Jessica Phillips is the Founder and CEO of The Social Standard, a full-service influencer marketing agency she created in 2014 to set the standard in the influencer space. Starting as a one-woman agency, it has now grown into a thriving company with Fortune 500 clients like Adobe, FiatChrysler, and Hinge. With a background in investment banking and private equity, Jessica's entrepreneurial journey led her to become the COO and employee #2 at HelloSociety, a Pinterest influencer agency that achieved multi-million dollar success and was eventually acquired by The New York Times in 2016. 

Alongside her professional achievements, Jessica is also a devoted mother to three young children and actively participates in discussions and programs empowering aspiring female entrepreneurs. 

Known as a thought leader in the industry, she frequently speaks at conferences, sharing insights on social media strategy, content creation, and building brand communities. Jessica's expertise in digital marketing, deep understanding of consumer behavior, and ability to balance entrepreneurship and motherhood make her a trailblazer in the influencer marketing landscape, sought after by brands across industries.

Jessica Phillips

Looking for reccos for a Social Media Manager who wants to work on a contract basis. Looking at 5-10 hours/ week for the next 8 weeks. 

DM me or tag them in the comments if you know a real one!

Helping businesses navigate influencer marketing | 2x entrepreneur | Founder at The Social Standard | Top Voice in Influencer Marketing and Social Media | Host of Reclaim Your Magic Podcast

I provide research and advisory services to help advertisers and media leaders understand how consumer use of AI is changing marketing and paid media. I also publish The AI Ad Economy, a free newsletter on Substack and LinkedIn that delivers practical, clear-eyed analysis of AI’s impact on advertising. 

I've spent my entire career at the center of massive digital shifts. From the rise of the ad-supported web to the dot-com boom to the social media era — and now generative AI — I’ve helped marketers, agencies, digital platforms and the investor community anticipate what’s next. 

I believe AI’s impact on consumer behavior will define the next decade of marketing. My goal is to deliver research, strategy sessions and thought leadership that positions my clients to lead the industry conversation about the impact of AI on marketing and consumer behavior. 

What I provide: 
☑️ Custom research to guide your AI-era strategy 
☑️ Executive briefings and presentations to educate and inspire 
☑️ Thought leadership content that builds authority 

Why work with me? I was one of the first analysts to identify the power and potential of social media. I wrote over 120 reports about social media marketing, social advertising and social media usage during my 19 years as an analyst at EMARKETER. I can confidently say the disruption caused by social media was nothing compared to the impact of AI. 

I started my career as a journalist. I co-wrote the business plan for The Industry Standard, the legendary weekly newsmagazine for the dot-com boom, and served as its first executive editor. At AdAge, I and my team of reporters covered the first marketing opportunities on online platforms, the first internet banner ads and the birth of interactive ad agencies.

I love talking to reporters about how AI is changing marketing and consumer behavior. I've been lucky to be on TV dozens of times, including BBC, NBC and Bloomberg.

I live in Seattle and I am your best friend if you want to know what to eat here. (Tip: Watch the Pike Place Market fish throwers with everyone else and then go across the street and up 3 flights of stairs to Matt's in the Market for lunch.)

On LinkedIn, I share about consumer AI behaviors and the future of marketing in an AI-driven world.

Debra Williamson

I used to work at EMARKETER, so I've seen a few thousand of these red and black charts over the years. Seeing Sonata Insights in the source line of this one hits extra special.

I'm immensely proud of the research IAB and I developed. You can read the full study here: https://lnkd.in/gPYvNjFm

Big thanks to my IAB research partners Jack Koch and Caroline Giegerich and of course big thanks to EMARKETER! 🙏

Debra Aho Williamson

BREAKING: Amazon is rolling out a new ad format that places brands directly inside the questions shoppers ask AI assistants.

Three things to know: 

1) The new Sponsored Products and Sponsored Brands prompts (in beta since late last year) surface brand-linked questions and AI-generated answers during conversations with Amazon’s shopping AI, including Rufus. 

2) Instead of waiting for shoppers to type keywords and scan listings, brands can now influence the discovery and evaluation process itself. 

3) This feature is automatically turned on for Amazon advertisers; to opt out, visit your Ad Console account.

Advertising is moving from keywords to conversations. Amazon is showing how the AI interface itself becomes the media environment.

https://lnkd.in/gt2J7-Wm

2 weeks until my very first Shoptalk Spring in Vegas! I'll be onstage with senior marketing leaders from Clinique, Papa John's and Coppel on March 24th. 

We'll explore how these companies are reinventing brands for the next generation - in 3 mini masterclasses in one session.

We'll discuss:

>>Modernizing brand image with refreshed storytelling, positioning, and design elements including logo
>>Creating authentic engagement with younger generations through culturally timely marketing
>>Updating products to reflect evolving expectations around quality and transparency

You don't want to miss what Shivram Vaideeswaran (Papa John's), Gloria Canales (Coppel) and @ Christie Sclater (Clinique) are going to share.

If you'll be at Shoptalk too, let's connect!

Retailers are among the first big advertisers on ChatGPT. But so are automotive companies and even CPG companies. That signals AI media adoption is already starting to extend beyond the first-mover categories.

Last month, I shared an exclusive analysis identifying four industry categories that should put advertising in AI media on the front burner in 2026: Retail, travel, healthcare/pharma and technology/electronics. 

Today, I’m analyzing three more categories that can, with the right preparation, make a strong case to advertise in AI media this year: 

🛒 CPG
💰 Financial services
🚘 Automotive

These industry categories are AI media's "fast followers."

For retailers, AI media makes abundant sense, thanks to high search ad spending and significant consumer AI usage.

But the fast followers face more roadblocks: perhaps search advertising  represents a smaller percentage of digital ad budgets or consumer AI behavior isn’t quite as strong. Or there might be regulatory concerns that stand in the way. 

But the fast followers can still make a case for investing in paid AI media in 2026 if they are operationally ready.

In this week's edition of The AI Ad Economy you'll learn:

>> The typical ad strategies and marketing objectives of CPG, financial services and automotive companies and how they map to AI media

>> The consumer AI behaviors in these categories that stand out

>> The AI media ad formats that will perform best for CPG, financial services and automotive companies.

Which industries do you think are ready to advertise on ChatGPT or other AI platforms? 

*******
👋 Hi! I'm Debbie. 

The AI Ad Economy newsletter explores how ads are evolving in AI systems and how consumers are reshaping marketing strategies. Every week I write about the trends, data and companies that are leading the way. I'm an analyst, researcher and former journalist -- no hype, just objective, critical viewpoints that'll help you succeed.

Subscribe to receive every edition of The AI Ad Economy and join the community that's shaping future of advertising in AI.

What CPG, financial services and automotive marketers should know about advertising on AI platforms now Retailers are among the first big advertisers 

Open article: AI Media's Fast Followers Are Emerging  by Debra Aho Williamson • 9 min read

taplio

The Battle

Jessica Phillips

Debra Williamson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance ScoreJessica Phillips's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDebra Williamson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

taplio

The Battle

Jessica Phillips

Debra Williamson

Followers

Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Jessica Phillips's LinkedIn Performance

Performance ScoreDebra Williamson's LinkedIn Performance

Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreJessica Phillips's LinkedIn Performance