Inside the Creator Economy

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Alexander Shmelkov, Director of Global Brand Tracking at IKEA. 

Most brand trackers are built to tell you what happened. Alexander has spent the last few years rebuilding one to help the business decide what to do next, across 64 markets, in an environment where the rules of growth are changing fast. 

In this conversation we get into why data on its own has no value, what it actually takes to turn insights into decisions, and how IKEA is transforming a 20-year-old measurement system into a genuine strategic tool. We also talk about what relevance really means for a global brand today, and why the bottleneck in most organisations isn't data, it's interpretation. 

We also explore: 

The shift from reporting to predicting: insights as a forward-looking function, not a rearview mirror 

Why the aha moment, not the data, is the real deliverable of insights work 

What it takes to run a global brand tracker across 64 markets without losing local relevance 

Insights as a people business: why human capability, not technology, is the real constraint

Most marketers today are under pressure to do more, move faster and constantly prove results. But what actually drives growth long term? 

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Sorin Patilinet, Global Marketing Effectiveness & Measurement Lead at PepsiCo and recently published author on Marketing Effectiveness, to unpack what really drives growth today - and why many marketers are making things far more complicated than they need to be. 

As AI floods the internet with more content and more noise, the real challenge is no longer producing marketing - it’s knowing what’s actually worth doing. 

We talk about why restraint might become one of the most important marketing skills of the next decade. Why short-term excitement often beats long-term thinking. And what brands like Cheetos, Geico and Lindt understand about distinctiveness that many others still miss. 

We dive into: 

Why “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” matters more in the AI era 

The tension between short-term performance and long-term brand building 

What actually makes brands distinctive and memorable today 

Why more content doesn’t automatically mean better marketing 

How PepsiCo applies marketing science and growth principles in practice

The creator role has changed - and not just in how content looks, but in what it demands from the people behind it. 

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Norwegian creator Elisabeth Asserson Ingebrigtsen to unpack what it actually means to build a personal brand today, beyond aesthetics, algorithms and surface-level engagement. 

We talk about the shift from being “polished” to being personal, and the pressure that comes with it. Because the more you share, the more you grow… but also, the more is expected of you. 

We cover: 

Why she doesn’t identify with the term influencer, and what she sees her role as instead 

How expectations on creators have fundamentally changed over the past few years

The tension between growth, authenticity and personal boundaries 

What brands still get wrong when working with creators, and why control often backfires 

Why people today don’t just want products, they want to be part of something

TikTok is no longer a channel you test. It’s a platform shaping how brands build relevance. 

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we sit down with Elin Palmelius from TikTok Nordics to unpack what’s actually changing - not just on the platform, but in how brands think about creativity, audiences and growth. 

Over the past few years, TikTok has evolved from a fast-moving challenger to a core part of the media mix, redefining everything from content formats to the path to purchase. But the real shift goes deeper than that. 

We’re moving from a world where brands broadcast, to one where they’re expected to participate. Where discovery, consideration and conversion can happen in seconds. And where relevance is no longer owned by the brand, but shaped in real time by communities. 

We dive into: 

Why TikTok has moved from “nice to have” to a true business driver  

What Gen Alpha expects from brands, and why they don’t just consume content, but shape it  

How the definition of “good creative” is changing, and why less polished often performs better  

What “organic branding” really means, and how brands can show up in a way that feels native, not interruptive  

Because the real question isn’t whether brands should be on TikTok - it’s whether they’re ready to let go of control, and actually become part of the culture they want to reach.

In this episode of Inside the Creator Economy, we’re doing something a little different. 

Instead of bringing in a guest, we’re taking you inside our internal insights chat at Cure Media, where our team shares the signals, shifts and conversations shaping the creator economy in real time. This episode is built from those discussions. 

We unpack five shifts we keep coming back to. Not trends in the traditional sense, but patterns that say something bigger about where the industry is heading, and what brands need to understand to stay relevant. 

We cover: 

Why many brands still struggle to operationalise creators, and what it actually takes to move from ambition to execution  

The rise of the status economy, where cultural fluency matters more than category  

Nostalgia as more than a trend, and how brands can create meaning, not just reference the past  

The optimisation mindset, and how wellness and longevity are reshaping consumer behaviour  

How AI is collapsing the funnel, and what it means to be recommended, not just discovered