Social Media Week 2025:  WHAT WAS SAID

WHAT WAS SAID “The era of followers is dead.”

Urban Outfitters’ Head of Brand Marketing and Communications, Cyntia Leo, wrote the obit for follower counts during one of the first sessions Monday morning: How Brands Are Winning With Creator-Led Strategies in 2025.

“This is really a time about the algorithm,” said Cyntia. “Creators help us be in the algorithm, not just being in the platform.”

The idea that follower count no longer holds the value it once did echoed throughout the week.

Prop CEO Joseph Perelli drove the point home in a panel on creators and performance marketing: “Obsessing over followers is the biggest mistake marketers make.” Between fake followers, poor audience targeting, and limited organic reach, follower count is no longer a reliable metric — for creators or brands.

Takeaway: If leadership still insists on hiring creators based on follower count, it’s time to let them know the game has changed. Smart marketers are prioritizing deep content alignment and leveraging creator content for paid media opportunities.

Now that our feeds have changed from who we’re following, to what they’re talking about, follower count matters less than a topic alignment, said Sprout Social Vice President, Outbound Product Management, Brittany Hennessy.

Brittany pointed to Loewe and how they opted for the “cucumber guy,” TikToker Logan Moffitt, instead of a fashion or beauty creator when the company launched a cucumber-scented candle.

There's a lot of conversation about topic-based marketing, agreed Nya-Gabriella Parchment, UTA’s Head of Brand Partnerships.

When you understand what your consumer is talking about, what they’re truly interested in, what movies they’re watching, what podcasts they listen to, that’s when, “you can understand who's leading that conversation to tap into and work with,” Nya recommended.

Takeaway: Topic alignment is another way of saying ‘Don’t focus on follower count.’ Instead, brands should prioritize creators who are actively driving conversations around consumer interests — like cucumbers.

I got to speak with Lindsey Gamble and Adweek’s Senior Tech Reporter, Kendra Barnett, on a panel titled: Creator Content Only Belongs on Social... Or Does It?

Spoiler alert: Creators are being effectively deployed up and down the funnel and across every channel.

“Creator-featured ads do much better,” echoed Snapchat's Global Head of Public Figures, Francis Roberts, during a panel on Building a Brand That Lasts.

The benefit of creators isn’t purely for advertising purposes. With more brands launching personality-first projects — like Substack newsletters — creators are becoming even more indispensable for their creative skills and audience insights: these are partners who understand the type of content audiences want to consume!

Takeaway: You’re not just paying for assets or access to an influencer’s audience, said Lindsey: “What I'm really excited about is bringing them in as consultants, bringing them in as creative partners. That leads to more co-creation and collaboration, as opposed to just, ‘Here's a brief, go create a video.’

“You want to lead with a content-first approach.”“Brands want to be humanized, and creators can help them.”