Last week, Social Studies’ Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Nabipour and Account Director Dylan Siegel joined marketers, platform representatives, and creators at Social Media Week 2025, hosted by Adweek. This year’s programming made one thing loud and clear: in the age of algorithmic discovery, community and content are converging, and the brands winning on social are those who think like creators, act like publishers, and move like startups.
We’ve recapped a few standout moments and how they map back to Social Studies’ point of view on what’s next for the Creator Economy:
The Era of Followers is Over. Welcome (back) to the Age of Content
Cyntia Leo, Head of Brand Marketing at Urban Outfitters, put it bluntly: “Gen Z isn’t following brands anymore.” Instead, they follow content. That means brands need to rethink social not as a channel, but as a cultural operating system, where showing up in-feed means embracing creators, community, and always-on relevance.
- SSi POV: Brands shouldn’t just rent space in social feeds. They need to build equity in niche communities that drive culture. From Discord to Substack to Reddit, our work increasingly focuses on community-led influence, not just paid reach or cult of personality.
Creator Strategies Must Be Built for Speed, Not Just Scale.
Urban Outfitters shared how they’ve restructured internal approvals and built pilot workflows that allow their teams to jump on a trend in hours, not days. This “reactive offense” strategy has helped Urban drive outsized engagement on Reels and TikTok.
- SSi POV: Not every brand can (or should) operate like a publisher. That’s why our test-learn-scale methodology helps clients experiment with both speed and depth, balancing cultural immediacy with brand integrity.
Visa is Betting Big on Creators as Small Businesses.
In a forward-thinking session, Visa’s Jonathan Kolozsvary shared how the brand is adapting its SMB financial products to meet the unique needs of creator-entrepreneurs. Their “Get Paid” program pairs emerging creators with more established ones echoing a mentorship model that scales impact and income.
- SSi POV: Creator ecosystems aren’t just about marketing. They’re part of broader business ecosystems. Social Studies has helped clients activate long-term creator relationships that go beyond content into partnerships, products, and community.
From Viral to Visionary: Amelia Dimoldenberg
The Chicken Shop Date star shared how she scaled a niche YouTube concept into Dimz Inc. a production company with a distinctive creative voice. Her advice: Own your voice, own your IP, and work with brands that trust your vision.
- SSi POV: Today’s top creators aren’t just Influencers, they need to evolve into cultural operators and guides to a universe corporations struggle to understand completely. Social Studies’ job is to help brands earn their way into those creative worlds, not dictate from the outside.
Sprout Social: Rich Comment Sections = Real Influence
At Sprout’s panel on ROI, one idea stuck: “If the comments aren’t specific, the influence probably isn’t either.” Superficial engagement (“You go girl!”) may signal reach, but real conversion comes from creators whose followers share product use cases, ask questions, and participate.
- SSi POV: We vet creators beyond surface stats and “vibes.” It is not just audience size. It’s not about who shouts the loudest; it’s about who actually moves and engages audiences.
Bethenny Frankel: Influence ≠ Being an Influencer
Bethenny reminded us that not every exec needs to be on TikTok. Influence can come from being a tastemaker, connector, or strategic operator, especially behind the scenes. The key is identifying the right faces for the message, not forcing a personal brand where it doesn’t fit.
- SSi POV: We often help clients build a “bench” of voices, so the brand represents the multiple dimensions it was built and propagated on. Not every brand leader or employee needs to (or should) be the face, but every brand needs faces that fit.
Marriott: Community Management IS Creator Strategy
Lucy Kemmitz from Marriott emphasized the symbiosis between creators and community teams. Giving creators freedom to use their voice, and having strong community managers to keep momentum going, is what turns one-off campaigns into evergreen brand love.
- SSi POV: Influencer campaigns shouldn’t exist in a vacuum. We help clients activate creators in tandem with owned-channel teams, so there’s a consistent strategy connecting voice, responsive dialogue, and the embodiment of a living brand experience.
Audible: From Passive Fans to Active Advocates
Audible’s session focused on turning fan passion into participation. That means designing brand moments people can opt into, co-create with, comment on, remix, rather than simply publishing content and hoping it lands.
- SSi POV: We believe brand fandom is built through participation design. Whether that’s interactive storytelling, creator collabs, or earned brand moments, we help clients move from pushing content to inviting contribution.