Through Zenith’s Creativity First panel, voices like Trixie Ferguson Gray and Heather Sparks help shape thoughtful conversations about creativity. By bringing partners together, we’re focused on unlocking creativity and keeping it at the center of how we connect brands to culture in meaningful ways.
Yesterday Zenith hosted "Creativity First: Powered by Zenith", bringing marketplace partners and agency leaders together to talk about where marketing goes next. Too much of marketing is still built for a different era: platform-first, reach-led, and message-driven. People don’t behave that way anymore. As audiences gain more control over what they watch, follow, buy, and engage with, brands can’t rely on reach alone. They have to earn a place in the communities people genuinely care about. Success now comes from being chosen, not just seen. I moderated "Now Streaming: Brand Fandom" with Chris Ficarra (Netflix) and Suzanne Matarazzo (NBCU) to unpack what that looks like in practice. The clearest takeaway: fandom is not an audience strategy. It’s a participation strategy. The best partnerships start with the fan, not the brand. They add to the experience instead of interrupting it. That requires respect for IP, a real value exchange for the audience, and the patience to build ideas the right way. When brands overreach, audiences notice immediately and react in the comments. There’s a real appetite to work differently and to work together earlier. That’s where this goes next. Thanks to all presenters and panelists – Colleen Hotchkiss, Molly Finnerty, Heather Sparks, Chris Ficarra, Suzanne Matarazzo, Jerry Daniello, Flora McKiernan, Julie Moore, and Yohan Daver who joined and contributed to the conversation. Looking forward to building on it! #zenithcontentpractice #CreativityFirst #BrandFandom #MediaPartnerships #ContentStrategy
