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Katie Hicks

Katie Hicks is a senior reporter for Marketing Brew covering culture, social media, and influencer marketing. Previously, Katie worked at Vox and Axios in Washington, DC. She is a graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.

TikTok execs, Khartoon Weiss and Adam Presser, appear on stage at its NewFront
Social & Influencers

TikTok promises new ad formats and a better future at NewFronts

“What’s standing here today…is the strongest, most secure, most creative platform we have ever built,” Khartoon Weiss, TikTok’s VP and GM of global business solutions, told the audience Tuesday night.

Photo collage of a video game versus screen with a Coca-Cola bottle on one side and Pepsi on the other.
Brand Strategy

When it pays to engage in a brand rivalry—and when it doesn’t

Recent videos of fast-food execs show that sometimes a little friendly competition can benefit all participants.

Photo collage showing stills from the Burger King brand refresh video, including a smiling worker handing the viewer a Burger King Crown, a worker putting together a hamburger, and the King sitting on a curb looking despondent.
Brand Strategy

In its latest brand ‘reset,’ Burger King is owning up to mistakes

The brand is soliciting direct feedback from customers and is letting them weigh in on changes to the QSR brand.

Collage of 'Staples Baddie' stills, custom rubber stamp, custom mug
Social & Influencers

The ‘Staples Baddie’ shares the secrets behind her viral success

“Don’t miss out making whole meetings about one single video,” Kaeden Rowland told us. “Just do the video.”

Fashion influencers were invited to tour a Shein model factory
Social & Influencers

Pulling back the curtain: Expert tips on sharing brand backstories

Cristel Russell, professor of marketing at Pepperdine University’s Graziadio Business School, said behind-the-scenes content often looks easy to make, but “it’s not that simple.”

Photo collage of Brandon Mendez Homer as Donnie Donahue in the hospital drama "The Pitt," with a screenshot of the Partiful app.
Social & Influencers

Partiful doesn’t want to be ‘unhinged’—it wants to be ubiquitous

The event invite platform is focused on becoming the default noun for invites through sustained and reactive cultural nods.

Kalshi and Polymarket logos pop out of a brown paper bag containing other groceries including bread, a leek, grapes, and a tomato
Brand Strategy

Marketing around the cost-of-living crisis? Maybe think again

Kalshi and Polymarket recently offered people free groceries in NYC, but the optics weren’t necessarily in the brands’ favor, experts told us.

A collage of David Protein marketing efforts, including a billboard advertising "Boiled cod," a close-up of a David Protein bar, and a minimalistic OOH advertisement showing a packaged protein bar on a white background
Social & Influencers

Why David Protein isn’t afraid to defy category norms

From selling cod fillets to sending vibrators to creators, the marketing team behind David is aiming to prove it’s not like other protein bars.

Screenshots from Vita Coco's TikTok account on mobile phone screens
Social & Influencers

Inside Vita Coco’s ‘super fluid,’ organic-first social strategy

The brand’s latest stunt, a jingle with creator Romeo Bingham, helped boost the company beyond 1 million followers on TikTok.

Ring light on top of mobile phone and tripod
Social & Influencers

Creators showed up at this year’s Super Bowl ‘more than ever’

From MrBeast’s and IShowSpeed’s in-ad cameos to Alix Earle’s halftime show appearance, creators were on the screen and on the scene.