podcasting played a significant role this election season, offering candidates a more casual and in-depth way to connect with listeners. Notably, Kamala Harris appeared on the Call Her Daddy podcast while Trump was featured on The Joe Rogan Experience. This appearance provided him with an expansive three-hour interview, showcasing his “weaving” and rambling style of talking.

With podcast audiences seeking meaningful content, this medium has emerged as a valuable tool for humanizing candidates and reaching voters on a more personal level.

The surprising endorsements: Michigan’s Muslim community

One of the more unexpected developments of Trump’s campaign was endorsements from some Muslim organizations in Michigan, a critical battleground state. Despite Trump’s history of controversial policies (such as the Muslim Ban, the executive order that banned foreign nationals from seven countries that skewed Muslim), his localized messaging and emphasis on issues like Middle Eastern peace seemed to resonate with certain segments of the community.

For some voters, these messages outweighed past grievances, highlighting the complex and pragmatic factors that can influence political support. This example underscores how strategic marketing can sometimes bridge significant divides.

Influencers and content creators: Engaging young audiences

One of the more surprising strategies employed by Trump’s campaign was its collaboration with social media influencers and content creators, such as Logan Paul and Adin Ross. These partnerships engaged younger, often politically indifferent voters through platforms where they are most active. By appearing on popular streams or collaborating with well-known digital personalities, Trump’s team sought to generate excitement and potentially sway young voters who might otherwise ignore conventional political messaging.

Despite younger generations predominantly leaning Democratic, Trump’s campaign made a calculated effort to connect with this demographic. Experts suggest that these strategies aren’t necessarily about winning a majority—it’s about making small, strategic gains that can be critical in a tight presidential race. Even minor shifts in voter sentiment among young people could significantly impact overall election outcomes, and influencer culture is increasingly seen as a means to tap into peer influence and broad digital reach.

These collaborations not only amplified Trump’s messages but also infused a sense of modernity and relevance into his campaign. By aligning with popular figures in the digital space, Trump positioned himself as a candidate who understands the evolving media landscape and recognizes the importance of engaging with young voters on their terms.

A master class in the unconventional

Trump’s marketing strategy this election cycle was a master class in direct communication and unconventional tactics. His presence on X, Twitch, and podcasts, combined with prominent influencer collaborations, demonstrated a willingness to innovate and reach voters in new ways. As Americans prepare to vote, the effectiveness of these efforts remains a central question.

Regardless of the outcome, Trump’s campaign redefined political marketing, illustrating both its power to shape narratives and its capacity to deepen societal divides.

Brands are always on the hunt for new audiences.

At ADWEEK’s Mediaweek event in New York last week, executives from Coca-Cola’s Bodyarmor Sports Nutrition and news publisher The Shade Room discussed how they’re expanding their audiences by working with influencers and staying on top of changes to content distribution on social platforms.

As a sports drink, BodyArmor has traditionally leaned into athletes as spokespeople. But increasingly, its testing out influencers and media partnerships beyond its core demographic, said chief marketing officer Tom Gargiulo.

“In the past, we’ve been very much reliant on leveraging our athletes to be our core influencers—we still do that, and it’s still a very important part of our strategy,” he said. “But we’ve invested a lot more in influencer marketing and microinfluencers—people that can create that connection with our consumers.”

Branded products

In one example, Gargiulo cited a partnership with sports creator team Dude Perfect to target younger consumers.

Bodyarmor works with Dude Perfect to create content. This year, it co-branded a product with the group to launch two new flavors: a cherry and berry-flavored drink and pineapple lemonade. It was Bodyarmor’s first collaboration with an outside company to develop new flavors, and more than three million products were sold, Gargiulo said.

“The way we want to activate our brand is through their lens,” he said of the partnership.

In another example, Bodyarmor zeros in on sports fans through a partnership with Barstool Sports that includes integrating products into the media company’s shows and social media accounts.

“They’ve been a long-standing partner, but over the last couple of years, we’ve really doubled down on our relationship with them,” Gargiulo said.

Bodyarmor is also finding ways to reach pockets of more niche audiences that might be a target for its products. For example, 8% of the brand’s consumers are new moms who need to hydrate after giving birth. Travelers are another non-sports group that use Bodyarmor’s products to hydrate.

Bodyarmor is gearing up for a big brand refresh in 2025 that “touches all aspects of [the] marketing mix,” Gargiulo said.

Platform changes for publishers

Angie Nwandu, CEO and founder of The Shade Room, said that as a publisher, one of her big priorities is staying on top of algorithm and product changes on social platforms that impact how people access content. For example, Instagram now heavily prioritizes videos.

“The landscape is changing every few months,” Nwandu said. “We have to consistently be flexible and consistently change our strategy.”

To keep ahead, The Shade Room has prioritized developing a community that is receptive to hourly content posted to social platforms, she said. This focus on community helped The Shade Room gain three million followers on TikTok and more than four million followers on Threads.

“They’re going to follow us wherever we are, because they find value,” Nwandu said.

In 2025, The Shade Room is looking at partnering with microinfluencers and creating “a different type of event,” Nwandu said, but did not share further details.

According to Gary Vaynerchuk, marketers should spend more time developing creative for social media.

At ADWEEK’s Mediaweek event, Vaynerchuk, a serial entrepreneur and co-founder of the agency VaynerMedia, spoke with Jenny Rooney, Adweek’s chief brand and community officer. Vaynerchuk said that creative content plays a crucial role in driving reach and providing consumer insights.

“I believe that most people in Fortune 5000 land have not grasped the fact that individual pieces of creative now create the reach and the consumer insights in a way that we all dream of as marketers,” Vaynerchuk said.

For example, brand managers tend to use social media to build customer relationships rather than marketing. “I think this has led to a very big gap of knowledge in a practitionership level of what’s happening,” he said.

Vaynerchuk said that the social media landscape has evolved significantly in the past 36 months with the rise of short-form videos on LinkedIn and Snapchat’s Spotlight feature.

Another significant change recently is the rise of organic campaigns instead of paid media campaigns, Vaynerchuk said. He said that the best way to test social media is to first post organically to evaluate the performance.

“When you understand that truth—that organic social media creative becomes a starting point to spending a ton of money on creative risk—it will clip this industry upside down,” he said.

Brands are also increasingly taking social media in-house because agencies aren’t making the creative that brands expect, he said.

“It’s happening because they didn’t have the optionality,” Vaynerchuck said. He went on to explain that if creative is being made and not adding any value, “you will eventually lose no matter how good you are.”

Generational marketing is dead and rather irrelevant in modern marketing. Clinging to these outdated segments is not just lazy—it’s inefficient, inaccurate, and can be dangerous.

Simple logic led to these labels: People born within a certain timeframe would share common experiences and, therefore, behaviors and preferences. However, this approach is increasingly problematic and oversimplifies the complexities of humans. Even Pew Research has distanced itself from these labels, recognizing that they do more harm than good by perpetuating stereotypes that simply don’t hold up under scrutiny.

The reality is that generational labels have never been scientific because they are actually a socially constructed shorthand used for convenience. In an era where an algorithm delivers a piece of content to a 20-year-old and a 52-year-old with equal ease, the assumptions made about underlying generational divides are obsolete.

The problem with generation-based marketing

Reliance on generational labels can perpetuate stereotypes that do more harm than good. By assuming that all Gen Zers are digital natives who prefer short, snappy content, or that all baby boomers are technophobes who need everything explained in detail with large fonts, marketers risk oversimplifying their audience and missing the nuances that drive true engagement.

Targeting millennials with a campaign focused solely on their supposed love for pumpkin spice everything is not only reductive but also risks alienating the very audience you’re trying to engage. The reality is that people of all ages are engaging with a diverse range of content, interests, and behaviors that do not fit neatly into generational categories.

The algorithms are flattening age divides

Platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube place little weight on your age; they prioritize content based on your behaviors and interactions. This algorithmic focus on behavior over age is flattening the generational divide, creating shared experiences across age groups, which in my professional opinion is incredibly dope.

TikTok’s For You Page and Instagram’s Explore are prime examples of how content can transcend traditional demographic boundaries. A video about a nostalgic ’90s trend might go viral among both Gen Xers who lived through it and Gen Zers who are discovering it for the first time. This convergence of content consumption is breaking down the walls that once separated generational segments.

This also leads to further blurred lines: A teenager posts a video using a bratty sound, and suddenly, their parents are using it too. What starts with “Gen Alpha” quickly moves up the age chain, driving trends that wouldn’t be possible if generational lines were as rigid as marketers have long assumed.

Younger consumers are no longer just one segment; they’re the trendsetters influencing everyone else, including older audiences. They’re not just driving what’s popular; they’re shaping what’s seen, shared, and celebrated in a cyclical algorithm-driven machine.

Ditch the labels

So, if generational segments are no longer effective, what should marketers rely on? The answer lies in leveraging actual data with real insights to understand audiences on a deeper level. Here are a few alternative approaches.

Influence mapping

Younger consumers are cultural gatekeepers, and they don’t just influence each other—they influence everyone. Mapping how trends spread from preteens and teens to young adults to middle-agers can help you identify the key influencers within your target market. By focusing on these trendsetters, you ensure your brand is part of the conversation from the ground up.

Cultural segmentation

Focus on cultural touch points—and to be clear, cultural touch points are not just what’s popular on TikTok. Whether it’s treating your pet like a birthed child or the global obsession with K-pop, cultural trends are ageless. They tap into shared experiences and interests that bring people together, regardless of their birth year. Aligning your brand with these cultural phenomena will create a connection that transcends generalized generations.

Cross-aged moments

Rather than segmenting your audience by age, look for moments that resonate across age ranges. The rise of multigenerational households, the universal appeal of nostalgia, the resurgence of astrology, or the collective experience of a global event—these moments create opportunities for brands to connect with a wide range of consumers in a way that feels authentic and inclusive.

Embrace the collapse

The time for generational marketing has passed. We know today’s consumers demand more—more relevance, more authenticity, and more connection. The brands that understand this shift, and embrace the collapsing of generational divides, will be the ones that thrive in an increasingly fragmented and algorithmically driven world.

In a dramatic turn of events within the X versus advertisers lawsuit, Unilever has been removed from the lawsuit after coming to an agreement with X.

For context, earlier this year, Elon Musk’s X (previously Twitter) filed a lawsuit against several former advertisers, claiming they coordinated an illegal advertising boycott against the platform. This legal action comes on the heels of a significant advertiser exodus, driven largely by concerns over their ads appearing next to harmful or inappropriate content.

For a platform that benefits from brand accounts as revenue and reputation markers, X needs to figure out how to get brands back on board to hit revenue needs and shift the lingering negative brand sentiment as a social media platform and advertising channel.

Brand safety on X remains a big issue

Since Musk took over X, the platform has struggled with brand safety issues, prompting many advertisers to withdraw. A pointed reaction from Musk in December to the advertisers involved in the boycott failed to win them back. Instead, X’s recent lawsuit further alienates these brands and raises critical questions about the intent behind involving the Global Alliance for Responsible Media (GARM) and other advertiser groups in its legal strategy.

GARM, a not-for-profit coalition aimed at setting standards for brand safety, was accused of inciting an “advertiser boycott.” The lawsuit appears to be part of X’s broader drive to recover lost revenue, yet many experts doubt it will lure advertisers back. Instead, X’s legal actions suggest an unwillingness to address the underlying issues of brand safety and content moderation that have hindered the platform. GARM has since disbanded, citing that the recent allegations have significantly drained its resources and finances.

The ripple effect of Unilever’s agreement

So what does the latest news of Unilever’s agreement with X mean for the lawsuit and the future of X’s advertising relationships?

Unilever, a Fortune Global 500 brand, carries weight and could influence other brands to follow suit. Following this news, there could reasonably be calls to engage with the X legal team to negotiate and find out what the agreement was, since “if it’s good enough for Unilever, it’s good enough for us” could easily be put in a Slack message right now as others in the lawsuit figure out how to proceed.

It may also signal that X is working to get agreements for the largest and most influential brands in the lawsuit, knowing they will return the most revenue and also be able to sway small defendants to settle without a fight. If X wants to do a more widespread trust push here, it would benefit them and all companies impacted to share the agreement terms and the steps X is making to ensure brand safety and regain advertisers’ trust. Without this, it’s easy to believe it is a focus on the big and the small will just follow strategy.

For advertisers, transparent communication is crucial to rebuilding trust in a platform marred by controversy. The lack of such communication raises concerns that brands may need to settle with X to be removed from the lawsuit, potentially agreeing to terms just to resume advertising. If Unilever doesn’t want to move forward and fight the lawsuit, many smaller players will follow suit to prevent the litigation and thus minimize financial risks. Brands have to choose between litigation and the larger fear that associating with X could pose ongoing reputational risks.

What about the users?

One key audience usually forgotten during all this is the (casual or power) X user.

Depending on your level of account, you may encounter ads. With many large brands boycotting, the ads that are left tend to either be from smaller companies that shoot for mass awareness regardless of their relevance to the user, or from those who do not have concerns about brand safety or frankly are major Musk fans. The advertisers who choose to promote content on the platform impact the user experience, having the ability to clog up the feed with noise or crafting experiences that align with and convert users. It also can garner user safety if users see ads from brands they like. They are not just more likely to click on them and convert, but they are also more likely to feel like X is the place for them.

Amid these challenges, advertisers who do make agreements and return may not necessarily come back with the same or increased advertising spend. Many advertisers have diversified advertising strategies as is and have probably been testing other channels during the boycott. Depending on what they have learned from their advertising channel A/B testing, this could add another obstacle to heavy ad spending through X alone.

The situation also prompts a broader reevaluation within X. Revenue challenges persist, and while subscription models have been introduced, it’s not enough to replace lost advertising income. X might need a significant rethink of its business model, potentially shifting toward new approaches in international advertising or revamped subscription services.

At the root of it all is trust (or lack thereof)

The unfolding narrative between X and its advertisers underscores the pivotal role of trust and transparent communication in healthy brand–platform relationships. Without addressing these foundational issues, X’s efforts might be perceived as adversarial and counterproductive, potentially costing it more than just advertising dollars.

Creators make it look like cranking out content is a breeze with slick posts for social media. But the reality is that creating content requires expensive high-end equipment like cameras and a significant amount of time editing and brainstorming new ideas. And creators are hungry for brand deals that offset some of the costs.

In order to get these deals, creators are increasingly relying on a new type of talent manager who can negotiate brand deals and help steer creators’ careers in new directions. While securing brand deals doesn’t require a talent manager, a talent manager’s primary role is to ensure that creators are well-positioned to capitalize on their content.

TikTok star Charli D’Amelio pioneered this approach back in 2020. She consistently posted about Dunkin’ iced coffee before inking a big deal that included creating her own drink with the coffee chain. More recently, Love Island USA’s Kordell Beckham partnered with Cheez-It after mentioning his love of the brand on the show.

ADWEEK spoke with three talent agents and three creators about how they land brand deals.

Finding a niche

Talent agencies have established relationships with media companies and brands and know what marketers are looking for in a creator. They are increasingly pitching themselves as key ways to get creators in front of brands while also helping creators’ careers grow.

For example, lifestyle creator and disability activist Paula Carozzo said that when she signed with an agency, it was more important for the agency to first understand what she stood for and her overall vision for content before finding brands to work with. “For a long time, I was just a community influencer, but I wasn’t necessarily creating content where I was making myself sellable to these brands,” Carozzo said.

Carozzo picked the agency Influence With Impact because the agency identified her connection with fashion and astrology, something previous agencies couldn’t pinpoint. The agency also helped her develop content that resonated with her audience instead of chasing trends. For example, she recently posted a video discussing Libra season while trying on Skims products.

Reza Izad, cofounder and partner of the talent management company Underscore Talent, said this is an approach the agency uses with creators across different verticals. His team has agents focused on niches like food and beauty to tailor strategies to specific creators.

“We track a lot of people, we buy a lot of data, and our managers are constantly looking online for talent that is sort of emerging and relevant,” Izad said.

Getting long-term deals

After a creator signs with a talent manager, the goal is to help creators go from one-off brand deals to long-term partnerships. That requires talent agents to dig into a creator’s broader career ambitions. Doing so can lead to more frequent and longer relationships between brands and creators.

Cooking creator Tess Sinatro, for example, was interested in making a cookbook as well as finding different types of brand deals not typically associated with food. Sinatro has worked with travel group Visit New Orleans and chef and restauranteur Bobby Flay.

“In the conversations, it was about progressing my brand,” she said about working with her agency Viral Nation. “And then as we started to pick up speed, we started to collaborate on feasible goals.”

Finding natural brand partnerships

Most creators have favorite brands and products they love. The role of a manager is to make money from that content.

“They should be organically posting and enthusiastic about what they’re doing, but, ultimately, it’s about monetizing,” said Mahzad Babayan, a creator agent at agency UTA.

In one example, UTA signed beauty influencer Katie Fang, who liked skincare brand Glow Recipe. Fang was already posting about how much she loved the brand’s products. UTA helped her create a kit of Glow Recipe products that are sold at Sephora.

“We were able to build that relationship with the brand,” Babayan said.

The key is to not pressure creators into brand deals with the sole goal of making money, she said.

“Ultimately, it needs to feel organic,” Babayan said.