Human Connection Sets the Tone for Everything, Says Maira Genovese
MG Empower CEO Maira Genovese says human connection is the foundation for brand success in an increasingly digital landscape. She notes a growing trend where brands seek richer, experience‑driven engagements rather than purely technical solutions. Genovese stresses that psychological safety and open dialogue are essential for teams to innovate without conflict. Balancing digital tools with authentic emotional ties, she argues, sets the tone for lasting customer relationships.
One Year Ago, Unilever CEO Swore to Hire ‘20x More Influencers.’ Did It Deliver on That Promise?
A year after CEO Fernando Fernandez pledged to hire 20 times more influencers, Unilever has expanded its creator network from roughly 10,000 to 300,000, exceeding the target by a factor of 30. The company now works with 17,000 influencers in India...
AI Said What? Reclaiming Strategic Thinking in an Automated Ad World
Mark Zuckerberg warned AI will kill agencies by automating ad creation and optimization. A recent industry session argues the reality is more nuanced, highlighting a growing gap between AI‑reported metrics and actual performance drivers. It stresses that human strategic thinking...
What’s the Key to Unlocking Retail Media?
PI LIVE Europe is expanding its agenda with a new Retail Media & Commerce Summit, aimed at helping brands and agencies integrate retail media with affiliate and performance marketing. The retail media channel is projected to reach $300 billion by 2030,...
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport Moves to Recognise Creator Businesses After Call From the Digital Creators APPG
The UK Office for National Statistics has updated its Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) framework to explicitly include internet video and vlog production under code 59.112, following a push by the Digital Creators’ All‑Party Parliamentary Group. The change, welcomed by the...
YouTube Just Gave Users the Option to Fully Disable Shorts: What Do the Experts Say?
YouTube has introduced a new setting that lets users completely disable Shorts by setting daily screen time to zero, effectively removing the Shorts tab and feed. This builds on a 2025 update that previously limited Shorts viewing to between 15...
impact.com Expands Creator Management Capabilities with YouTube’s Creator Partnerships API
impact.com announced an expanded collaboration with YouTube as an early adopter of the Creator Partnerships API, letting brands discover creators, manage sponsorships, and pull performance insights. The integration offers end‑to‑end campaign management and access to verified audience and engagement data....
What the Northernlion Creator SuperCruise That Got Cancelled Can Warn Creators About Going Too Far
Creator Ryan "Northernlion" Letourneau abruptly cancelled his planned 2027 SuperCruise after announcing it, citing safety concerns for both creators and fans. The six‑day cruise, priced at several thousand dollars per cabin, promised meet‑and‑greets, live shows, and onboard content with fellow...
Henkel Bloo Taps Into Retail Media With WPP Media Partnership
Henkel has teamed with WPP Media to launch a retailer‑led, full‑funnel commerce strategy for its Bloo toilet‑cleaning brand. The initiative deploys a connected retail media system that leverages shopper data and closed‑loop measurement to deliver consistent messaging from brand exposure...
Coachella Brand Houses Are the New Norm… So Who Did It Best in 2026?
Coachella 2026 saw brand houses solidify as the festival’s new marketing staple, with companies constructing fully immersive, content‑focused villas for influencers. The trend has evolved from modest gifting suites to large‑scale experiential hubs designed to generate thousands of social posts...
Last Click Captures Demand, But Creators Build It
Creator marketing has moved beyond simply capturing the last click, becoming a pivotal force in the middle of the funnel. While affiliate links still excel at converting intent that already exists, creators introduce brands to consumers and guide them toward...
Affiliate Earns a Seat at the Table: Meytal Markman Talks Innovation, Brand Safety and Micro-Influencers
Meytal Markman, VP of Product Management at Rakuten Advertising, told DealMaker that brands are now blending creator‑driven content with affiliate programs to reach niche audiences at scale. She highlighted the surge of micro‑influencers and closed‑user groups, which deliver higher trust...
“Global Affiliate Programmes Are Becoming a Hot Topic”: PartnerBoost VP on China’s Affiliate Ecosystem
William Hamer‑Jones, VP of Partnerships at PartnerBoost, says global affiliate programmes are moving from siloed niches to a hot topic, especially in the APAC region. Agencies are overcoming resource gaps by establishing local offices in China, Japan and South Korea,...
“The Rate of Change Is Exponential”: Nick Fletcher on Consumer Journeys, Tracking and Industry Convergence
Nick Fletcher, SVP EMEA at Rakuten Advertising, warned that the pace of change in digital marketing is now exponential, driven by AI‑powered consumer tools and fragmented journeys. Marketers are struggling with unclear signals as traditional deterministic tracking falters, prompting a...
New Affiliate Code of Conduct Aims to Standardise Software Guidance
Industry veterans James Little and Ben Edelman have launched the Affiliate Software Code of Conduct to bring uniform rules to affiliate‑marketing software, especially browser extensions, after the PayPal‑Honey controversy highlighted regulatory gaps. The code seeks to eliminate ambiguities such as...
Influencer Calls Out Bill Gates’s Daughter Trying to Negotiate Rates With a 'Super Limited' Budget
Influencer Kacie Margis posted a private DM screenshot allegedly from Phoebe Gates, Bill Gates’s daughter, claiming a "super limited" budget and requesting lower rates. The message shifted the negotiation off Collabstr, the platform where the outreach began, prompting a heated...
GPMA 2026: Reimagining How Industry Excellence Is Recognised
The Global Performance Marketing Awards (GPMAs) celebrate their 10th anniversary in 2026 with revamped categories and judging criteria. The ceremony partners with PI LIVE Europe, turning the awards into a relaxed, networking‑focused event during Festival Week. Open to brands, agencies,...
Affiliates, To Stay Relevant, Move Beyond Mere Execution
Artificial intelligence is rapidly automating routine tasks in affiliate marketing, from matching affiliates to offers to generating performance dashboards. While AI boosts efficiency, it also exposes limits, requiring human oversight to correct errors and prevent fraud. The article argues that...
Levanta Acquires Affiliate Network Perch+
Levanta announced the acquisition of Perch+, an affiliate network focused on Amazon sellers, adding roughly 60,000 vetted partners to its Marketplace. The deal brings Perch+ brands into Levanta’s suite of tools, including the Paid Placements model that enables flat‑rate creator...
Cameo Bets on TikTok Creators to Revamp Its Platform
Cameo is partnering with TikTok to let U.S. creators sell personalized video shoutouts directly within the TikTok app, moving transactions and discovery onto the platform. The integration aims to revive Cameo’s waning cultural relevance by leveraging TikTok’s massive audience and...
Creators Can Now Get Paid Instantly as Billion Dollar Boy Unveils New Payments Platform
Billion Dollar Boy launched Creator Payments, a new SaaS solution built into its Companion platform. The product consolidates invoicing, tax compliance, and onboarding, handling up to 14 administrative steps per creator. In partnership with Lumanu, it adds an Early Pay...
Landmark US Verdict Against Meta and YouTube Signals New Risk for Influencer Marketing
An LA jury found Meta and YouTube (Google) intentionally designed addictive platforms, awarding $6 million to a plaintiff who alleged childhood mental‑health harm. The verdict assigned 70 % of liability to Meta and 30 % to Google, citing features like infinite scroll and...
SoFire’s Hot Campaigns: Alix Earle’s Skincare Launch Proves Why Authenticity Always Wins
Alix Earle, a 14‑million‑follower influencer, has launched the skincare line Reale Actives in partnership with dermatologist Dr. Kiran Mian. A cryptic teaser campaign sparked strong pre‑launch engagement, turning curiosity into a ready‑made audience. Earle’s content has long documented her cystic acne journey and Accutane...
Industry in Flux: DealMaker Shines Spotlight on Affiliate Transformation
The 2026 DealMaker conference underscored a rapid, AI‑driven transformation in affiliate marketing, with industry leaders warning that traditional measurement can no longer keep pace. Rakuten Advertising announced a partnership with Similarweb to track affiliate‑generated content inside large language models and...
Why Haley Baylee’s Netflix Debut Is a Milestone for Influencers on Streaming
Influencer Haley Baylee is set to host Netflix’s new reality series Win The Mall, marking a notable shift as streaming platforms tap social‑media talent for mainstream programming. The show, scheduled for an autumn 2026 release, leverages Baylee’s high‑energy, digital‑first persona...
YouTube’s Creator Partnerships Platform BrandConnect Is Getting Completely Revamped
YouTube is overhauling its creator‑marketing service, rebranding BrandConnect as YouTube Creator Partnerships and embedding it across YouTube Studio, Google Ads and Display & Video 360. The revamped platform leverages Google’s Gemini AI to sift through more than three million Partner Program creators, matching...
TikTok Takes New Audience-Targeted Ad Solutions to Market
TikTok unveiled three audience‑targeted ad formats—Logo Takeover, Prime Time, and TopReach—to deepen brand integration within the app. Logo Takeover pairs a brand’s logo with the app’s opening screen, while Prime Time serves up to three sequential ads within a 15‑minute...
Inside the €1bn Huel Sale to Danone
Danone has agreed to buy UK nutrition brand Huel for €1 billion, expanding its portfolio into plant‑based, ready‑meal offerings. Huel, founded in 2014, grew through a digital‑first direct‑to‑consumer model, leveraging social media and creator partnerships to reach a global, younger audience....