April, 2026.- In the 2026 advertising ecosystem, media fragmentation demands a vision that transcends traditional silos. Callum Powell steps into a pioneering role at M+C Saatchi Talk, unifying brand PR and influencer marketing under a single strategic pillar. His proposition is as bold as it is necessary: moving from storytelling to “story-making.” For Powell, it is no longer enough for brands to narrate a story; they must now actively create the moments that make them worth talking about. With a background spanning from luxury at L’Oréal to global scale at Ogilvy, Callum understands that “earned-first” creativity is the true engine of relevance: if an idea is strong enough to trend on TikTok or hit the headlines, its success in paid media is virtually guaranteed.
In this exclusive interview with Roastbrief, Callum Powell explains how his approach seeks to resolve real human tensions to insert brands into the zeitgeist authentically. Celebrating the agency’s 25th anniversary, Powell not only honors M+C Saatchi’s legacy but accelerates its evolution toward a creator economy where influencers are no longer just channels, but owners of their own IP. Discover why the future of brands depends on their ability to stop interrupting and start participating, and how the agility to join the cultural conversation—without losing the precision and care of brand identity—is the ultimate competitive advantage in an age of high audience sophistication.
- The Newly Created Role: You’ve stepped into a newly created role that brings brand PR and influencer marketing together under one leadership pillar. What was the strategic gap or opportunity that led to the creation of this role, and how do you define the integrated proposition?
It’s simple. The role reflects the expectation of our clients and today’s audiences. Our job is to reach people where they natively discover. Today, that ecosystem is complex. Its rarely, if ever, siloed. To stand a chance of cutting through, the approach must be integrated. The digital landscape also demands this – rarely do we receive a client brief that doesn’t include integration.
The approach at M+C Saatchi Talk is idea agnostic; a central, culturally-powerful idea that gets people talking across multi-channels. Integration leads to consistency and thus a more consilidated execution.
Our proposition is focused on moving from storytelling to story-making, shifting from what brands feel most comfortable talking about, typically a product or market USP, to an approach that offers brands a culturally relevant point of view that gets them talked about through creators, culture and community.
In an often fragmented earned and creator ecosystem it is key to have a point person to ensure this integration is happening.
- From Storytelling to Story-Making: You’ve described a shift from “storytelling to story-making”—moving beyond sharing a narrative to “actively creating the moments that make brands worth talking about.” Can you walk us through what “story-making” looks like in practice? How is it different from traditional earned media or influencer campaigns?
Absolutely. First, our approach is digital and social-first—because that’s where audiences are. Second, our ideas are rooted in genuine, sticky human tensions that give brands a culturally relevant point of view, something meaningful that sparks conversation and travels across media, creators and communities.
We’re moving from the amplification of a story to participation. We want to give audiences something to talk about and something to engage with.
- Earned-First Creativity: Your mandate is to ensure “earned-first creativity” and cultural influence are at the heart of what you build. What does “earned-first” mean when you’re developing a campaign from the outset? How does it change the creative process compared to a campaign built around paid media first?
Recognising conversation is built from the ground-up and starts with real people is the starting point. We’re fortunate to have clients with enough humility to recognise this. Our role as arbiters of conversation is to help them authentically tune into the zeitgeist, the real-time, debate happening amongst their audience – and we evolve this into a provocation that catches fire with people. It’s grounded in a sticky human tension, otherwise, why would anyone care? Too often brands lose sight of this.
Secondly, the strength of an earned-first approach is simple: an idea strong enough to land in Highsnobiety, trend on TikTok or make it onto the GMB sofa will always translate into paid. The reverse isn’t true.
- Luxury and Beauty Credentials: You’re bringing experience from L’Oréal’s luxury professional products division and Ogilvy’s work on Coca-Cola. How do you approach brand PR and influence differently for luxury and beauty clients compared to other categories? What do these sectors demand that’s unique?
Every category is unique, as is every client brief, but luxury and beauty demand a distinct approach.
Luxury is about aspiration and precision. It is highly curated, a very focused approach that maintains the equity of the brand.
Beauty, on the other hand, has been a pioneer in influencer marketing. It’s a category built on authenticity, community and constant conversation. What we were doing at L’Oréal 6 to 8 years ago helped set the precedent for how brands partner with creators in a way that feels credible and drives real engagement.
Together, these sectors demand both ends of the spectrum. The discipline to protect a brand and the agility to participate in culture.
- Integrating with the Agency’s 25th Anniversary: You’re joining M+C Saatchi Talk during its 25th anniversary year. What does it mean to you to be part of an agency with this history, and how do you balance honoring that legacy with evolving the proposition for the current cultural and media landscape?
I am genuinely excited. At M+C Saatchi Talk there is a palpable energy in the business and you can feel that in the team. We’re celebrating our 25th birthday in style and there will be more to come on this very soon.
But to truly honour any business you need to be able to work carefully on its future and evolution – and I am thrilled to be able to work alongside Amaya and the rest of the team on this very mission. We’ve got several projects in the pipeline that will not only evolve our offer but further preserve the legacy of our brand.
- The Creator-Led Offering: You’ll be scaling the agency’s creator-led offering. With the creator economy rapidly evolving, what do you see as the next frontier for creator partnerships? Where are brands still getting it wrong, and what opportunities are they missing?
It’s a big question, but the shift is clear: creators are moving from media channels to owners—of their audience, their IP and their commercial value. That demands a new level of respect from brands.
At the same time, we’re seeing the rise of the superfan economy, with more brands treating creators as long-term partners and building value over time, rather than through one-off campaigns. We have been talking about this for years and it’s easier said than done.
I also think it is about giving creators the space to create. You often see content where the creative and the comms feel disconnected, and that’s usually because they are.
Finally, we always talk about the basics: are they right for the brand, the brief, and is the partnership genuinely authentic? This is so important, because when it’s not right, it’s obvious. Audiences are too sophisticated to be fooled.
