Influencer - Advertising Week New York

Four days / Three sessions / One city

Influencer at Advertising Week New York — we took the stage to shape what comes next in creator marketing across stages, sessions and conversations.

AWNY 2026 recap

Where we spoke

Our leadership team took the stage across Advertising Week New York. Watch the sessions back below.

01
The Creator Advantage in AI Search
As consumers shift from traditional search to AI-powered answers, one challenge remains: trust. In this session, Jenny Penich, CRO at Influencer, and Eleanor Hooker, Head of Community and Customer Marketing at Profound, unpack Answer Engine Optimization (AEO), how LLMs rely on human recommendations, and why creators could be the missing link between AI discovery and consumer trust.
Jenny Penich
Global CRO Influencer
Eleanor Hooker
Head of Community and Customer Marketing Profound
Watch the Session
02
Creators as Growth Engines: Where Culture, Discovery & Commerce Converge
Creators are no longer simply delivering content against a campaign brief. They are helping brands shape culture, earn trust, influence discovery, and drive commerce across the customer journey. This conversation will bring together leaders from across the brand and creator ecosystem to explore how the most effective partnerships are evolving beyond one-off sponsored posts. Through real examples, the panel will examine the operating models enabling deeper collaboration, the signals brands use to understand impact, and what it takes to turn individual creator success into a repeatable growth strategy.
Kellie Matzen
SVP of North America Influencer
Luz Bickert
Director of Social, Influencer, and Integrated Campaigns Chili's
April Johnson
Head of Influencer Marketing Alaska Airlines
Nicole Leo
Vice President of Creator Content & Partnerships Disney
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03
From Influence to Impact: The New Creator Economy
Creator marketing has officially grown up. The question is no longer whether creators can drive results, but how brands can turn their influence into real, measurable growth. This conversation explores how creators are reshaping everything from discovery and community to commerce and brand loyalty, why likes and follower counts only tell part of the story, and how AI is changing the game once again. As technology makes it easier to scale, discover, and measure creator content, one thing remains distinctly human: trust.
Jenny Penich
Global CRO Influencer
Sophie Mackie
Global Head of Sales Advertising Week
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