Hello from Creatorfest. I’m in London on the ground with the brilliant Hello Partner team, buzzing around taking interviews, gathering insights and talking all things creator economy with Sofia Aira, our resident creator economy expert and journalist.
With the growing convergence of channels, it’s been interesting to hear more about the breaking of silos, the tools equipping creators for impact and, on the sidelines of the event, creators as potential levers of social change and climate action — keep an eye out for more on that soon.
We’ve got a shedload of fantastic content coming your way from the event, but for now, here’s a breakdown of the week.
Sol Wilkinson spoke to Anthony Clements about entering the answer era and how to prepare for this next chapter. We shared insights on agentic commerce and the rising visibility of YouTube creator content in LLMs and heard from Aneira Henery on the need for an organisational rethink and Lodestar Marketing’s Anthony Quinn on all things GPMAs.
Courtney Sauceda shared her insights into the latest industry innovations, and Industry Voice columnist Simon Gustafson writes on the importance of going local. Plus, we take a look at the accusations of cookie stuffing levelled at Phoebe Gates’ company, Phia.
Now, let’s get into the news.
In today's newsletter:
- Pick of the day: From the Search to Answer Era: Anthony Clements on the Industry’s Next Chapter.
- Trending: Accusations of Cookie Stuffing Levelled at Phoebe Gates’ Phia.
- Industry Insight: In-person Experience Matters More Than Ever.
Pick of the day
From the Search to Answer Era: Anthony Clements on the Industry’s Next Chapter
We spoke with Anthony Clements, UK Country Manager at impact.com, at IPX to hear how the industry is changing, the future of brands and the impact of LLMs on the ecosystem.
“That's going to change the way we discover things on the internet. That's going to change where your audiences are, and that's going to change the way you market,” said Clements.
Watch the full interview for a breakdown on the industry’s next chapter.
Trending
What's hot on Hello Partner right now
Accusations of Cookie Stuffing Levelled at Phoebe Gates’ Phia
impact.com has reportedly suspended the company from its network.
Micro and Macro, Local and Global
In the Nordics, some of the biggest media houses love partner marketing. That didn't happen by chance. Over many years, networks and the media houses have built the industry together, and partner marketing has become an important revenue stream for many of them.
Agentic Commerce Users Could Reach 1.3 Billion Globally by 2031, New Research Forecasts
According to Juniper Research, while trust in agentic commerce is currently low, users could grow nearly 350% in the next five years.
“The Recognition Undoubtedly Helped Open Doors”: Lodestar Marketing’s Anthony Quinn on Grabbing Gold at the GPMAs
The Managing Partner and Co-founder walks through Lodestar’s win, what makes a winning entry and the business impact of a GPMA win.
YouTube Creator Content Appears in More Than 25% of AI-Generated Answers, New Data Shows
Research from Jellyfish reveals a significant shift in how LLMs source creator content.
The Industry Needs a Complete Organisational Rethink: Aneira Henery on Content, Investment and the Future of Affiliate
According to loveholiday’s Aneira Henery, the industry has the opportunity to evolve from a demand capture channel into a strategic growth lever that holds a seat at the table.
“Payments Are Sexy Again”: Courtney Sauceda on LLM Ethics, Industry Innovation and Paytech
impact.com’s Courtney Sauceda says the industry needs to come together to address the challenges of AI.
Industry Insight
Stay at the top of your game
This week, we’re sharing insights from Mickey McClay Wilson, who’s talking all about rethinking discoverability.
“Not just search rankings, but what happens when the search box disappears entirely, and AI answers the question for your customer.”
Mickey says that, in this new era, LLMs don’t rank pages; they surface answers, which are pulled from signals of “authority, originality, and third-party validation.”
So, what’s showing up in LLMs? According to Mickey, it's the brands that are producing proof that real people talked about, wrote about, and shared.
Against this backdrop, Mickey says events are the search strategy for AI discovery, because while AI is making content "indistinguishable," in-person events and the content generated around them are becoming increasingly valuable inputs.
When the events end, the citations continue to compound, based on attendee posts, media coverage, and analysts referencing them.
Here, Mickey calls events more than a tactic in a marketing plan: “They’re a media channel.”
“The brands that win won't be the ones with the biggest content factories or the most blog posts. They'll be the ones creating moments other people can't stop talking about.”
Interesting take, and one that links to a lot of the conversations I’ve been having recently: In an increasingly AI-dominated world, human creation and connection are paramount — and they’re also feeding the machine…make of that what you will.
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Until next time,
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Madaline Dunn Community Editor Email me Connect with me on LinkedIn |
