The Creator Economy Shines at This Year’s Advertising Week New York

This year’s Advertising Week New York put the spotlight on creators with various topics and panels that took place during the week.

With AI taking center stage last year and a growing focus on marketing to Gen Z—despite the challenge of engaging their shorter attention spans—the creator economy became a major area of emphasis. As more brands, agencies, and marketers shifted their ad dollars towards this space, the creator economy emerged as a key focus in the evolving landscape of digital marketing.

Additionally, this year saw more panels featuring female leaders than ever before, a truly encouraging and positive development.

In her remarks, Dana Hork, CEO of Beers With Friends Agency, mentioned Female Quotient’s vibrant programming at The Equity Lounge, which was a safe and buzzing space for women. In addition to authentic social video content, collaboration between brands and creators was emphasized. Hork particularly enjoyed the panel featuring Brand Networks and Naomi Jacobs, who leads her former Brand Social team at Walmart, discussing employee-generated content as a key opportunity for brands.

“Brands need to move at the pace of culture and find the right ways to participate that feel authentic,” said Hork. “Agility is key to making this happen.” 

There was a buzz around TikTok’s space, which offered real-time video creation workshops where participants could edit and shoot their own videos. By demonstrating how easy it is to create engaging content on the platform, more brands are encouraged to adopt short-form video in the future. Attendees also enjoyed Pinterest’s interactive inspiration wall, which allowed them to collaborate on mood boards based on current trends-a creative and engaging way to explore new ideas, and Netflix’s Squid Game themed activation.

At Advertising Week New York, there was noticeably less emphasis on brands pushing timed product launches, a departure from previous years. This shift is a welcome change, as audiences of all ages are increasingly resistant to the pressure of constant commercialism. Instead, brands are focusing more on building authentic connections rather than forcing product promotion.

Loris Petro, Digital Marketing Manager of Kratom Earth, highlighted the strong emphasis on community-driven marketing during Advertising Week New York. According to Petro, brands are shifting away from traditional product-pushing strategies and focusing more on building conversations with their audiences. Petro noted how this shift represents a broader industry trend, as brands increasingly recognize the value of cultivating relationships over simply promoting products.

“It’s also a powerful reminder that storytelling and genuine interaction can drive more loyalty than any flashy ad campaign,” said Petro.

During Advertising Week New York, Resonate, an AI-driven consumer intelligence platform, announced a new solution that delivers predictive model results within 72 hours, enabling businesses to gain deeper insights faster. Additionally, DIRECTV revealed plans to launch MyFree DIRECTV, a free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) platform, on November 15, and Samba TV announced a new partnership with IRIS.TV, introducing next-generation contextual advertising and cross-platform measurement solutions powered by artificial intelligence.

3 Questions With Hugo Timm, Senior Creative Director at Frontify

At Advertising Week New York, brand-building platform Frontify unveiled an outdoor billboard campaign featuring a playful twist on the classic placeholder text: “Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit.; At Least It’s on Brand.” What might initially appear as an oversight is actually a deliberate effort to spark discussion about the future of branding. The campaign ran from October 7-10 at Penn Station, aligning with the event to maximize visibility.

The billboards challenge conventional ideas of being “on-brand” in today’s fast-paced, AI-driven world. Rather than emphasizing flawless consistency, the campaign encourages marketers to focus on emotional connections as the cornerstone of effective brand-building. Hugo Timm, Senior Creative Director at Frontify, explained how the timing of the launch during Advertising Week was intentional, aiming to provoke industry professionals to rethink their approach to branding.

Why did it make sense to launch this campaign during Advertising Week NY and what were your hopes it would do for the company?

“We initially launched this campaign in early October in London, and it was a huge success. As that wrapped up, we started thinking about our next move and realized Advertising Week NY was right around the corner. In B2B marketing, you’re not just targeting individual consumers—you’re reaching entire industries, which makes opportunities like AdWeek rare. It’s one of the few times a year when the entire creative world gathers in one place. So, placing our campaign at the heart of AdWeek felt like a no-brainer. It’s where our audience is, and we wanted to make sure we stood out, sparked conversations, and made an impact.”

What was some feedback you have received from the campaign?

“We got some fantastic feedback from the campaign, especially from marketing professionals on LinkedIn. The playful, ‘if you know, you know’ tone of the campaign really connected with creatives.”

“Honestly, the goal of the campaign was to spark a conversation with creatives about what it means to be ‘on brand’ – which is constantly evolving. That’s why we also partnered with One Minute Briefs to challenge the marketing community to create billboard-style posters with funny, intentional errors. The response was huge—over 850 organic posts with #AtLeastItsOnBrand, and the challenge was even trending on Twitter. Gork picked it up and ran headline stories about the activation, which just took it to another level.”

“The submissions reflected the idea that there’s humor, creativity, and wit to be found in branding mistakes. We were excited to see the creative community embrace the concept, showing that even in the pursuit of precision, there’s space for innovation and play. The campaign sparked deeper conversations around the balance between consistency and creativity, proving that the best ideas often emerge when brands allow themselves a bit of flexibility.”

How does the At Least It’s on Brand billboard campaign align with Frontify’s overall marketing strategy, and how does it aim to differentiate the brand from competitors in the branding and AI space?

“The ‘At Least It’s on Brand’ campaign really captures the spirit of what Frontify stands for—blending consistency with creativity in a fun, unexpected way. In a world where AI can crank out content at lightning speed, does it even matter if it doesn’t actually connect with anyone? This campaign is our way of saying: brand isn’t simply a visual exercise.” 

“Frontify is all about backing the creative side of branding. We believe it shouldn’t be rigid—there’s power in flexibility, and sometimes coloring outside the lines can actually make a bigger impact and build stronger connections. This campaign is our playful nudge to embrace the imperfections and celebrate the human touch in branding. It’s a wink to the perfectionists out there but also a reminder that creativity often thrives in those unexpected, messy moments.”

“What sets Frontify apart is that we don’t see branding as just sticking to the rules for the sake of it. We’re here to give brands the freedom to experiment, take risks, and push boundaries while staying true to their core. The ‘At Least It’s on Brand’ campaign is all about showing that great branding isn’t just about ticking the right boxes—it’s about being alive, adaptable, and full of creativity. We want to empower creatives to do what they do best without being held back by rigid guidelines.”