We know you’ve missed us. Influencer Chronicles is back with its #8 edition.
January was anything but boring: Kendall’s Super Bowl mic-drop, Addison’s lucky denim era, and the “death” of the luxury influencer trip. Plus, Instagram finally handed you the keys to the algorithm and we found a Norwegian lighthouse keeper who gave the best (silent) advice on the FYP. The perfect mid-day scroll starts right here. Enjoy.
On the radar
BET ON THE KENDALL KURSE
Kendall Jenner is leaning all the way into the lore. The model stars in Fanatics Sportsbook’s Super Bowl campaign, playfully addressing the “Kardashian Kurse” that’s long haunted her athlete’s ex-boyfriends. Rather than dodging the discourse, the ad flips it into a self-aware moment, with Kendall owning the drama and poking fun at her past. By embracing the meme and holding herself “accountable,” the campaign taps directly into sports fans’ humour while proving that sometimes the best move is betting on self-awareness.
ADDISON RAE GETS LUCKY
Addison Rae is putting her name on denim with Lucky Brand’s latest drop, The Addison Jeans. The collab leans into her all-American, off-duty cool, blending nostalgic denim energy with her modern influencer reach. By centring the launch around a signature silhouette, Lucky is betting on Addison’s ability to turn personal style into cultural currency – and reminding everyone that creator-led fashion isn’t slowing down anytime soon, especially when it feels this natural. KATSEYE TAKE TWO
If something works once, why not run it back? Gap’s viral Better in Denim campaign featuring Katseye helped the brand regain fashion credibility. Now laneige is tapping into that same momentum with a Juice Pop Lip Tint “music video,” released just eight days ago and already pulling over 1 million views on YouTube. The play feels familiar but effective, blending pop-star energy with product storytelling.
Katseye’s influence is proving repeatable and when culture clicks this cleanly, repetition reads as strategy, not saturation.
Topics of the month
IS THIS THE END OF INFLUENCER TRIPS?
L’Oréal Paris UK’s Glacier Glitch campaign hints at a shift away from traditional influencer trips as we know them. Instead of flying creators out for highly curated brand experiences, the activation leaned into a more playful, digital-first approach where from the seven guests, six were L’Orealistar community members and one was a competition winner. This was a loyalty rewards system.
As audiences grow more sceptical of luxury trips and overly polished brand moments, campaigns like this suggest brands’ focus is moving toward scalable, content-led activations that feel lighter, more accessible, and easier to justify both creatively and culturally.
LinkedIn isn’t just for job posts anymore, it’s quietly becoming a major stage for creators and brands alike. In 2026, more influencers are using it to build authority, share expert video content, and connect with professional audiences in ways that feel more substantive than a typical social feed.
What’s new this year is that LinkedIn isn’t just a B2B playground – it’s where creator credibility meets measurable marketing outcomes.
Instagram is finally handing users the steering wheel. Since beginning testing the feature in October last year, the platform officially rolled out “Your Algorithm” to all English-speaking users this January. The update lets people actively add or remove topics they want to see more (or less) of in their Reels, shifting control away from a recommendation system. It’s a small but significant move toward personalisation, giving users more agency over what shapes their scrolling experience and a subtle reminder that the algorithm isn’t as untouchable as it seemed.
McKenna has become a FYP fixture thanks to a very specific formula: robes, razor-sharp one-liners, and baddie energy. What began with viewers clocking her resemblance to Ratatouille’s Colette quickly evolved into a persona, complete with catch phrases like “my son” and “tha frik,” and her way of putting her husband firmly in his place… the corner.
What makes McKenna stand out isn’t just the humour, but how consistently she shows up in the comments, turning every post into an ongoing conversation.
Why should you follow her?
McKenna feels refreshingly unpolished in a feed full of overproduced creators. She doesn’t have Instagram, hasn’t launched a brand partnership, and yet built a fiercely engaged community purely through personality.
Paal feels like someone you weren’t meant to find on TikTok. He appears to work at a lighthouse in Norway and films himself outside in extreme wind, calmly giving “advice” on everything from motivational quotes to beauty tips.
The catch? You can’t hear a single word he’s saying.
Every video is the same: wind, silence, Paal talking. The joke is never explained, and that’s why it works. Viewers fill in the blanks, turning the comments into the punchline. Even brands and creators have joined in, thanking him for the “wisdom” they definitely didn’t hear.
Why should you follow him? Because in a feed full of noise, Paal says absolutely nothing. And somehow that says everything.
Spill the tea
1. Benito wins, Sabrina reacts
When Bad Bunny took home Album of the Year at the Grammys, the real viral moment wasn’t his speech it was Sabrina Carpenter’s reaction. The camera caught her licking her lips and visibly reacting from the audience, instantly turning her into meme material. Fans ran with it, dubbing her the most relatable person in the room and proving once again that award shows are just as much about reactions as trophies.
2. Beckham fall out goes public
Brooklyn Beckham just turned a quiet unfollow into a full-blown family headline that’s led to thousands of memes. After fans noticed he’d removed his famous parents from Instagram, Brooklyn addressed the tension and the internet is split: some see a son setting boundaries, others see a messy overshare from someone born into extreme privilege. Either way, it’s a reminder that even the most polished families can crack behind the scenes.
3. The Wicked snub
Talk about a plot twist. After Wicked scooped up 10 Oscar nominations last year, its sequel Wicked: For Good was completely shut out this awards season. Fans were quick to sound off, flooding socials with disbelief and side-eye, especially given Ariana and Cynthia’s iconic Oscars opening last year. This time around? No nominations, no appearance, no love. The sudden shut-out has left fans stunned and the theatre kids are not okay.
What have we learned?
CULTURE BEATS NOVELTY
Flashy ideas don’t guarantee impact; cultural resonance does. Whether it’s Katseye reappearing across brands or nostalgia-driven campaigns finding new life, what’s working right now is familiarity done well. Audiences respond when brands tap into moments they already care about, rather than forcing something new for the sake of innovation.
There’s something epic about tapping into nostalgia pop culture moments. And nowadays, that means you’re reaching not only those who lived it back then, but also all the new generations that obsess about it so much.
COMMUNITY FIRST MOMENTS
Big brand moments, are becoming less about spectacle and more about shared participation. What’s resonating right now are ideas that invite audiences into the experience rather than placing it out of reach. Campaigns like L’Oréal’s recent Glacier Glitch, where community engagement matters more than who was flown where. The takeaway is clear. Cultural impact now comes from belonging, not access.
MAKE THEM WANT IT
As seen by the personalization of Reels, audiences are calling the shots. In a world overflowing with content, attention is earned, not demanded. The brands and creators that win aren’t the loudest they’re the ones people choose to engage with, share, and return to. If your content isn’t something people actively want, no algorithm will save it but when it resonates, it spreads on its own.
