How Community And Commerce Are Fueling Marketing’s Next Gen
Meet the next generation of marketing visionaries shaping the campaigns of today and redefining the rules of branding.
By Alison Bowen, Genevieve Bookwalter and McKenna Leavens
“Human-to-human connection has always been a core pillar of our success,” says Avante Price, 24, who dropped out of NYU to launch Posh—a platform that lets users discover events, connect with other attendees, and even host their own. Price cofounded the startup with cofounder Eli Taylor-Lemire, 24, in 2020, and has since built the app to 6 million users by promoting events—from dinner parties to massive music festivals. Posh has powered more than $300 million in ticket sales since its inception, bringing the startup $10 million in 2024 revenue—it takes a 10% cut on every ticket sold.
Posh’s blend of community and commerce captures the theme of this year’s Under 30 Marketing & Advertising class of founders and marketing leaders turning fast-moving technologies into new engines of creativity and connection. As the boundaries between tech, entertainment and advertising blur, these innovators are building tools, platforms and campaigns that reflect how people actually engage with brands today.
Some are leveraging AI to reimagine the creative process. At Rella, cofounders Natalie Barbu, 29, Natacha Bomparte, 26, Connor Boyce, 27, and Nick Kane, 27, created Ella, an in-house AI creative assistant that helps influencers and marketing teams brainstorm, plan and analyze campaigns. Similarly, Gabriel Adzich, 28, and Adam Rodriguez, 26, at WKNDHRS use their AI platform to generate more than 1,000 client requests monthly – including content, designs and photoshoots – fueling a company that’s already surpassed $5 million in revenue. And Brennen Bliss, 26, founder of Propellic, is using AI to help clients like travel guide company Frommers and travel research company Phocuswright win the social media algorithms that increasingly shape how consumers discover content.
Others are breaking ground inside established brands. Terenze Coleman, 29, the first U.S. marketing hire at Musicow, is leading IP marketing—helping artists and labels build and monetize the intellectual property of their music. Donny Brock, 28, marketing design manager for the Seattle Seahawks, generated over 1 million engagements for the team’s 2025 NFL Draft campaign (a visual guide across social media that helped fans understand a team’s draft picks in an engaging way) redefining how sports franchises use social storytelling to build community. And at Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS, Scott Lloyd, 29, led the company’s international growth from four to 32 countries in just one year. Plus, he leads campaigns featuring high-profile partnerships with Dolce & Gabbana, The North Face, Roberto Cavalli and Team USA.
In traditional media, innovation is coming from the inside out. Alexandra Cooney, 29, is the youngest Senior Director on Condé Nast’s global sales team. Her biggest claim to fame: taking eBay—previously a net-zero advertiser for the publishing giant—and transforming it into the most successful partnership in Condé’s history.
This new class of creative entrepreneurs is shaping brand identity and what it means to connect with consumers. Together, these Under 30 leaders illustrate a generational shift in how brands are connecting with audiences. Whether through AI-driven campaigns, immersive social experiences or TikTok videos, they are proving that innovation isn’t just about technology – but about connecting with your audience and understanding the consumer.
This 2026 list features founders, brand engagement leaders and CMOs redefining the marketing and advertising space. All candidates must have been 29 or younger as of December 31, 2025, and never before named to a Europe, North America or Asia 30 Under 30 list.
To select the 2025 honorees, Forbes collected nominations from Under 30 alumni and the public, conducted our own research and tapped the expertise of independent judges: William White, CMO of Walmart; DonYé Taylor, Founder and CEO of Taylored Consulting and Forbes 30 Under 30 2023 lister; Tamera Ferro, CMO of Sol De Janeiro and Asad Ayaz, CMO of Disney. Of those named to the final list, 33% identify as people of color, 51% are women or non-binary folks, and 64% are founders.
This year’s list was edited by Alison Bowen, Genevieve Bookwalter and McKenna Leavens. For a link to our complete 2026 30 Under 30 Marketing & Advertising list, click here, and for full 2026 30 Under 30 coverage, click here.
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