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Influence Weekly 389 - Salesforce Billionaire Benioff Backs Influencer Marketing Agency Whalar at $400M Valuation
YouTube Unveils Creator Partnership Tools To Boost Brand Collaborations
Nii Ahene
May 16, 2025
Spotlight Stories
YouTube Unveils Creator Partnership Tools To Boost Brand Collaborations
YouTube Closes TV’s Upfront Week With Creators, Confidence and Lady Gaga
ASICS Signs Dog As Ambassador, Recognizing Canines As The Ultimate Movement Motivators
Creator Economy Milestone: Salesforce Billionaire Benioff Backs Whalar at $400M Valuation
Join us for The Big 3 by Influence Weekly, where hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene deliver expert commentary on the creator economy's most impactful business developments. Each month, they offer insider perspectives on industry-shifting stories, unpacking what these changes mean for brands and marketing professionals in the creator economy
Great Reads
YouTube has unveiled new tools to strengthen connections between brands and creators. The platform introduced a creator partnerships hub with improved sponsored video discovery, enhanced creator search capabilities, and comprehensive reporting for paid and organic videos. It also debuted specialized APIs for agencies and creator tools, as well as an Insights Finder tool to identify relevant creators and analyze audience demographics.
YouTube aims to leverage creator relationships to drive marketing results through these partnership-focused offerings. Additionally, the platform announced creator-focused ad solutions like partnership ads powered by BrandConnect and creator-led Takeovers. These tools complement Google's broader AI initiatives, including the new AI Max for Search campaigns promising improved ad performance.
YouTube capped TV's upfront week with a confident Brandcast event featuring high-profile creators and impressive metrics. CEO Neal Mohan highlighted YouTube's billion podcast viewers while Chief Business Officer Mary Ellen Coe emphasized that 82% of U.S. viewers believe YouTube has the most trusted creators.
Top talent including MrBeast, Hot Ones host Sean Evans, and iShowSpeed appeared on stage, with the latter announcing a new series called "Speed Goes Pro." The platform unveiled advertising packages connected to cultural events and shoppable CTV ad options.
YouTube's presentation stood out among competitors by noting TV viewing now overtakes mobile viewing on the platform. The company demonstrated its generative AI advancements, including "Peak Points" technology that uses Google Gemini to identify optimal ad placement moments.
The event concluded with a full Lady Gaga concert performance, underscoring YouTube's growing dominance in capturing younger audiences while expanding its reach across demographics.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
Studio71 launches Parcel, an AI tool helping creators optimize content across platforms. The service automatically adapts videos and posts for YouTube, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and Shorts, eliminating the tedious reformatting process that creators previously handled manually. "We built Parcel to remove friction when publishing across platforms," says Adam Boorstin, Studio71's co-CEO.
"The AI dynamically adapts video formats and metadata so partners can focus on producing great content." Beyond formatting, Parcel helps creators assemble clips and highlights while ensuring content meets advertiser-friendly standards. The system also tracks performance metrics across platforms, giving creators comprehensive analytics in one place. Marissa Moroz, VP of Technology at Studio71, emphasizes the time-saving benefit: "This service gives clients time back—while multiplying the unique impact of their content across every major channel."
Campaign Insights
Expedia has launched a new "Trip Matching" feature that allows travelers to build itineraries based on Instagram Reels shared with Expedia. The AI-powered tool analyzes public travel-related Reels and provides personalized recommendations that users can book directly. This taps into social media's growing influence on travel planning, especially among younger demographics.
Trip Matching represents Expedia's effort to meet consumers where they get inspiration and cater to their mobile, social-first behavior. As the first online travel agency integrating real-time AI travel planning into Instagram, Expedia aims to capitalize on short-form video's increasing impact in the travel influencer marketing space.
Media companies are emphasizing video podcasts during this year's Upfront presentations to advertisers. The growing popularity of viewing podcasts, especially on YouTube, has opened up new advertising opportunities beyond traditional sponsorships. Major names like NFL stars the Kelce brothers and LeBron James are inking lucrative deals for video podcasts.
Sports-focused podcasts are driving much of the excitement, allowing for integrated brand sponsorships and product placements alongside talent conversations. As consumers shift viewing to social and streaming platforms, revisiting the podcast format offers a way for media companies to attract ad dollars in the competitive digital landscape.
#paid, a creator marketing platform, has launched an integration with YouTube that enables brands to run organic and paid creator campaigns through a unified dashboard. The integration supports multiple YouTube content formats like Shorts, long-form videos with branded segments, and dedicated brand videos. It streamlines campaign management by combining creator collaborations, content creation, and paid amplification in one place.
Key benefits include targeted reach across formats, unified performance tracking, ability to boost top videos through YouTube ads, and new revenue streams for creators. The expansion builds on #paid's previous partnership integrating Snap creators and aims to facilitate more seamless brand-creator collaborations on YouTube.
ASICS breaks new ground in sports marketing by signing Felix the Samoyed dog as an official brand ambassador. With 1.2 million Instagram followers, Felix will promote movement through walks, runs and "zoomies" as part of the brand's "Mind's Best Friend" campaign. The strategy is backed by compelling data: 65% of dog owners identify their pets as their primary motivation for exercise, outranking family members, celebrities and trainers. ASICS' 14-market survey found dog owners are 31% more likely to meet physical activity guidelines and report 18% higher mental wellbeing scores.
"Dog owners average 210 minutes of exercise weekly, with 81% reporting improved mental wellbeing when moving with their dogs," explains Professor Brendon Stubbs of King's College London, who analyzed the research. Beyond Felix's appointment, ASICS invites consumers to nominate their own dogs as ambassadors, with each #MindsBestFriend post raising funds for mental health organizations including Mind and NAMI.
Influencer marketing agency Linqia reports significant growth in Q1 2025, with a 53% increase in campaign volume and 40% rise in partner spending compared to Q1 2024. The agency received three times more influencer marketing RFPs, highlighting strong brand demand.
Linqia launched "Creator Ads" to repurpose creator content across multiple channels, and "IRL" for integrated digital-physical brand experiences using creators. The company executed more "On-The-Street" programs in Q1 2025 than all of 2024, generating over 750,000 posts with related hashtags. Linqia's cross-channel approach demonstrates the versatility of creator content beyond just social media.
Lyft and Notion are leveraging LinkedIn's growing creator ecosystem as a strategic channel for brand-building. Rather than traditional social influencers, these companies are tapping into the platform's thought leadership community to build trust and awareness.
Danielle Ito, Notion's influencer marketing manager, recognized this opportunity when her team noticed LinkedIn shifting from job-seeking to thought leadership content. The productivity app launched their largest LinkedIn creator campaign, "Notion Faces," enabling users to create custom profile portraits, significantly boosting brand awareness.
Lyft entered LinkedIn marketing last year, capitalizing on their executives' followings, including CEO David Risher who regularly shares personal driving experiences on his account. Both brands emphasize that LinkedIn partnerships differ fundamentally from other platforms. Schulman describes Lyft's selection process as "bespoke and personal," focusing on purpose-driven creators who build community. "We want people who care, because we care as a brand," she explains.
Healthcare brands are fighting social media misinformation through strategic creator partnerships, especially vital as 50% of Gen Z turns to TikTok for medical advice. Amaris Modesto, SVP of creator marketing at Edelman, emphasizes that "people trust people over brands," with research showing 64% of Gen Z users more likely to trust creator-recommended brands.
Unlike conventional influencer campaigns, healthcare partnerships undergo rigorous FDA and FTC regulatory scrutiny, transforming potential skepticism into a credibility advantage. Edelman carefully vets creators based on professional credentials and content history, prioritizing those who blend "expertise with approachability" like medical myth-buster Joel Bervell.
In January, Edelman partnered with Hologic to combat cervical cancer misinformation using OB-GYNs in approachable "Get Ready With Me" formats. One creator, @nicolealiciamd, addresses misconceptions about screening procedures being painful when they're actually "pain-free and quick."
Modesto advocates for long-term creator relationships spanning multiple campaigns and channels. "We're not just creating content," she explains. "We're building multiple entry points for audiences to engage with critical and accurate health information."
Interesting People
YouTube creator Amelia Dimoldenberg shared insights on building a successful creator career at Adweek's Social Media Week. Key takeaways: Focus on authentic storytelling that resonates with audiences. Rely on trusted peers for feedback over just metrics. Maintain full ownership and creative control over your intellectual property.
Dimoldenberg's hit show 'Chicken Shop Date' exemplifies these principles, amassing over 3 million subscribers by delivering an entertaining dating narrative. As she expands into new formats like films, Dimoldenberg emphasizes creator independence while staying true to her Gen Z-resonant brand. Her journey highlights the growing mainstream acceptance and business opportunities within the creator economy.
VINwiki, a platform serving as both a 500,000-user vehicle history database and media brand, has amassed over 2 billion views by sharing unique car stories. Founder Ed Bolian initially struggled with user acquisition until shifting to content creation as a growth strategy in 2017. VINwiki now posts a long-form car story video daily, a consistent schedule that has been key to building an audience of 3 million subscribers generating 50 million monthly views. The platform's community-driven approach allows users to contribute vehicle histories and experiences.
VINwiki's revenue comes primarily from monthly sponsorships with automotive brands, along with platform advertising, merchandise, and appearances. Through collaboration over competition, Ed has formed partnerships with other creators to share engaging car stories that introduce new potential users to the app. While facing challenges like algorithm changes, VINwiki has maintained an engaged audience by committing to steady, quality content focused on its brand mission.
Dana Malstaff, founder of Boss Mom, has built her business on creating highly engaged communities that foster genuine connection among entrepreneurial mothers. After initially growing Boss Mom to $30,000 in monthly revenue within two years by cultivating an engaging Facebook group, Malstaff recently transitioned her 76,000-member community to a proprietary platform called Boss Mom Plus.
Her community-building approach centers on three pillars: establishing a shared vision for the future, agreeing on problems to be solved, and giving participants an active voice. Malstaff believes this formula builds trust - the key "commodity of the next decade" - through transparency and authentic engagement rather than chasing algorithmic reach.
Looking ahead, Boss Mom aims to transform how society perceives mothers' businesses, moving away from the "side hustle" mindset. Malstaff envisions empowering every new mom to start her own six-figure business without conforming to traditional social media expectations. Her advice to creator economy professionals: identify your audience's shared vision and perceived brokenness, then facilitate real connection and conversation to build the crucial trust needed to thrive.
Sidney "Sidneyraz" Raskind spent 15 years struggling before achieving success as a life hack content creator with 7.8 million followers. After failing in college twice and moving to LA in 2012, he persevered through trial and error until mobile editing technology enabled his creative abilities. In 2021, his consistent format of 30-second tactile life hacks resonated, leading to brand partnerships.
Despite burnout in 2024 and a cancer diagnosis requiring stomach removal in 2025, he incorporated these challenges into his content. With a distinct industry perspective from past roles, Sidney shares insights on creator terminology, platform adaptability, and prioritizing output over perfection at events like VidCon.
DDG's new album "Blame the Chat" emerged from a seven-day Twitch "Hit-A-Thon" where the rapper livestreamed his entire recording process. The project features collaborations with artists including Ty Dolla $ign, Wiz Khalifa, and DaBaby, many of whom appeared on his streams. This interactive approach began with his track "Pink Dreads," where immediate audience feedback proved valuable.
DDG says livestreaming provides real-time market testing: "It's a safer route rather than making a song, sitting on it, and then putting it out without getting the exact feedback you want." As one of Twitch's top "IRL" streamers, DDG sees his method as the future of content creation. "Fans want content now. They don't want snippets and waiting," he explains.
OnlyFans founder Tim Stokely launches Subs.com, a new mobile-first subscription platform for creators across categories. The platform combines video hosting, paid subscriptions, and one-to-one interaction capabilities. Key features include an "Explore" discovery feed, "Shows" for long-form content, one-on-one audio/video calls as a revenue stream, revenue sharing for creator collaborations, and a partner program.
Stokely positions Subs as addressing limitations of existing platforms by seamlessly combining free and paid content. The platform houses both safe-for-work and adult content, with early adopters including lingerie expert Saterra St. Jean and podcaster Alex Chisnall. Subs maintains the same 80% revenue split for creators as OnlyFans.
Industry News
TikTok has introduced a new feature enabling live streamers to activate direct messaging during broadcasts. This allows viewers to initiate real-time contact with creators and represents TikTok's latest effort to enhance commerce capabilities within the platform.
The update aims to help creators generate leads directly from their live streams as TikTok continues pursuing live-stream commerce growth, having witnessed success with its Chinese version Douyin. While Western markets have been slower to adopt live shopping, TikTok reported a threefold increase in Black Friday live-stream sales last year. The global disparity in social commerce adoption remains significant compared to China.
At its inaugural Creator Upfronts in New York, LTK positioned itself not as a challenger to traditional media but as essential infrastructure for the creator economy. "This isn't about poking anyone in the eye," explains Kristi O'Brien, general manager of LTK's brand platform. "We're here to add value to the entire ecosystem."
The company operates with dual identities: both as the "Shopify of creators" – powering monetization across social platforms through affiliate links and campaign tools – and as a standalone shopping destination with its own app, where session time has increased 138% since launch.
O'Brien cites a key insight driving their strategy: "74% of consumers don't consider social media to be social anymore. It has become entertainment, not connection." This shift creates opportunity for LTK's trust-based model, where users are 3.5 times more likely to convert and "actually care what a brand stands for."
New tools unveiled at the event include an upgraded Leaderboard tracking both organic and paid performance, streamlined creator casting features, and a Marketplace where creators can apply directly to brand campaigns.
"We sell trust," O'Brien concludes. "And trust is the thing the rest of the media world is trying to buy back."
Captiv8, an influencer marketing platform for brands, announced a partnership with AI startup Perplexity to integrate advanced AI capabilities directly into Captiv8's core workflow. The integration leverages Perplexity's AI models to address inefficiencies marketers face like excessive data analysis and use of external tools.
Several new AI-powered features were introduced, including creator vetting with brand-fit justifications, a conversational assistant to answer performance questions, brand safety scoring of creators' content, and automated post-campaign reporting. The AI tools are natively built into Captiv8's platform, with data privacy protections in place.
Early users report the AI integration enables faster planning, better targeting, and increased ROI by streamlining time-consuming tasks. Activities that previously took days now occur in minutes, with AI optimizing content in real-time based on emerging trends.
The partnership comes as Perplexity, currently valued at $9 billion, is rapidly expanding in the AI sector and competing with OpenAI. For Captiv8, recognized as the best influencer marketing company in 2024, it builds on a series of product innovations aimed at providing an end-to-end influencer marketing solution for brands, including the recently launched creator storefront product.
Disctopia, a streaming platform for independent creators, has launched a new advertising platform developed with AdsWizz that enables podcasters to monetize content directly through revenue sharing ads. The platform offers a 75% revenue share for creators and handles all technical aspects of ad insertion.
Additionally, Disctopia recently integrated with YouTube, allowing users to publish video content directly from within the Disctopia dashboard. The new advertising tools mark an expansion of Disctopia's suite of creator monetization features as it aims to support independent creators across multiple content formats.
Major brands like Domino's, bet365, and influencer agencies like Billion Dollar Boy, Kolsquare, and Hypetap have signed on to an updated Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct from the Incorporated Society of British Advertisers (ISBA) and Influencer Marketing Trade Body (IMTB). The Code promotes transparency, brand effectiveness, influencer wellbeing, responsible marketing practices, and ethical standards across the advertising chain.
It covers areas like preventing harm, age-appropriate content, prohibiting misleading filters, and due diligence on influencers. Industry leaders position the Code as raising standards, enabling economic growth, and providing best practices. Future efforts will encourage individual influencers to follow regulations from ad authorities. The announcement comes amid a report showing lack of proper ad disclosures by many UK influencers.
YouTube creator Mr. Hand Pay recently raised $1.3 million by selling a percentage of his future AdSense revenue through GigaStar's crowdfunding platform, marking a major milestone in creator financing. This "creator IPO" model allows established YouTubers to access growth capital without debt or compromising independence. GigaStar operates under SEC Regulation Crowdfunding rules, standardizing revenue-sharing investments previously done informally.
Success factors include engaged audiences, clear messaging, and active marketing during the offering window. While creators retain earnings from brand deals, they commit to maintaining content output. GigaStar is developing infrastructure like tokenization to enhance liquidity, with plans to expand beyond YouTube. Its DropStars program incorporates creator input through advisory roles and equity. Ultimately, GigaStar aims to professionalize the creator economy as an asset class, lowering barriers for individual investors to participate in its growth.
Endlss, an AI-powered influencer marketing platform, has launched its Endlss Copilot platform to streamline campaign management for brands. The platform automates administrative tasks like personalized outreach, content coordination, payments, and performance tracking. Key features include AI-driven personalization, integrated campaign management tools, and conversion attribution data.
Developed by the Penny AI team, Endlss Copilot aims to help brands scale their influencer efforts efficiently by leveraging AI capabilities. Early adopters report significant time savings through automated workflows. As AI adoption accelerates in the creator economy, Endlss positions itself as an intelligent solution for streamlining influencer marketing operations.
India-based influencer marketing platform INFLUISH has onboarded over 15,000 creators and 3,000 brands following its recent launch. With official Meta API access, INFLUISH provides real-time influencer verification and authenticated performance metrics directly from Instagram. The platform employs filtering to only show relevant creators for brand campaigns based on specified criteria like niche, region, engagement rate, and follower count.
INFLUISH operates on a subscription model for influencers, with a "Collab Pass" providing access to paid opportunities. Free limited barter access is available for creators meeting minimum follower and engagement thresholds. Payment processing occurs through an escrow system without commissions. The Indian creator economy is projected to surpass $100 billion in revenue by 2030 as the influencer population has expanded 322% over four years to around 4 million creators currently.
Ben Silverman's Propagate has acquired Lindsay Nead's Parker Management, an influencer management firm with over 85 creators, in an eight-figure deal. The acquisition strengthens Propagate's position in the digital content space as audiences migrate to social media.
Parker Management will maintain operational independence within Propagate, keeping its 23 staff members. Its influencer roster includes lifestyle creators with major brand partnerships. Propagate has focused on strategic growth over private equity consolidation, building a portfolio of management firms and production companies to tap into the evolving creator economy.
The Golden Globes have added a new Best Podcast category, recognizing the rapidly growing medium. While exciting, it raises questions on judging criteria across diverse formats, potential celebrity/political biases, and how metrics like downloads or creativity will be weighed.
Podcasters welcome the mainstream validation but urge clear methodologies and diverse representation beyond just popularity. Despite uncertainties, it marks an overdue acknowledgment of podcasting's rising cultural impact.
Swedish podcast conglomerate PodX Group plans to acquire a majority stake in U.S. podcast network Lemonada Media for around $30 million, marking PodX's entry into the American market. Founded in 2019, Lemonada has over 50 original shows and nearly 40 partner podcasts. After the acquisition, Lemonada will continue operating under existing leadership while leveraging PodX's global infrastructure.
The deal follows Lemonada's recent expansion into book publishing through a Simon & Schuster partnership. PodX, founded in 2021, has previously acquired studios across Europe and Latin America as it builds an international podcast business.
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Marc Benioff has taken a stake in social media talent agency Whalar Group, leading an investment round that values the company at $400 million. Fast & Furious producer Neal Moritz and e-commerce giant Shopify joined the funding.
Whalar represents over 300 TikTok, Instagram and YouTube creators with a combined following exceeding 30 million, including notable names Ali Abdaal, Doug the Pug, and Jesus Nalgas.
Since 2016, Whalar has distributed $300 million to creators through brand deals with companies like the NFL, Waymo, and Peacock. The New York-based firm operates six businesses spanning talent management, video game development, and product launch services.
Co-CEO Neil Waller emphasized creators are building comprehensive entertainment companies beyond advertising. The funding will help Whalar support creators in adopting AI tools, expanding into Hollywood, and developing e-commerce ventures.
Amazon has renewed the hit reality competition show "Beast Games," created by YouTuber MrBeast, for two more seasons. The first season drew a massive 50 million viewers in just 25 days, breaking 44 Guinness World Records including the largest cash prize ever awarded on a reality show at $10 million.
The renewal underscores the show's success in attracting viewers with its extreme challenges and huge prize money. The second and third seasons are expected to raise the bar even higher, capitalizing on MrBeast's popularity and the show's viral appeal. "Beast Games" exemplifies Amazon's strategy to invest in attention-grabbing content from influential creators.
Skybound Entertainment, the studio behind "The Walking Dead," has acquired creator management firm Nine Four Entertainment, representing talent like Jacksfilms and I'm Dontai with a combined audience of nearly 8 million YouTube subscribers.
This acquisition reflects Hollywood's accelerating convergence with the creator economy. Skybound CEO David Alpert explains their strategy: "More content is being created now than ever before. How do you get people to pay attention to it?" The studio is betting on social media creators to drive discovery of their entertainment properties.
The deal includes plans for a new incubator program financing creator-led brands across consumer products, TV shows, comics, and podcasts, with Skybound taking equity stakes in these ventures.
This follows Propagate Content's acquisition of Parker Management, representing 85 creators, just days earlier. Nine Four President Parker Oks will continue leading the agency under Skybound's ownership.
"Twenty-five years ago, people looked at me like I had three heads when I talked about comic creators telling stories for film and TV," says Alpert. "Today it's obvious. The same is happening with internet creators."
YouTube creators are hiring CEOs and other top executives to help run their rapidly growing businesses and support large production teams. Leaders from media, Hollywood, and the creator economy bring operational expertise, allowing creators to focus on creative output.
These hired executives manage key areas like strategy, hiring, funding, and monetization as creator ventures scale to compete with traditional studios. While some creators are reluctant to cede control, CEOs aim to enhance creators' brands without changing their core appeal. As the creator economy matures, having professional management becomes essential for achieving long-term business success.
The PGA Tour and LIV Golf are embracing golf influencers and content creators, hosting lucrative one-day events before major tournaments. These events generate millions of views and new audiences but have also fueled drama, with the PGA Tour suspending one player for participating in a LIV creator event.
As golf influencer events become more popular, the tours need creators as much as creators need them, signaling a potential shift in the power dynamic where popular personalities can leverage their brands and audiences. The battle for top creators adds another layer to the PGA Tour-LIV rivalry.