For a few years the debate around creators was mostly vibes. Can they build a brand? Do they "work"? At Cannes Lions 2026, the question finally moved on.
The new question is harder, and more useful: how can creators build my brand — specifically, for this objective, with this kind of content?
The Creator Effectiveness Playbook
On Thursday 25 June, on the Rotonde Stage, System1's Andrew Tindall took the stage alongside brand strategist and creator Eugene Healey to answer it with data rather than opinion.
Backed by one of the largest creator-effectiveness studies to date — a collaboration between WPP Media, System1 and TikTok, spanning hundreds of creator ads and millions of consumer responses — Andrew walked through what actually drives attention, emotion and brand recognition across creator content, and how different creator types perform against different marketing objectives.
Eugene then brought the practical side: how brands turn those lessons into smarter creator choice, better briefing and stronger execution, without flattening the authenticity that made the creator worth hiring in the first place.
It's the shift from "creators, yes or no?" to "creators, done properly" — and it's long overdue.
Coming soon to Boringly Effective
We sat down with Andrew at Cannes to go deeper than the stage allowed — on advertising effectiveness, emotional response, and the link between the two.
The interview launches soon. Visit Andrew's profile to see what's coming, and sign up for the newsletter to be first to hear when it drops.