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- Influence Weekly #386 - Meta Expands Threads Ads Globally To All Advertisers
Influence Weekly #386 - Meta Expands Threads Ads Globally To All Advertisers
Major Creator Economy Events In June 2025
Nii Ahene
April 25, 2025
Spotlight Stories
Meta Expands Threads Ads Globally To All Advertisers
MrBeast Sues Former Employee For Downloading Confidential Info, Hidden Camera Installation
FTC Trial Uncovers Zuckerberg’s 2018 Memo Considering Instagram Spinoff Amid Antitrust Fears
Major Creator Economy Events In June 2025
Upcoming Webinar
We all know that creators have large audiences digitally, but few brands know how to leverage these audiences to drive in-person activations. That's why we've partnered with Sundae Collective and their client ecobee to discuss the strategic intersection of digital influence and live events.
In this conversation, we will explore how ecobee transformed their approach to event marketing by building a creator-centric activation strategy that generated measurable ROI. Ecobee’s Director of Corporate Communications, Samantha Evans, will share firsthand insights on how they turned one-time event investments into ongoing content opportunities that resonated with both in-person and digital audiences.
Why this matters for your brand:
Create genuine brand-audience connections that digital-only campaigns can't match
Generate authentic content that outperforms studio-produced assets
Turn one-day events into months of marketing content
What you'll walk away with:
Actionable templates to identify perfect creator partners
Proven tactics to create content opportunities creators want to join
Measurement frameworks that connect creator activations to actual business results
Spaces are limited. Register now to secure your complimentary spot - even if you can't attend live, you'll receive the replay.
→ Save your spot for May 8th, 2025 for 12:30 PM Eastern Time/9:30 am Pacific Time by Registering Here
Great Reads
Meta announced the global expansion of advertising on its Threads platform to all eligible advertisers worldwide, following months of limited testing in select markets, including the United States and Japan.
The expansion grants advertisers access to Threads’ growing user base of over 320 million monthly active users. While ad placement is immediately available to all advertisers, Meta confirmed that ad delivery will initially occur in select markets before gradually expanding to additional regions.
The company is implementing the new ad placement within Threads feeds as a default setting for all new ad campaigns utilizing either Meta’s Advantage+ or Manual Placements. Advertisers opting for Manual Placements retain the ability to opt out of the Threads feed specifically.
MrBeast, the popular YouTuber and business mogul, has filed a lawsuit against a former employee for allegedly misappropriating trade secrets and installing hidden cameras in company offices. The lawsuit claims the ex-employee, Leroy Nabors, downloaded over 1,000 confidential files containing business strategies, financial data, and employee information before his termination.
During an internal probe, multiple hidden cameras were discovered in Beast Industries' offices, which MrBeast believes Nabors controlled access to. With around 350 employees and $473 million in revenue last year, MrBeast's company is seeking to raise capital at a $5 billion valuation. The creator has been involved in previous legal disputes as his business rapidly expands across media production, consumer products, and restaurants. MrBeast is pursuing damages and an injunction to recover all proprietary information from Nabors.
June is gearing up to be a busy month for the creator economy, with major events lined up across the globe. From SXSW's European debut in London to Cannes Lions' new Creator Lions awards, the industry's top conferences offer unparalleled networking and learning opportunities.
Key events include SXSW London (June 2-7) featuring speakers like Sir Demis Hassabis and Idris Elba, Cannes Lions (June 16-20) with new creator categories recognizing influencer-led work, TBEX North America in Quebec City focused on travel creators (June 16-19), VidCon Anaheim (June 19-21) for online video creators and professionals, and the decentralized Tech Week across New York City (June 2-8) organized by a16z. As the creator economy continues evolving rapidly, these marquee gatherings provide invaluable chances for brands, talent, and industry leaders to connect, gain insights, and drive innovation forward.
A newly revealed 2018 memo from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg considered spinning off Instagram as a separate company due to growing antitrust concerns. The document emerged during Zuckerberg's testimony in the ongoing Federal Trade Commission (FTC) trial seeking to unwind Meta's acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp.
The core disagreement centers on how to define Meta's competitive market, with the FTC arguing Meta maintains a monopoly in personal social networking, while Meta claims major platforms like TikTok and YouTube are competitors.
High stakes include potentially being forced to divest Instagram and WhatsApp if the FTC prevails. Internal messages show Zuckerberg recognized acquiring promising platforms bought time before rivals reached similar scale. The trial's outcome could reshape Meta's business model relying heavily on Instagram's revenue contribution.
Upcoming Webinar
Join us on April 30th at 5 PM Pacific/8 PM Eastern for an exclusive strategy session with Creative Strategist, UGC expert and coach Salha Aziz, who built a six-figure business working with over 150 brands including Doordash, Amazon, and Dial in less than two years.
While most UGC advice for aspiring creators focuses on pitching, Salha reveals why your content quality and portfolio strategy matter more than your pitch. She'll share the "hidden rule" that successful creators use to find premium clients while everyone else competes for scraps.
In This Complimentary Session You'll discover:
The roadmap from beginner to earning $100K+
How to create effective content that brands will keep coming back for
The platform where top brands are actively hiring UGC creators
Storytelling techniques that transform beginner UGC creators into $500+ creators
Perfect for aspiring creators, those struggling to land consistent clients, or anyone looking to learn more about this exciting part of the creator economy.
This interactive session includes live Q&A throughout, ensuring your specific questions get answered.
Spaces are limited. Register now to secure your spot - even if you can't attend live, you'll receive the replay.
→ Save your spot for April 30th, 2025 for 5:00 pm Pacific Time/8 PM Eastern Time by Registering Here
Campaign Insights
A trendsetting streetwear collaboration between BAPE and KidSuper has launched at Fall/Winter 2025 Paris Fashion Week, featuring prominent Twitch creators Kai Cenat and RayAsianBoy alongside KidSuper founder Colm Dillane. The partnership reinterprets BAPE's iconic designs through KidSuper's artistic lens, introducing the SUPER CAMO pattern that transforms the signature ABC Camo with psychedelic face motifs.
For Dillane, this collaboration represents a full-circle career moment, having sold t-shirts to customers waiting in BAPE lines during his high school years. The collection inaugurates BAPE Collective, a new platform for creative partnerships that BAPE CEO Mahmoud El Salahy describes as "co-creation" rather than traditional collaboration. Beyond apparel, the campaign includes reimagined footwear, custom jewelry from Brooklyn's Fluorescent Treasures & Co., and packaging designed as collectible graphic novels.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
YouTube reports virtual creators have gone mainstream, generating over 50 billion views annually across videos, livestreams, and short-form content. Four categories have emerged - VTubers, gaming virtual creators, virtual artists, and virtual humans - enabled by accessible platform infrastructure, technology tools, and audience receptivity. While synthetic, these personas maintain authentic human connections by allowing fuller creative expression.
For brands and creators, virtual creation represents an established archetype with lowering barriers to entry and an increasingly blurred line between subculture and mainstream adoption driven by internet acceleration. The phenomenon builds on nearly three decades of development, with recent milestones including AI-powered virtual creators.YouTube reports virtual creators have gone mainstream, generating over 50 billion views annually across videos, livestreams, and short-form content. Four categories have emerged - VTubers, gaming virtual creators, virtual artists, and virtual humans - enabled by accessible platform infrastructure, technology tools, and audience receptivity.
While synthetic, these personas maintain authentic human connections by allowing fuller creative expression. For brands and creators, virtual creation represents an established archetype with lowering barriers to entry and an increasingly blurred line between subculture and mainstream adoption driven by internet acceleration. The phenomenon builds on nearly three decades of development, with recent milestones including AI-powered virtual creators.
Fintech marketplace Cartex has established its Middle East headquarters in Dubai Internet City, featuring a dedicated Creator Hub designed specifically for digital content producers. The strategic location places Cartex alongside tech giants in a region rapidly emerging as a creator economy hotspot, with Dubai's thriving fintech sector and global talent pool being key factors in the decision. According to founder Murad Salikhov, the company's vision extends beyond payment solutions to "building the future of digital finance."
The Creator Hub offers purpose-built spaces for content creation, collaboration, and a creator's academy to support emerging talent. This development aligns with Dubai's broader ambitions to become a global creator economy center, complementing the UAE government's Creators HQ project that aims to attract 10,000 creators with incentives including a 10-year Golden Visa program.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
SAMY Alliance recently secured the coveted account to manage all influencer marketing activities for L'Oréal beauty brands in Italy. The win validates SAMY's data-driven "intelligence-first" approach powered by proprietary technology that precisely matches creators with brands. Founded in 2013, SAMY pioneered systematic creator classification and employs advanced AI like natural language processing to deeply analyze audiences, attitudes and behaviors. This informs strategic influencer selection tailored to each brand's objectives.
For L'Oréal Italy, SAMY providesend-to-end data measurement, strategy, innovation management and creative services working cross-functionally from their Milan office. SAMY's ShineBuzz algorithm identifies top creators, predicts campaign performance, and guides long-term ambassador partnerships rather than one-off promotions. The agency sees major opportunity in Italy given L'Oréal's brand power and the surging creator economy which is transforming influencers into powerful commerce engines. Other key trends shaping SAMY's approach include the rising trust in micro-influencers and combating "influencer marketing fatigue" through narrative storytelling co-created with creators over time. With this win, SAMY accelerates its growth focus in Europe's top influencer markets.
Coachella, the iconic music festival, has transformed into a "marketing mecca" where brands innovatively engage with fans and culture. High-profile activations from brands like State Farm, 818 Tequila, Neutrogena, and Pinterest aimed to create memorable experiences beyond just music.
From immersive venues like Red Bull's glass pyramid to experiential marketing moments like product launches, gifting suites, and photo ops, brands leveraged Coachella's influential audience and cultural significance. As live music festivals evolve into brand playgrounds, clever activations that authentically connect with fans are proving essential for standing out in the crowded marketing landscape.
RM11 is a new content monetization platform offering creators a 90% revenue share, enhanced privacy controls, and personalized support through a "luxury hotel" experience. Founded by Natalie May and with Marston Hefner as Category Manager, RM11 provides an exclusive invite-only space for creators across categories.
The platform focuses on creator empowerment, offering multiple monetization tools beyond subscriptions, stringent age verification, AI content moderation, and a premium user experience. Positioning itself as a creator-first platform destigmatizing adult content creation, RM11 aims to be a key player in the evolving creator economy by providing fair earnings, respect, and professional recognition for creators worldwide.
A novel approach to influencer marketing is gaining traction in the e-commerce space. ProductWind helps brands drive online sales by coordinating campaigns with thousands of micro-influencers to increase product visibility and sales velocity on retailer platforms like Amazon.
Their software identifies creators' strengths – whether driving traffic, generating content, or sharing opinions – and strategically releases their promotional activities in waves to signal growing popularity to retailer algorithms.
By focusing on key performance indicators like organic rankings, ad efficiency, and sales data, ProductWind aims to improve brands' "share of voice" and sales on e-commerce sites. As influencer marketing evolves, the company believes marketing to retailer algorithms will become essential for e-commerce success.
The Boston Consulting Group report reveals that well-executed "precision influencer marketing" campaigns driving tailored consumer engagements through deep understanding of shared interests and values are six times more efficient than traditional influencer efforts at reaching target shoppers.
Key points include identifying and engaging consumer "tribes" connected by passions and creating resonant content, utilizing data analytics, clear strategy, influencer screening, and effective measurement. While transformative, the approach requires an 18+ month implementation spanning assessments, pilot campaigns, scaling, and continuous improvement, progressively allocating 10-30%+ of digital media budget. Global coordination with regional execution via centers of excellence is recommended for large brands.
Interesting People
TikTok creator Adelaine Morin's $945 Nobu dining experience at Coachella has sparked intense backlash, highlighting growing tensions between influencer luxury and audience economic realities. The 27-year-old influencer with 1.1 million followers documented her premium sushi meal that cost $350 per person plus mandatory 22% gratuity, with additional charges for beverages including water and sake.
Despite the 50-minute time constraint for dining, Morin defended the experience as "worth it" for enjoying a "Michelin Star dinner" while watching performances. The post triggered emotional responses from viewers struggling financially, with comments like "I can barely afford groceries these days" - reflecting broader frustrations about festival pricing where general admission tickets already cost $600 before food expenses.
Cetaphil has launched a new campaign called "From Scratch to Soothe" to reintroduce its eczema care line Restoraderm and appeal to younger consumers. The campaign features model and TikTok influencer Nara Smith, whose public struggle with eczema sparked interest in the skin condition. Smith, who gained fame for her aspirational "tradwife" videos, will share her personal journey managing eczema through a holistic approach.
The brand aims to highlight its scientific expertise while connecting with Gen Z and Gen Alpha consumers through Smith's relatability. Accompanying Smith is dermatologist Dr. Camille Howard, bringing medical authority to the campaign. With a refreshed package design, immersive experiences, and influencer collaborations across TikTok and Instagram, Cetaphil hopes to regain market share in the competitive eczema care category.
The 'Thinking Crypto' podcast, founded by Tony Edward in 2017, has grown into a trusted source for professional cryptocurrency news and insights. With over 180,000 YouTube subscribers and 60,000 followers across audio platforms, it offers a multifaceted approach tailored to different consumption habits. At its core is a focus on fact-based coverage, interviews with industry leaders, and authentic in-depth conversations.
Tony's expertise in digital marketing, including SEO, strategic content distribution, and platform-specific adaptations, has been crucial to the podcast's growth. He envisions blockchain technology transforming the creator economy through content timestamping, new monetization models, and innovative applications of NFTs for audience engagement. As a pioneer in crypto podcasting, Tony aims to leave a lasting legacy of education in this space.
Prominent TikTok creator and podcast host Drew Afualo has signed with Creative Artists Agency (CAA) for representation. Afualo, with over 9.5 million followers across platforms, hosts two successful podcasts - "The Comment Section" exploring TikTok comments, and "Two Idiot Girls" co-hosted with her sister.
Her diverse income streams include a lucrative Spotify podcast deal worth $450,000 annually, bestselling memoir, and brand partnerships. Recognized by Forbes, Hollywood Reporter, and Time Magazine for her influence, Afualo has served as a host and correspondent at major entertainment events. CAA will represent her alongside her existing management team as she continues expanding her creator economy footprint.
Kanika Chadda-Gupta, a former CNN anchor and executive producer, has found success in the creator economy with her podcast "That's Total Mom Sense." Launched in 2019, the podcast features long-form interviews with figures like Chelsea Clinton and Kelly Rowland, providing wisdom and life lessons for time-starved parents. Chadda-Gupta leveraged her journalism expertise to create a professionally produced show, maintaining a disciplined weekly publishing schedule.
Her content strategy involves researching bestselling parenting books and monitoring social media for emerging voices. The podcast's business model relies on strategic partnerships, including collaborations with Meta, the White House, and major brands through the Mom 2.0 summit. While balancing content creation with raising three children, Chadda-Gupta has found personal fulfillment and is expanding her reach through new partnerships, aiming to consistently produce content inspired by personal experience.
Shannon Sharpe, the Hall of Fame football star turned media personality, is expected to sign a lucrative new podcast deal worth over $100 million. After his contract with The Volume network expired, Sharpe is fielding multiple offers for his popular "Club Shay Shay" and other shows under his Shay Shay Media umbrella.
His podcast success, especially on YouTube with his Katt Williams interview generating 89 million views, has made him a hot commodity. The anticipated deal signals the continued rise of podcaster earnings, projected to reach nearly $1 billion in 2025 and outpacing social media creator revenue growth.
President Trump's newly imposed tariffs on imports from China, Mexico and Canada are creating major challenges for content creators who run product-based businesses. Small businesses face soaring costs as tariff rates jumped unexpectedly, with some seeing rates increase from 20% to over 100% on goods from China. This is straining finances and operations, forcing some to take out loans or have inventory stuck overseas.
However, these tariff impacts could prompt brands to shift more marketing budgets towards the relatively lower-cost and high-ROI influencer marketing channel. While product-focused creators struggle, those offering pure entertainment content may benefit from increased brand partnership opportunities as companies re-evaluate their marketing mix in response to economic pressures from the tariffs.
Industry News
Netflix is exploring adding video podcasts to its streaming platform as part of its content diversification strategy. Co-CEO Ted Sarandos revealed this during the company's Q1 2025 earnings call, noting the growing popularity of the video podcast format. Industry data shows video podcast consumption reached 40% of U.S. users in 2024, up from 28% in 2022, while audio-only podcasts declined.
YouTube reported over 400 million hours of monthly podcast viewing on TV in 2024. As the creator economy expands, with U.S. podcast creator revenues projected to reach nearly $1 billion in 2025, outpacing social media growth, Netflix is tapping into this opportunity by experimenting with creator-led content partnerships. The potential move allows Netflix to diversify offerings and compete for viewers' entertainment time amid changing consumption habits.
Dubai has launched the "Beautiful Destinations Academy," touted as the world's first dedicated training program for travel content creators. The 12-week course, conducted in partnership with the Dubai Department of Economy & Tourism, aims to equip aspiring influencers with skills in photography, videography, editing, and content creation strategies. Four selected "creators in residence" will receive luxury accommodation, a salary, and access to exclusive locations in Dubai.
Participants will be mentored by industry experts and have their work featured on the Beautiful Destinations platform. Upon completion, they will receive a certificate from the Dubai College of Tourism. The program caters to the growing demand for travel influencer content, with 76% of bookings reportedly inspired by social media. Applications, requiring a 60-second video submission, are open until April 24.
Daniel Caldas, the founder of Caldas Ecom, has launched a platform to help high-profile creators and celebrities consolidate their income streams into a single owned platform. The "Techlith Monetization System" allows creators to integrate various revenue channels like gated content, products, courses, and consultations into one custom e-commerce website, boosting their revenue by 8-12% by eliminating third-party fees.
Caldas emphasizes the importance of creators owning their audience and distribution to future-proof their businesses against platform vulnerabilities. The system focuses on conversion optimization, data collection, and leverages tools like Shopify for scalability. With partnerships secured, Caldas envisions creators evolving into full-fledged brands through AI-powered efficiencies.
Meta's Threads app is expanding ads to all global advertisers after initially testing in select markets like the U.S. This allows eligible brands to reach Threads' over 320 million monthly active users. Advertisers gain an inventory filter to control ad placement sensitivity. Ads will be enabled by default for new campaigns using Meta's ad tools but can be opted out on manual placements.
The expansion signals Meta views Threads' community as robust enough for monetization and competition against Elon Musk's X platform. Meta leverages Instagram's network effects, fediverse integration, and mimicking rival features to rapidly scale Threads as it faces an antitrust trial that could force selling Instagram. CEO Mark Zuckerberg projects over 1 billion Threads users within years.Meta's Threads app is expanding ads to all global advertisers after initially testing in select markets like the U.S. This allows eligible brands to reach Threads' over 320 million monthly active users. Advertisers gain an inventory filter to control ad placement sensitivity.
Ads will be enabled by default for new campaigns using Meta's ad tools but can be opted out on manual placements. The expansion signals Meta views Threads' community as robust enough for monetization and competition against Elon Musk's X platform. Meta leverages Instagram's network effects, fediverse integration, and mimicking rival features to rapidly scale Threads as it faces an antitrust trial that could force selling Instagram. CEO Mark Zuckerberg projects over 1 billion Threads users within years.
Patreon is rolling out live streaming capabilities for select creators, allowing them to stream live video with integrated chat, moderation tools, and streaming software integration. Creators can offer streams to all members, paid subscribers only, or make recordings available for purchase.
This move targets the growing direct-to-fan market, where Patreon data shows creators earn significantly more revenue per fan compared to algorithm-dependent platforms like TikTok. As creator priorities shift toward community building and financial stability over metrics like follower counts, Patreon is positioning live streaming as a way to deepen fan connections and expand direct monetization opportunities amid growing disillusionment with algorithmic content platforms.
Omnicom Media Group is consolidating all its influencer marketing capabilities globally under the Creo brand. This move positions Omnicom's integrated "influencers as a media channel" approach at the core of its global offering to clients. The consolidation enables clients to access Creo's data partnerships throughout the influencer ecosystem, leveraging Omni's data assets for precise creator discovery, planning, measurement, and strengthening creator-consumer connections.
Creo recently partnered with major platforms like Snap Inc., Google, TikTok, Amazon, and Meta. It also launched new AI-powered capabilities within Omni, including a Creator Briefing Tool, Influencer Agent for selection, and Creator Performance Predictor. Since launch, Creo has applied its approach to campaigns for brands like Mountain Dew, Delta, and State Farm.
Instagram launched a new standalone video editing app called "Edits" globally. The free app, available on iOS and Android, integrates the full video production workflow into one platform. Key features include background removal, automated captioning, AI animation tools to convert static images to video, precise timeline editing, and performance analytics. The app aims to provide a consolidated solution compared to creators' currently fragmented workflows across multiple apps.
The launch comes amid regulatory scrutiny of TikTok and its CapCut editing app in the U.S. Instagram plans to enhance Edits with additional capabilities like keyframe animation, AI video modification tools, collaboration for sharing drafts, new fonts, animations, and royalty-free music. By offering advanced video tools, Instagram aims to empower creators and solidify its position in the creator economy amidst competition from TikTok and its suite of apps.
TikTok is introducing a new feature called "Footnotes" that allows users in the U.S. to add contextual information to videos on the platform. Footnotes aims to provide additional context for content covering complex topics, misleading statistics, or ongoing events. Users can apply to become Footnotes contributors if they meet tenure and community guidelines requirements. Footnotes employs a "bridge-based ranking system" where contributors can add footnotes and rate each other's submissions, with only highly-rated footnotes becoming visible to the broader community.
This community moderation approach follows similar moves by other major platforms like Twitter and Meta toward crowdsourced fact-checking to complement existing misinformation policies and fact-checking partnerships. TikTok states Footnotes will work alongside its existing fact-checking program with over 20 accredited organizations assessing content accuracy worldwide.
A new short-form video app called Neptune is preparing to launch, positioning itself as an alternative to TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. Neptune's key feature allows creators to optionally hide follower counts and likes to reduce social pressure, while its algorithm emphasizes content quality over creator popularity.
The app currently has basic functionality in beta with plans to add more features like editing tools, messaging, live streaming, and monetization options for creators. Neptune aims to provide a platform focused on creativity and community building rather than chasing metrics and viral success.
TikTok's U.S. public policy chief Michael Beckerman plans to step down amid ongoing turmoil over the company's future ownership. His departure comes as ByteDance faces pressure to divest TikTok's U.S. operations after failed negotiations with the White House over a deal structure. The extended divestment deadline allows more potential buyers to bid, but complications remain as China asserts regulatory approval over TikTok's core algorithm technology. With key matters unresolved, TikTok's fate in the U.S. market hangs in the balance.
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Instagram co-founder Kevin Systrom testified that the photo-sharing app could have succeeded independently without Meta's acquisition in 2012. He claimed CEO Mark Zuckerberg eventually viewed Instagram's growth as a "threat" and intentionally limited resources for the app. Systrom's testimony aims to support the FTC's case to unwind the acquisition, arguing Meta engaged in anti-competitive practices.
Instagram now accounts for nearly half of Meta's projected US ad sales in 2025, highlighting the app's significant value to the tech giant's business. The claims directly challenge Meta's stance on the merger, setting up a pivotal legal battle over the company's market power.
TikTok has escalated its criticism of Australia's social media regulations after documents revealed Communications Minister Michelle Rowland personally guaranteed YouTube's exemption from the under-16 ban. The controversial "sweetheart deal" has sparked outrage from rivals including Meta Platforms, Snapchat-operator Snap Inc., and particularly TikTok, which described the exemption as "illogical, anti-competitive and short sighted."
Bloomberg The exemption was granted months before the official consultation process even began, with a December letter from Rowland to YouTube CEO Neal Mohan confirming the platform would be excluded from restrictions that will apply to most other social platforms by year's end.
TikTok argues the exemption is particularly unfair given YouTube's short-form "Shorts" videos are "virtually indistinguishable" from its own content, likening it to "banning the sale of soft drinks to minors but exempting Coca-Cola." TikTok The high-stakes battle comes as platforms face potential $32 million penalties for failing to enforce age verification under what's considered one of the world's strictest social media regulations.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check cited sources.