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- Influence Weekly #397 - TIME Launches Inaugural TIME100 Creators List Featuring Most Influential Creators
Influence Weekly #397 - TIME Launches Inaugural TIME100 Creators List Featuring Most Influential Creators
Why Tubi Is Beefing Up Its Creator Program
Nii Ahene
July 11, 2025
Spotlight Stories
TIME Launches Inaugural TIME100 Creators List Featuring Most Influential Creators
Instagram Opens Professional Content To Google Search In Major Indexing Update
Why Tubi Is Beefing Up Its Creator Program
TikTok Shop In The US Initiates Layoffs Third Time Since April
Great Reads
TIME magazine has unveiled its inaugural TIME100 Creators list, recognizing 100 of the most influential digital voices shaping global culture, commerce, and information consumption. The cover features 23-year-old Twitch streamer Kai Cenat, who commands an audience of 18 million followers. The list spans creators from 15 countries across categories like Titans, Entertainers, Leaders, Phenoms, and Catalysts operating on platforms like YouTube, Twitch, TikTok, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Spotify, and more.
Notable names include Alix Earle, Olivia Dunne, MrBeast, Charli D'Amelio, Joe Rogan, Alex Cooper, and others across verticals like media, lifestyle, social justice, entertainment, education, gaming, fashion, food, comedy, and sports. TIME highlights the creator economy as a multi-hundred-billion-dollar industry growing rapidly, reflecting changing media consumption habits. The selection process involved polling correspondents and analyzing data in partnership with creator marketplace #paid.
Instagram begins indexing professional accounts on Google and Bing this week, marking a major shift for the platform that previously kept content within its app. Public professional accounts from users 18 and older will now appear in external search results, excluding content posted before January 2020.
The move responds to changing search behavior, with 41% of Gen Z users turning to social platforms first compared to 32% using traditional search engines. Instagram Head Adam Mosseri confirmed increased investment in search capabilities as the platform leverages its content library.
Professional accounts can opt out by switching to personal status, going private, or disabling indexing in privacy settings. The change creates new visibility opportunities for creators and brands beyond Instagram's ecosystem, potentially reaching non-users searching for products or services.
The creator economy is undergoing a transformation driven by the rise of faceless creators and virtual influencers (VTubers) who leverage AI tools for efficient, scalable content production. Faceless creators run multiple accounts, using AI to generate hundreds of posts daily, often in "texting story" formats. They are compensated based on performance metrics, making them cost-effective for lower-funnel campaigns.
VTubers employ AI avatars and tools for tasks like thumbnail creation and multilingual dubbing, enabling high output at lower costs. While concerns around authenticity and quality persist, this trend signals a shift where value lies in ideas and execution, rather than human presence. As tools improve, brands can expect a new breed of creators that may not be human at all.
TikTok, facing pressure from U.S. regulators, is developing a separate version of its app specifically for American users ahead of a September deadline to divest its U.S. operations from Chinese parent ByteDance. The new app aims to preserve TikTok's 170 million stateside users while addressing security concerns.
An Oracle-Blackstone consortium has emerged as the likely buyer, potentially taking a 50% stake alongside ByteDance's existing American investors to comply with ownership limits. Talks continue at highest levels between U.S. and China as ByteDance weighs valuation challenges for its U.S. business, estimated between $20-150 billion.
Chart Of The Week
➡️Only 25% of creators plan to expand to Snapchat in the next 12 months.
📊YouTube leads the list of top 5 platforms full-time and part-time creators are eyeing. Snapchat ranks last for creator expansion.
Follow Our Accounts on Instagram for more data, news and analysis
Campaign Insights
Tone, a fragrance-forward unisex personal care brand founded by the popular Twitch streamer group AMP, is launching at Target after a massively successful direct-to-consumer debut in February that saw seven-figure sales within three days. The brand offers affordable body lotions, deodorants, lip balms, and now body washes and body mists under $20, focused on accessible yet efficacious scents like coconut, citrus and woodland.
Targeting Gen Alpha through Gen Z consumers of all genders, Tone plans to double down on innovative fragrance products beyond traditional formats, tapping into young shoppers' growing interest in scent. The brand will reveal its Target launch via an overnight Twitch livestream inside a closed Target store.
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL), India's largest consumer goods company, has slashed its overall advertising and promotional budget by 5.5% while boosting influencer marketing spending by 40% in fiscal 2025. This strategic shift aligns with HUL's focus on "social-first demand generation" to reach consumers on social media platforms.
The company has expanded its influencer network from 700 to over 12,000 creators across 50+ brands, leveraging data analytics tools like Digital Voice of Consumer to optimize campaigns. Successful influencer activations for brands like Moti soap and partnerships with Netflix's Squid Game demonstrate the approach's effectiveness. HUL's parent Unilever describes this as part of its "Desire at Scale" marketing transformation to capture consumer desires beyond just meeting needs.
YouTube has launched a new creator series called "Marketing Unfiltered" to highlight its Ad Solutions for marketers in Southeast Asia. The series features social media personality Annette Lee as "Aunty M" bringing humor to educational content. It represents Google's first collaboration with creators to showcase the effectiveness of YouTube Ad Solutions, with support from creator agencies.
The series aims to simplify advertising for businesses through entertaining, locally relevant content across YouTube channels in Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This initiative aligns with the region's expanding digital economy, strong mobile and internet penetration, and consumer preference for video content throughout the purchase journey. By partnering with creators, Google aims to claim the narrative around its ad solutions through authentic, engaging storytelling tailored for Southeast Asian marketers and entrepreneurs.
Tubi, the free streaming platform, has launched "Tubi for Creators" to bring content from popular YouTube creators to its service. Initially, six creators including Dan and Riya, FunnyMike, Jubilee, Kinigra Deon, Mythical Entertainment, and Watcher have brought over 1,200 episodes to Tubi. This move aligns with Tubi's strategy to diversify its content offerings with original and authentic storytelling that resonates with its audience.
Going forward, Tubi plans to provide production support, revenue sharing, and onboard more creators to produce exclusive, long-form content. The initiative aims to facilitate deeper connections between viewers and creators while allowing creative freedom. By tapping into the creator economy, Tubi hopes to uniquely position itself as a valuable platform for creators, viewers, and advertisers alike.
Snap has launched an immersive augmented reality experience at the Palace of Versailles in France. Called "Dansez Versailles," the AR experience recreates baroque dances central to court life under King Louis XIV by integrating four interactive AR lenses into the palace's official mobile app. Visitors can experience reconstructed historical dances at key garden locations like the Latona Fountain and Orangery.
The initiative aims to restore the gardens to their original entertaining function while providing an educational experience. This cultural partnership highlights Snap's continued investment in Europe, where it has nearly 94 million monthly users, with France being its largest European market. As Snap navigates EU regulations, it maintains creative initiatives complying with moderation and transparency requirements.
Yahoo's creator program is evolving the company from a traditional publisher into a creator platform. Launched in March 2024, Yahoo Creators now has 135 lifestyle creators who can publish directly to Yahoo and receive a 50/50 ad revenue split. In June 2025, it generated record high revenue and engagement.
While still offering syndicated publisher content, Yahoo is tapping into the growing creator economy by giving creators editorial control, monetization tools, and distribution through Yahoo's platform of 233 million monthly visitors. This allows advertisers to align with creators at scale. As creators increasingly drive content consumption and ad dollars shift towards the creator economy, other publishers are also launching creator initiatives to capitalize on this trend.
SharkNinja launched Ninja Thirsti Dirty Soda Packs on June 12, capitalizing on the viral TikTok "dirty soda" trend popularized by MomTok creators Jen Affleck and Demi Engemann. The $149.99 Drink System generates recurring revenue through $19.99 refillable flavor packs, with four signature combinations co-created by the influencers.
The strategy transforms fleeting social media trends into sustainable business opportunities, targeting health-conscious consumers seeking customizable beverages at home. SharkNinja's platform approach allows continuous flavor innovation while pre-orders reportedly exceeded expectations.
The company offers 60-day money-back guarantees and claims $400 annual savings versus store-bought drinks. Early indicators suggest strong adoption potential in the growing home beverage tech market, positioning SharkNinja as a scalable alternative to competitors like SodaStream.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
Deja Foxx, a 25-year-old Gen Z candidate running for Congress in Arizona, is leveraging her social media savvy and online following to bypass traditional campaign funding sources and reach young voters directly. Through viral videos on TikTok, Instagram, and platforms like Substack, Foxx has raised over $600,000 from 18,000 individual donors, many located outside her district.
Her authentic, unfiltered communication style resonates with disaffected young people and allows her to compete against establishment-backed opponents like Adelita Grijalva, daughter of the late incumbent. Foxx argues her social media skills are crucial for the Democratic party to engage younger generations and counteract increasing apathy among youth voters. While some dismiss her as an "influencer," experts see her approach as an innovative way for lesser-known candidates to level the playing field and reach critical voting blocs that will soon carry significant electoral sway.
Amazon is doubling influencer commission rates across 13 product categories from July 1 to July 20, coinciding with Prime Day's extension to a four-day event from July 8-11. Rates are increasing from 3% to 6% for beauty, grooming, business supplies and power tools, and from 4% to 8% for jewelry.
The longer format allows creators more flexibility in content planning and incorporating unboxing videos. Over half of U.S. social media users have made purchases inspired by influencers, with 94% occurring on Amazon, indicating the significant revenue opportunity. The commission increases align with Amazon's expansion of the Creator Connections program linking influencers and brands.
The Big 3 Podcast - June Recap Podcast Now Out!
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
Interesting People
Strategic Vision's acquisition by Whalar Group will accelerate its global expansion of creative education offerings. Co-founder and CEO Ben Lee will spearhead the U.S. expansion, tapping into Whalar's infrastructure spanning talent agencies, studios, operating systems, and creator platforms. The deal positions the combined entity to scale creative training globally as AI reshapes work practices.
Lee believes AI cannot replicate human creativity, necessitating education that pairs the two. Their roadmap includes new courses, building a global community through events like an annual summit, and establishing a strong U.S. presence. The shared vision aims to unlock creative potential amid the AI revolution across the creator economy.
Propagate Content's acquisition of Parker Management, a talent management firm for digital creators, highlights the growing overlap between traditional and online media. Founded in 2017 by Lindsay Nead, Parker distinguished itself through a highly selective approach, only signing inspiring creators who "put the good in social media." The deal allows Parker's creators access to Propagate's production expertise and industry connections, while giving Propagate a foothold in the booming creator economy.
Key to the deal was preserving Parker's culture of unlimited PTO, remote work, and control over talent recruitment. Looking ahead, the combined company aims for strategic growth, enhancing service offerings for creators, developing TV shows featuring Parker's talent, and establishing Parker as the premium destination for brand partnerships with digital stars. The acquisition represents an opportunity to scale while maintaining Parker's values and selective ethos.
Aviation influencer Nonstop Dan received a formal apology from Kuwait Airways' chairman following a controversial incident on a first-class flight. The chairman acknowledged the crew's "unacceptable behavior" and promised deterrent action after Dan documented confrontations over filming a flight review. A Kuwaiti royal also contacted Dan, expressing regret.
The airline confirmed an investigation into its filming policies is underway to ensure clear communication moving forward. The incident sparked debate around influencer policies on international carriers, with public reaction questioning whether the response was motivated by Dan's large platform. The chairman's statements have not been independently verified.
MrBeast and Khaby Lame are preparing major expansions into China's digital market, bringing their combined 893 million followers to the world's second-largest economy. Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast and ranked the world's top creator by Forbes, will visit China in Q4 2025 to film a variety show. Meanwhile, Khaby Lame, the TikTok sensation with 259 million followers, launches exclusive content across Chinese social platforms this July.
Their expansion follows IShowSpeed's successful 17-day China tour that generated massive crowds and over 50 hours of live-streamed content. Brands are already positioning for partnership opportunities that could reshape influencer marketing in China, demonstrating the enormous commercial potential of Western creators entering the Chinese market.
The creator economy continues to evolve with the rise of AI avatars like Bloo, a blue-haired virtual gaming YouTuber. With 2.57 million subscribers and over 800 million views, Bloo showcases AI's growing influence in entertainment and influencer marketing.
Created by Dutch YouTuber Jordi van den Bussche to ease his workload, Bloo combines AI voice generation, thumbnail creation, and video editing to produce gaming content without a human on camera.
While not fully autonomous yet, Bloo has already generated seven figures in ad revenue. As AI capabilities advance, van den Bussche plans to further automate Bloo's operations, signaling a potential shift in content creation and influencer dynamics driven by AI avatars.
Social media creators face widespread burnout despite the industry's glamorous perception, with half experiencing career-related workplace stress according to new research. Dublin-based creator Melanie Murphy, who has 800,000 followers, describes "complete fatigue" and "brain fog" from the relentless demands of algorithm-driven content creation. A Billion Dollar Boy survey of 1,000 creators found 50% experienced burnout, with 37% considering quitting entirely.
Creators lack traditional workplace protections like HR departments or unions while managing multiple responsibilities from content production to brand relationships. New York baker Allison Chen deletes social apps daily to cope with engagement pressure, while London's Hannah Witton took only three months maternity leave—the longest she's seen among creators. The industry's demand for constant content output without pause creates unique workplace stress that many struggle to validate given public perceptions of creator privilege.
Industry News
Substack has unveiled a suite of new tools to enhance its live video platform, simplifying workflows for creators and expanding audience reach. Key upgrades include improved scheduling with automated promo assets, guest invitations via email/SMS, and audio-only streaming options.
After broadcasts, Substack auto-generates top clips for sharing on the platform and can upload directly to YouTube Shorts, facilitating audience growth. The subscription model aims to provide creators a more stable income compared to ad-supported rivals. Notable adopters span entertainment, journalism, and finance, with collaborative streams driving high engagement. As platforms compete in the creator economy, Substack positions live video as a valuable community-building tool.
TrueRights, a digital rights management startup, aims to empower creators in the emerging "ownership economy" by providing tools to control, license and monetize their intellectual property fairly.
Founded by Benjamin Woollams, the company offers a Usage Rights Calculator to standardize content licensing, a Digital Wallet to store IP assets, and a tracking solution called TrueRights Stamp. Key features include performance-based compensation tied to content exposure, and AI integration to create multiple versions of IP for different audiences.
With a focus on education, TrueRights targets talent agencies and brands initially, taking a small percentage fee from deals. The goal is to prevent exploitation and ensure creators benefit from successful AI-generated content using their likeness. While still early, TrueRights represents an ambitious vision for IP rights in the creator economy.
Digital Voices, an influencer marketing firm, launched the Global Influencer Council, an invite-only network of 21 marketing leaders from major brands like Amazon, Google, and Unilever. The council aims to set standards, drive collaboration, and elevate influencer marketing strategies aligned with broader brand goals.
Members gain access to exclusive resources, networking opportunities, and a platform to shape the evolving creator economy. With a focus on strategic integration and visionary leadership, the Global Influencer Council positions influencer marketing as an established discipline requiring CMO oversight.
TikTok Shop, ByteDance's e-commerce arm in the U.S., has initiated its third round of layoffs since April 2025, as growth falls short of internal projections. Despite being TikTok's fastest-growing business segment, with 120% year-over-year sales growth, TikTok Shop U.S. is now expected to achieve only around $9 billion in transaction volume for 2024, far below ByteDance's initial $17.5 billion target.
Management shakeups have also occurred, with Chinese executives taking over U.S. operations. While its U.S. future remains clouded by regulatory uncertainties, TikTok Shop continues its global expansion, recently launching in Japan after entering several European markets earlier this year, with Brazil planned for later in 2025.
Singapore's SPH Media has partnered with X10 Media, a subsidiary of TSL Media Group, to offer full-funnel influencer marketing solutions. The collaboration aims to combine SPH Media's omnichannel reach with X10 Media's influencer marketing expertise to help brands navigate the changing consumer landscape in Southeast Asia.
Key offerings include a curated creator community, social-first creative strategies, performance-focused planning for awareness, engagement and conversion, and AI-powered audience matching. By integrating influencer marketing, the partnership provides a one-stop solution connecting brands with consumers across the marketing funnel, addressing the region's high reliance on influencer-led content and the growing complexity of the digital economy.
U.S. marketers are investing heavily in creator marketing, with 71% allocating between $1-3 million annually. However, they face challenges maintaining authenticity at scale and managing creator relationships effectively. Key concerns include consistent brand messaging (34%), navigating platform changes (27% in U.S.), finding suitable creators (29%), and measuring effectiveness (28%).
Despite narratives of in-housing, fewer than 1% operate without agencies, relying heavily on creator marketing specialists (38% in U.S.) for strategy, networks and campaign execution. As investment grows, brands seek strategic partners providing creative leadership, robust creator vetting, and measurement capabilities to realize creator marketing's full potential in an increasingly competitive landscape.
TikTok has announced a year-long partnership with electronic dance music festival Tomorrowland, designating the platform as the festival's Official Content Partner. The collaboration centers around Tomorrowland 2025, with TikTok offering livestreams, creator content, a dedicated in-app hub, and an official festival template on CapCut.
TikTok's music distribution service SoundOn will also collaborate with Tomorrowland Music on an original music creation initiative tied to the festival. This builds on TikTok's growing influence in the music industry, with research showing 84% of songs entering Billboard charts in 2024 achieved viral status on TikTok first. The partnership aims to provide brands opportunities to engage TikTok's highly engaged electronic music community.
A new wave of conservative women's media outlets and influencers is courting young female audiences through lifestyle content on topics like celebrity gossip, wellness, and fashion. Publications like Evie Magazine and The Conservateur present themselves as alternatives to mainstream women's media, promoting traditional gender roles and skepticism around feminism, casual sex, and modern medicine.
While their direct readerships remain modest, these outlets' engagement on social media suggests their ideas resonating with some young women reacting against "girlboss" feminism and looking for constraint and nostalgia.
However, critics warn that this sphere can veer into misinformation, like claims around birth control being toxic, which aligns with certain political efforts to restrict reproductive rights. As the conservative movement makes inroads through culture, there are questions around whether young women will be persuaded long-term.
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President Trump announced Friday the U.S. "pretty much has a deal" for an American company to acquire TikTok's U.S. operations, with negotiations set to resume with China next week for approval. Trump declined to identify the potential buyer but emphasized the deal represents "a lot of money" and benefits both countries.
The development follows a 2024 congressional law requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok to a non-Chinese company or face a ban over national security concerns. Trump has repeatedly suspended enforcement of the ban through executive orders since taking office, despite the law receiving bipartisan support and Supreme Court approval.
The deal's compliance with congressional requirements remains unclear, particularly regarding ByteDance's willingness to share TikTok's algorithm with U.S. buyers.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.
X CEO Linda Yaccarino announced her departure after two years attempting to revive the platform's advertising business under Elon Musk's ownership. Business Insider's Peter Kafka argues Yaccarino faced an impossible task because Musk's erratic behavior and public statements consistently undermined advertiser confidence. Despite Musk's 2023 hiring of the former NBCUniversal executive to fix ad revenue he had damaged, his continued controversial posts and legal battles with advertisers made the platform unattractive to brands.
Industry veteran Lou Paskalis notes Musk found advertiser requirements "tedious" rather than addressing root causes. Documents suggest X achieved operating profits similar to pre-Musk levels, but ad revenue remained significantly down. Musk's focus has shifted to xAI integration, with March's announcement that his AI company "bought" Twitter signaling advertising is no longer the priority for the platform's future.
Fashion and lifestyle brands are replacing external influencers with in-house content creators who produce authentic-feeling social media videos on company accounts. Sarah Tang, a brand content creator for homeware company Dusen Dusen, generates thousands of views with deadpan videos that feel casual rather than promotional.
Major brands including LVMH-owned Loewe, Mejuri, and Ganni have adopted this approach, featuring behind-the-scenes content starring employees. The strategy addresses the "content problem" - brands need constant social media posts across multiple platforms while appealing to younger consumers who reject traditional advertising. In-house creators offer peer-to-peer marketing that feels more human and less autocratic.
However, creators like Tang struggle with boundaries, noting how their personalities become products themselves in the attention economy.RetryClaude can make mistakes. Please double-check responses.