How the SPAM girlies became the internet’s new power players

If you've spent more than five minutes on social media today, chances are you've been influenced. A viral campaign that you reposted, a product you looked up and immediately added to cart, the trend everyone seems to be talking about—none of it happened by accident. Behind the internet's most talked-about moments is a generation of women turning online culture into a full-time job.

Meet the women in SPAM, a shorthand for social media, PR, advertising, and marketing. While the name may sound tongue-in-cheek at first, the cultural shift behind it is very real. Because somewhere between brand campaigns, trend forecasting, creator partnerships, crisis management, meme culture, and viral launches, the “marketing girlie” has become one of the most influential people online.

What started as a playful internet label has quickly become a recognisable identity for an entire generation of women working behind the scenes of digital culture. The SPAM girlies are the ones deciding what feels aspirational, what becomes a trend, what turns into discourse, and sometimes, what the internet collectively obsesses over for an entire week.

The work behind the scroll

The term, popularised by creative strategist Laura Cameron, feels less like a fleeting social media phrase and more like overdue recognition for industries largely powered by women. For years, careers in PR, communications, social strategy, and marketing were often dismissed as jobs people struggled to explain outside of work. Now, those same industries sit at the centre of how brands communicate and survive online.

And contrary to popular belief, the role is far more layered than simply “running Instagram.”

Women in SPAM are building brand identities in real time. They are managing reputations during internet pile-ons, translating niche online humour into million-dollar campaigns, identifying trends before they hit the mainstream, and understanding audiences in ways algorithms still cannot fully replicate. They are no longer just selling products; they are shaping the way culture moves online.

The rise of soft skills

Part of the reason women continue to thrive in these industries comes down to skills that have historically been underestimated in corporate spaces. Empathy, emotional intelligence, intuition, communication, and relationship-building are often labelled as “soft skills,” but in the world of media and marketing, they are some of the most valuable tools you can have. Understanding people has become just as important as understanding performance metrics.

The SPAM era also reflects how dramatically the industry itself has evolved. PR became communications. Advertising became content strategy. Community management became audience development. The job titles may keep changing, but the core of the work remains the same: understanding culture quickly enough to shape it before everyone else catches on.

And while women continue to dominate these spaces creatively, leadership gaps still exist. That said, there is a visible shift underway, with more women stepping into founder roles, creative leadership positions, and decision-making spaces across agencies, media, and brand strategy.

The rise of women in SPAM feels bigger than another fleeting internet trend because it captures something very real about the way culture functions today. Behind almost every viral campaign, carefully crafted brand voice, internet moment, or celebrity launch is a woman quietly orchestrating the conversation. The “marketing girlie” is no longer just a meme archetype; she is one of the coolest people out there, and you should definitely get to know her! 

Lead Image: IMDb

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