Creator Economy meets AI avant-garde: Insights from the Creator & Brand Convention

This year's Creator & Brand Convention was - unsurprisingly - all about artificial intelligence (AI). The event, which is considered Switzerland's largest business & entertainment event for creators, brands and communities, offered a rich program. The m&k video reviews the atmosphere of the afternoon - vibrant and inspiring. The convention was the prelude to a whole day dedicated to the creator industry, which ended in the evening in the large Smile Swiss Influence Award Night where the best creators in the country were honored.

AI in focus: visionaries and the new era of content creation

The dominance of AI was reflected in the launch of the AI Media Award 2025 reflected. Embedded in the platform of the SSIA Smile Swiss Influence Award, the award sees itself as a showcase and interface between the creative avant-garde and the advertising and media industry. The aim is to promote pioneering AI-generated content - with a focus on quality, responsibility and innovation.

The highlight of the afternoon was the presentation of Mark WachholzAI filmmaker and screenwriter, whose video essay "The Cinema That Never Was" won first prize in the Narrative category. His work was created entirely with AI - from images to music and voice to the script. Wachholz, who acquired the knowledge self-taught, described the process as AI CreationAI is actively involved in brainstorming and its independence is part of the creative experiment.

Production took around a week. Wachholz used numerous tools in a kind of "symphony", as no single tool could do everything. He used Midjourney (images), Klingen, Runway and Hun (video AI), 11 Labs (voice), ChatBT (script) and Judio (music). For him, AI is a way to bring ideas directly from the mind into the finished product - without gatekeepers. He sees limits in terms of controllability, as AI often contributes its own impulses - for Wachholz a characteristic of the AI Creation Space.

Content strategies and efficiency in the creator economy

Despite the AI hype, classic topics remain present - in particular Efficiency and Authenticity. One ongoing trend remains: real, personal content, even if the arc to artificial AI content is becoming increasingly visible.

Timo Wäschlemulti-award-winning storytelling expert, showed in his masterclass "From My First Sony to Storyworld Pioneer - Efficiency, Emotion & AI in Content"how storytelling, emotion and AI can be combined to form an efficient triad. His conclusion: if you want to increase visibility, you have to think emotion and technology together.

Romina Menzel from TikTok emphasized that brands must become part of the community in the creator era - because TikTok thrives on the creativity of its users.

Brands and collaborations: Interaction, strategy and a bath

The convention served as a stage for new connections between brands and creators - supported by partners such as SMILE Insurance and Samsung.

Samsung demonstrated how technology can enhance creativity - from AI-powered editing to Nightography. Pekka BlancSenior Marketing Manager Switzerland, described the convention and the Smile Influencer Award as a strong platform for the brand, but noted that direct leads could hardly be generated with creators.

A strong practical example was provided by SPAR Switzerland (Schirin Fässler, Marketing) and Equipe One AG (Siria Berli, Co-Founder & CEO). Both explained that TikTok primarily brings them reach in younger target groups - not primarily sales, but brand awareness. The aim is to anchor SPAR as an integral part of the Swiss retail trade.

A sensation was caused by Weleda with an interactive campaign: the brand staged its new Booster Drops in a bathtub in which guests could take a seat. m&k editor Beat Hürlimann did not miss the opportunity to take an exciting dip in the influencer crowd and spontaneously conducted an interview with Elisabeth Acket from Weleda - straight from the tub. Weleda uses influencers strategically to increase awareness and has cooperated with, among others B from the Elevator Boys for the campaign for the new drops.

A deep insight into sustainable cooperation was provided by Tamara Glück (GLÜCK Influencer Management & Consulting) and Loris Zimmerli. They showed how real partnerships are created from a deal - through clear communication and a balance between market requirements and creative freedom.

Public institutions in the Creator Space

The public sector was also present at the convention - a sign that Creator Space has long been relevant to society as a whole. An unexpectedly exciting accent was set by Martin Kaiser, Staff Judge Advocate of the Swiss Armed Forces. The army not only showed its presence at the event, but also its equipment - including a drone, which attracted the interest of many guests.

In his input, Kaiser emphasized how formative the time of military service can be: The age at which young people do their service is crucial for personal development and a sense of responsibility. According to Kaiser, the 20 weeks of military service should not be seen as lost time - but as a lesson for life.

Summit of the Creator Economy: The Smile Swiss Influence Award Night

When the lights go out and the stage lights up, the grand finale begins: the Smile Swiss Influence Award Night - the Oscar night of the Creator Economy.

The show honored the best and most influential creators in the country and reflected the diversity of the Swiss influencer scene. Younes Saggaraknown for its finely observed lifestyle content, won the Smile Swiss Influence Award 2025 as Influencer of the Year. In the category Newcomer sat down Nathalie Schmid with its unmistakable mix of fashion, mindset and authenticity. The Entertainment Award fetched Zeki Bulgurcuwho reaches millions with humor and attitude.

The topics of sustainability and purpose also found their place: Nina Burri received the Social Impact Award for their commitment to mental health, while The Swiss Wanderer was honored for his content on conscious tourism.

By embedding the AI Media Award the Award Night also became a bridge between creator culture and AI art - a signal that the Swiss influencer landscape is not only entertaining, but also inspiring and thinking ahead.

Overall, the combination of convention and award night attracted over 3000 guests on. It confirmed the format's reputation as the most important stage in Switzerland, where the brightest minds and boldest ideas of the creator economy come together - from the first beats of the afternoon to the last moments of applause of the night.