“The Authenticity Era is Over”: Joanna Hughston on Rethinking What Matters in Creator Marketing

At PI LIVE x IMS USA, held at the vibrant Hard Rock Hotel in Florida, we caught up with Joanna Hughston, Head of Marketing at The Goat Agency. 

Fresh off her session on YouTube marketing, Hughston shared her thoughts on the platform’s untapped potential, why brands need to look beyond their niche, and why the marketing world’s obsession with “authenticity” might be holding creativity back.

Sol Wilkinson: It's the second day here of PI LIVE x IMS, USA, at the glorious Hard Rock Hotel in Florida. It's a very humid, sunny day, and I'm joined by Joanna Hughston from the Goat Agency. Joanna, how's it going?

Joanna Hughston: Yeah, really good. Thank you. Really enjoying it.

SW: You've just led a discussion around YouTube marketing and the opportunities there. Why did you choose to talk about YouTube today?

JH: I think YouTube is such an exciting opportunity. One of the things I went through in my presentation was the difference between trends and interests. 

If we look at platforms like TikTok and Instagram Reels, they're quite trend-based; it's all about hopping on the latest reactive thing and adding your own spin to it.