Creator company Whalar Group opened its doors to a newly-built co-working and production space in Los Angeles for creators in February. Named The Lighthouse, it’s not exactly a school, but not exactly an office either. For Whalar, the intention is to gather creators in one place and see what comes of it, whether that’s business ventures, funding or other creative pursuits, explained Neil Waller, co-founder and co-CEO of Whalar Group.

“Now, a week after when the space is open, I just see people talking to each other and agreeing to do things with each other just by the nature of being around each other,” Waller said in late February. “It’s literally everything we could have like dreamt of coming to fruition.”

The Lighthouse is a members-only place for creators to connect with fellow creators, work on attracting brand partnerships and access professional resources. That’s why Whalar sees it as akin to a university campus that aims to not just provide a networking and production ground for creators, but also act as a vehicle for brands to recruit talent — and prove that all these services under one roof can work as a business.

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The creator economy is taking a closer look at creator affiliate programs, giving them more scrutiny than before. The move follows creator pushback against Honey, a PayPal-owned browser extension, after reports broke late last year that the company was allegedly skimming creators’ affiliate revenue.

Honey, which finds coupon codes for online shopping, was exposed by YouTuber MegaLag for allegedly hijacking affiliate links from creators and using its own (even in cases where it wasn’t a better deal). This has since resulted in class action lawsuits from several creators including YouTubers Legal Eagle and GamersNexus, against the browser extension, claiming that Honey is taking affiliate revenue that belonged to creators.

It’s not just Honey. Other companies including Microsoft and Capital One are facing similar claims regarding their browser extensions through Microsoft Shopping and Capital One Shopping. Now creator and legal experts expect to see greater scrutiny to these affiliate partnerships and changes to influencer contracts and agreements to include more protections to mitigate risk — on both the brand and creator sides. While some creator agreements already include morals clauses or similar terms for exit deals if a brand engages in disreputable conduct, there’s more interest from creators today for those terms. PayPal, Microsoft and Capital One did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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The creator economy is still growing rapidly but that growth isn’t always a benefit to creators.

It’s already difficult to maintain a living as a full-time creator — even more so in recent years as new creators continue to flood the market. An estimated 3% of the U.S. population in 2022 was considered an influencer, up from about 2% in 2020, per influencer marketing platform Influencity — with places like New York (6.45% of its population considered an influencer) and California (5.42% of its population considered an influencer) leading in influencer density in the state.

Meanwhile, influencer agency Neoreach found that only around 15% of 2,000 creators surveyed in 2023 made more than $100,000 per year, and about 69% made less than $50,000 annually. Some 48% made less than $15,000 per year, per the company’s data. Given the competitive landscape as well as an uncertain economic market and the stability of platforms like TikTok, some creators are considering re-joining the traditional workforce for more stability.

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Marketers can’t just check the influencer box on a campaign these days — it’s not enough to have influencers in the mix. Brands need the right influencers for them.

That’s what Black-owned digital media network Culture Genesis has been pitching to brands: A targeted, engaged audience through a network of multicultural and Black creators that are already successful on YouTube. Creators like YouTuber LaLa Milan (422K YouTube subscribers and 3.9 million Instagram followers) and streamer Kai Cenat (with 12 million YouTube subscribers and 13 million Instagram followers) work with Culture Genesis; the agency’s creators make content for brands like Ford and Dove. Now the company hopes it can replicate that growth in its creator strategy with the launch of a new content network dedicated to South Asian creators, called HYPHEN8.

“We are copy pasting … from Culture Genesis, where you’ll see that they follow this exact pattern,” said Joey Mullick, partner at Skara Ventures, an investor of Culture Genesis. (Sean Kilbane, current chief strategy officer at Skara, will also serve as the network’s interim CEO.)

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Publicis on Tuesday said it plans to acquire Brazil-based influencer marketing company BR Media Group, and its network of some 500,000 creators.

With another holding company acquiring an influencer marketing shop, it seems the creator mergers and acquisitions market is still hot. WPP bought influencer agencies Village Marketing in 2022 and Goat in 2023; Stagwell purchased Leaders last year and rolled the agency into Stagwell Marketing Cloud’s tech suite.

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Pending regulatory approval, the Publicis deal is expected to close in late March 2025. While financial terms were not made available, this acquisition would build on a growing influencer division for Publicis, which also acquired influencer company Influential last year.

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Not every creator will end up with a media empire like Mr. Beast’s and score a lucrative streaming deal — but maybe they don’t have to go that route.

Thanks to a variety of revenue streams, be it a product line or brand sponsorships, creators can supplement the ad revenue they generate from posting content to social media platforms. Now with content studios (and some agencies) offering new ways for creators to monetize existing content or produce original creator series for social or connected TV — they can up their content distribution and negotiate more extensive partnerships with brands.

Founded in 2007, production company London Alley, which has produced commercials for Smirnoff and Bose, is developing original creator content through its digital studio that seeks to fill a new space of “indie television” on YouTube, said Ryan Horrigan, president of London Alley Studios. By producing long-form episodic content with creators who come with an established audience (in the millions, per Horrigan) on platforms like YouTube or TikTok, Horrigan believes creators and brands can go beyond the traditional model of selling shows to streaming platforms.

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Instagram Reels might be the current closest social media experience to TikTok, but can it seize upon its competitor’s stumble in the U.S. to overtake a major rival?

Reels is similar in user experience and content to TikTok, which puts the Meta app in a strong position as the ByteDance-owned app remains in flux. But Instagram will have to lure more Gen Z users as it combats an aging user base and convince advertisers to continue investing in Reels despite some seeing costs increase. Instagram is already the largest part of Meta’s ad business, and if it can seize this opportunity to upsell advertisers — will users still flock there instead of TikTok?

Both TikTok and Instagram draw younger audiences compared to Facebook, with 62% of 18- to 29-year-olds in the U.S. saying they use TikTok, while 78% of the same age group use Instagram, per Pew Research Center. Americans ages 30 to 49 use LinkedIn, WhatsApp and Facebook at higher rates. A brand’s consideration comes down to where its audience is, said Mark Lodwick, director of marketing at Intuit Mailchimp. Lodwick has found “TikTok [being] great for reaching millennials and Gen Z.”

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The lines between entertainment catered to social media versus sit-down TV may be blurring more than ever, especially as more creators straddle the two worlds.

As creators roll out more episodic content and series, major marketers are inking longer-term deals to puts ads on those series and expand content beyond ad hoc creator partnerships and to invest in creators and their audiences. Advertisers like Match Group (with series like “The Connection Experience”), Amazon (“Boy Room”) and Walmart (“Add to Heart”) are among those already working with creators on longer-term series.

There are also cost advantages when working with creators more long-term, according to agencies, and beyond that brands can get more sustained return on their content strategies rather than banking on one-off posts or hoping for viral moments. When it comes to long-term, creators might be partnered for a series of social posts or videos and contracted for a longer duration of a campaign. If they are producing a show or starring in one, they might be signing agreements or contracts like actors.

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Snapchat is vying for ad dollars dedicated to creators, touting monetization tools and its Gen Z audience — but three agency execs say they are not seeing dollars move over just yet.

There is money on the table for TikTok rivals right now, given the roller coaster of TikTok’s status in the U.S. But Snapchat will have to convince marketers that it can reach beyond its mostly Gen Z or Gen Alpha audience to win over any amount of substantial dollars from its competitors like Meta’s Instagram and Google’s YouTube.

Snapchat revealed in its Q4 earnings yesterday that the creator content had grown year-over-year by 40%. The platform postured itself to marketers as a unique place for creators at last week’s 2025 ANA Creator Marketing Conference, where Brooke Berry, head of creator development at Snap and Francis Roberts, global head of public figures at Snap, boasted in a panel discussion about the variety of ad formats and types of creator content they see across all different parts of the funnel in working with advertisers like Priceline and Celsius Energy Drink.

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Marketers are integrating creators into their Super Bowl plans not just during the Big Game but in the run-up and after this year. Last year, creators like Addison Rae and Charli D’Amelio, broke into the Super Bowl by appearing in Big Game ads. This year, creators are hosting live events, rallying fans online and staying at creator-only houses to make content and attract brand deals.

Super Bowl LIX is not only a competitive night for the teams — the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles will face off Feb. 9 on Fox at the Caesars Superdome in New Orleans — but for advertisers. A 30-second ad can now top some $8 million in 2025 — surpassing $7 million for the same type of spot in 2024.

Creators and brands have to find more ways to stand out in a period of content overload and ensure their investments still pay off. It’s a difficult task in a more fragmented digital landscape and an important moment for creators as the continuously-looming TikTok ban continues to change the creator economy.

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While TikTok’s status in the U.S. still hangs in the balance, agencies are already shifting the way they recruit creators and develop strategies for their creator campaigns moving forward.

Now even as marketers warily resume their influencer marketing spending, agencies feel pressured to put more emphasis on creators’ multi-platform presence and flexibility in their advertiser contracts. It will no longer be enough for creators to have a million followers on any single platform.

“It kind of makes you think a little bit more deeply about … each and every deliverable [and] the way we go about future campaigns, as well,” said Ria Madon, senior director of creator partnerships at social media agency Superdigital. “Moving forward, [the focus is] working with creators who have diversified their platforms and have similar reach on all platforms, versus just one or the other — it’s affecting that thought process across the board for me.”

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The cloud of TikTok’s uncertain future is still lingering.

Some marketers are forging ahead on TikTok creator campaigns after its brief shutdown this month, albeit warily, given the app’s unclear future. Others are maintaining their strategies as if a ban is still in effect and limiting their long-term campaigns as they consider the various twists and turns happening around the ByteDance-owned platform.

“We are still seeing deals come through as usual, but some brands are focusing on other platforms outside of TikTok at the moment because of the long-term uncertainty,” said Ali Grant, co-CEO of influencer agency The Digital Department. “Once TikTok was inoperable in the U.S., we received emails about moving campaigns to alternate platforms. But as we know, that was short-lived.”

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By now, spotting influencers in major ads and at events is all but mainstream — but what if artificial intelligence allowed influencers to tap into old-school product placement without actually having to shoot in person with brands?

Imagine seeing more seamless product placements across movies and TV shows that are more story-driven and adaptable to various pieces of content, where brands get virtually inserted onto products, backgrounds or signage in post-production. New AI-backed virtual product placement tools, such as Mirriad, Ryff and Inshorts, can add an election billboard to a movie scene or edit in clothes in the background of a creator’s lifestyle videos without the talent or creators actually featuring those products in the filming. Brands from Hallmark to Univision have been testing this product placement method since 2020.

With these platforms, brands can make product placements far more natural-looking and scalable now — and the hope is this technology can bridge the gap in the world of product placement and simultaneously boost influencer content across channels. For example, Mirriad included its virtual product placement in 2024 TV Upfronts. South Korean ad company Inshorts last year also applied its AI digital product placement to drama “Maestra.”

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We want to hear your thoughts on the potential TikTok ban. Take our brief survey.

For years, TikTok creators have been trying to migrate their audiences onto other platforms — but were relatively subtle about their efforts, both due to fears that TikTok’s algorithm suppresses attempts to move users off the app and because of TikTok users’ distaste toward manipulative content.

But now, as the U.S. forges ahead with its TikTok ban that’s approaching a Jan. 19 deadline, creators have gone mask-off, growing more proactive and more explicit with their attempts to divert fans off of TikTok as a ban or sale becomes a likely reality. Even though moving followers over onto another social network isn’t easy, it shouldn’t immediately disrupt many brand deals.

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The creator economy is gearing up for significant change over the next year — from the rise of AI and creator-founded businesses to the growth of long-term brand partnerships and embrace of long-form content.

As a whole, the creator economy continues to significantly transform, moving beyond simple influencer marketing to a more complex and integrated ecosystem. All signs point to the maturation of influencer marketing, as brands and creators move toward long-term brand ambassador programs replacing one-off influencer collaborations.

As more business opportunities emerge for creators, the industry is also seeing an increase in entrepreneurial opportunities for them — whether it’s starting their own brands and storefronts to hiring talent agents as they scale. By the start of the year, there may be a potential shakeup in the social media landscape as TikTok nears its ban-or-sale deadline.

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It’s unsurprising that more teenagers aspire to become influencers, given how many grew up watching TikTok stars like Charli D’Amelio and Ariana Greenblatt go from social media to the big screen.

During this year’s U.S. presidential election, we saw greater interest from candidate Kamala Harris to engage Gen Z through TikTok trends like “brat” summer. Many major creators have also expanded beyond social apps to launch careers in acting, music or starting other businesses.

These are the first cohorts to grow up as digital natives, so they daydream about being creators, explained Alyssa Stevens, global director of PR, social media and influencer marketing at independent agency Connelly Partners.

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AI-generated avatars are further blurring the lines of reality as more life-like characters and animations are integrated into social media and digital platforms.

It’s now possible to generate avatars in minutes using audio, images or videos and produce content with hundreds of different backgrounds, outfits, tones and languages or gestures. But do you as a marketer aim for realism or steer clear of the uncanny valley? Increasingly, they are trying to balance the quirky with the realistic in an avatar’s look and feel to strike the right tone.

The uncanny valley refers to an unease or negative response (that creepy vibe) we feel when encountering something that seems almost human — but it feels off. Think early forms of generative AI-designed avatars that look like a real person, but has no eye movement, or a digital representation that looks exactly like an influencer, but is lacking natural movement or features.

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With TikTok’s potential U.S. looming ban as early as January, creators and agencies are split: some see it as inevitable, while others are convinced it won’t stick.

The rift has simmered since TikTok’s future was first questioned but has only intensified as the stakes climb — highlighted by the Supreme Court’s decision this week (Dec. 19) to take up the app’s appeal against a U.S. law that could pull the plug next month. 

As organizations put contingency plans in place, some creators and marketers say they aren’t all that worried about TikTok getting pulled. 

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Influencer companies have been muscling into the talent management business recently — and now they’re hoping to make use of artificial intelligence and connected TV gimmicks to entice talent managers and brands to broker more creator deals on their platforms.

Two agency groups have recently added new services to expand their share of this growing corner of influencer marketing as the channel continues to grow and mature. This momentum is largely driven by an evolving creator business and the increasing need for all-in-one platforms to manage the various communications and business management aspects of the talent, deal negotiations, pitches and campaign measurement.

There’s a lot to gain if these players can attract talent agents, brands and creators to adopt their technology — the increase of scale on creators and campaigns, as well as a larger pool of relevant data. The talent industry is booming too, with certain platforms looking ripe for acquisition, coupled with growing creator opportunities in social media revenue-sharing models and streaming services expanding their partnerships. The global celebrity talent management market size was estimated at more than $15 billion in 2021 and expected to exceed some $20 billion by 2027, according to 360 Research Reports.

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A month after Spotify introduced plans to attach videos to its podcasts in 2025, creators and experts are yet to be convinced.

They point to missing features, like social engagement and creator monetization incentives, that will ultimately get marketers and the creator community invested in the new product and allow Spotify to compete with other platforms in the space.

Spotify in November introduced new video offerings aimed at growing its creator monetization programs. It includes dynamic video podcasts in some countries, TikTok-like podcast clips, a new creator partner program with video and ad revenue share and a streamlined platform. While Spotify has had a creator partner program, the incoming premium video revenue allows creators in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Australia to earn a revenue share on videos from Spotify Premium subscribers starting in January 2025. Pricing for this inventory was not made public.

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