Creators are now brand strategists, not just talent, with Gillian Follett

Gillian Follett, social marketing and influencer reporter at Ad Age, breaks down how brand-creator partnerships have evolved in 2026, from creators taking on strategic roles in product development and marketing decisions to equity deals reshaping the influencer economy. The conversation covers creator advisory boards at holding companies, the rise of creator-founded agencies producing social-first branded content and the growing use of livestreaming creators in brand campaigns. It also gets into an emerging trend: brands working with creators to optimize content for AI search tools. Host Parker Herren digs into where traditional, one-off sponsored posts still fit, why influencer fatigue is pushing brands toward more selective partnerships, and what's overhyped in the scripted branded-content boom right now. Subscribe to Ad Age Insider for more conversations that turn Ad Age's reporting into strategy marketers can implement now. Dig deeper on the topics mentioned in this week's episode: ~Subscribe to The Creator Brief by Ad Age! ~A new creator agency with an advisory board model gives talent a seat at the strategy table ~How four friends built a creator business—and landed 30 brand deals in four months ~OpenAI's creator trip fallout—what to do before signing an AI brand deal ~Inside the rise of creator-brand equity deals—and how they're reshaping creator marketing ~4 ways creator-brand partnerships are evolving