Katie Hicks

Senior Reporter, Marketing Brew

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.

stills from Yorgos Lanthimos' ads for Squarespace (Emma Stone screaming in a black-and-white ad) and Grubhub (an ornate dinner table with a fish-eye lens)

Brand Strategy

Why Grubhub and Squarespace tapped the same director for the Super Bowl

Award-winning director Yorgos Lanthimos, who has previously made ads for brands like Gucci and Jameson, is making his Big Game debut with the two brands.

Katie Hicks

Two stills from Super Bowl ads. In one, William Shatner sits in a purple control room with "America: Low on Fiber" on three screens behind him in an ad for Raisin Bran; in the other, Kathryn Hahn throws her fist in the air while standing on a San Francisco streetcar track in an ad for Oikos

Brand Strategy

Can health messages break through during this year’s Super Bowl?

Doug VanDeVelde, chief growth officer at WK Kellogg Co, seems to think so, telling us, “it’s fiber time.”

Katie Hicks

Social & Influencers

How Vivian Tu went from creator to SoFi’s chief of financial empowerment

Tu, who assumed the role in November, is now the face of SoFi’s latest TV and streaming campaign.

Katie Hicks

Three stills from AI-generated ads from Dollar Shave Club, Almond Breeze, and Equinox, including a barista milking a goat, Nick Jonas in an astronaut helmet sipping on Almond Breeze almond milk, and a horse diving into a swimming pool.

Brand Strategy

Brands are using generative AI to make fun of generative AI

The question is, is it working?

Katie Hicks

A young man holding a smartphone casts a shadow as he walks past an advertisement for social media company TikTok

Social & Influencers

TikTok’s US operations sale is official

The legal and political battle to divest or ban the app in the US has concluded. What comes next?

Katie Hicks

A still from Wikipedia's ad campaign showing volunteers who help run the site in puzzle-piece-like shapes

Brand Strategy

Wikipedia’s 25th anniversary is a celebration of human knowledge

A rare ad campaign for the online encyclopedia peels back the curtain on the importance of human insight and collaboration in the age of AI.

Katie Hicks

A graphic of a phone in a ring light stand next to a cutout of a woman in formal suit carrying a box of personal belongings after being laid off

Social & Influencers

For some impacted by layoffs, content creation is a new safety net

Some marketers are turning to social media as a backup income source and a chance to get in front of new employers.

Katie Hicks

Screenshots from Liquid Death's TikTok account, featuring a woman cleaning the house with a can of the beverage and a can in a ring box.

Social & Influencers

‘We all hate ads’: How Liquid Death is keeping social marketers on their toes

The beverage brand’s writers’ room–esque, in-house team has built a following of 14+ million with a commitment to making people laugh at nearly any cost.

Katie Hicks

A two part graphic of a hand holding a card that reads 'You're Invited!' and a smiling woman scrolling on phone

Social & Influencers

Why creators are taking the reins on event hosting

Marketers tell us offline engagements hosted by creators themselves are a trend to watch in 2026.

Katie Hicks

Hand tapping a glowing crystal ball with social media icons inside, comment, share and Like buttons

Social & Influencers

Experts predict the top social marketing trends of 2026

From generative AI to mega-creators, here’s where the industry seems to be heading in the new year.

Katie Hicks