This week, we hosted our inaugural Modern Marketing Leaders Summit, bringing together a group of top marketing leaders across the UK and EMEA.
At the stunning 1 Hotel Mayfair, we spent the day skipping small talk and diving straight into what really matters in 2026 for brand leaders. We kicked things off with a traditional English breakfast (because when in London!) before heading into a packed lineup of panels, as well as a private fireside chat with our CEO, Gary Vaynerchuk.
To our brand marketing friends who couldn’t make it IRL, here are our 4 biggest takeaways from the Modern Marketing Leaders Summit:
1. Modern Marketing Requires Modern Practices
This Section At A Glance:
- The future of our industry is constantly evolving, and with it, so is the role of a marketer.
- Organic social is where all of your energy should be placed.
- Being social-first isn’t just about posting trends.
- Make sure to read on about what CasC means. 😉
In a panel moderated by Alex Semenzato, we heard the first-hand perspective of what challenges our Vayner Partners Darragh McGinley (Head of Social, EMEA, Indeed) , Arjoon Bose (VP Marketing, Coach), and Rebecca Huda (Regional Category Lead Digestive Health – UK & EMEA, Bayer) are facing today. The short answer, though it holds many complexities, is this: The future of our industry is constantly evolving, and with it, so is the role of a marketer.
Rather than focus on a major TV spot, brands like Indeed are shifting their focus to be social first. Darragh spoke about the brand’s mission to respond to signals and audience, and how organic social has been a humbling but monumental experience. Simply put, “nothing questions your marketer’s gut more than TikTok.” Though organic social can be a bit unexpected, when a piece of content actually hits, it becomes a cheat code to understanding what works and what audiences want to see from you.
Being social-first isn’t just about posting trends either. This is a unique opportunity to connect with your consumers. Using Comments as Creative (something we like to call CasC) is a way of joining the latest conversations, and building brand awareness. Just take a look at the success of our friends at ChukMedia, who launched Subway’s latest CasC moment that garnered over 700k+ likes and 1M+ impressions.
The Rise of the Creator Economy
This Section At A Glance:
- Let creators be creators
- The most powerful partnerships in 2026 = creators 🤝 marketers
Let’s face it: creators have completely taken over. They’re on the biggest stages in the world, with the biggest platforms and biggest audiences. That’s why the relationship between creators and marketers has become increasingly important as we dive into 2026.
Joined by viral chef and creator Jordan Billham aka The Notty Chef, our very own Esme Rice spoke with him about his experience as a content creator. For marketers, one of the most important takeaways from Jordan was hearing the creator perspective on brand partnerships.
Brands working with creators shouldn’t expect to give their creators a strict set of guidelines. Rather, Jordan explained that content creators are pros of their own craft, and the best content comes from creative freedom. When brands choose to be understanding of a creator’s knowledge, and truly work together, the project moves forward as its own collaborative entity. It’s a goal that creators and marketers work towards together, fusing viral experience with brand expertise.
3. AEO & GEO Are Your Next Priority
This Section At A Glance:
- Stop relying on brand loyalty
- How FAQs help AEO and GEO
- Why you need to care about AEO and GEO
You don’t need us to tell you how prevalent AI has become. No matter what field you’re in, AI is affecting everybody and everything. In marketing, one of the major shifts we’ve seen take shape is through customer experience. People aren’t shopping like they used to, and because of this, we’re changing the way we market products. VaynerMedia VP, Aengus Boyle dove into it all, and how the answer starts through Answer Engine Optimization and Generative Engine Optimization.
Today’s consumers aren’t prioritizing brand loyalty when it comes to online shopping. Instead, they ask AI for the best recommendations for whatever it is they’re looking for. That means that the best way to make sure your product is on the top of ChatGPT’s “Best Christmas Gifts” list is through optimization. First, start off by making your brand website easily navigable for AI search engines. Incorporating SEO keywords, as well as heavy text based content like blog posts is one way to make sure LLMs are picking up on your messaging.
Another good idea is to adopt question and answer templates, like FAQs that will help engines learn more about your products. One final major takeaway, is that as always, it comes back to social (no surprise there.) Brands that have their owned social channels are more likely to build visibility, especially on YouTube. If you incorporate as many touchpoints and perspectives as you can, it will only be better for your brand.
4. Stop Focusing on Brand Strategy (Focus on Relevance)
This Section At A Glance:
- Relevance, relevance, relevance!
- Read on to hear what gets you impressions, views, likes, attention, profit, and legacy
- The role you need on every single creative team
Maybe one of the biggest shifts we discussed came from Gary Vaynerchuk during a fireside chat with Jon Evans, that developed into an even bigger conversation during a Gary private session. The big ticket item? Relevance, relevance, relevance!
We know that relevance is what gets you impressions, views, and likes. It’s also what translates into attention, profit, and legacy. But how are you actually trying to be relevant, and what steps are you taking to get there? To really get ahead, brands need to start being reactive and focus on relevance strategy. Start by ditching the detailed day-by-day content calendar. With trends that start and end in a day, and viral moments that break the internet, things change too quickly to always plan ahead. Instead, have relevance strategists on deck, who can capitalize on big moments and ensure your content is as effective and viral as possible.
A huge shoutout to our incredible team who made this summit one of our best ones yet. As always, we couldn’t be happier to get together with some of the most brilliant minds in the biz, and talk about everything we can do to be bigger and better.