- Influence Weekly
- Posts
- Influence Weekly #433 - Ulta Beauty To Enter TikTok Shop With Exclusive Assortment
Influence Weekly #433 - Ulta Beauty To Enter TikTok Shop With Exclusive Assortment
Clinique Launches First-Ever 'Creator-Led' Campaign
Nii Ahene
March 20, 2026
Spotlight Stories
YouTube Partners With FIFA To Expand World Cup 2026 Content Access For Creators, Media Partners
Ulta Beauty To Enter TikTok Shop With Exclusive Assortment
Clinique Launches First-Ever 'Creator-Led' Campaign
Facebook Updates Originality Guidelines, Adds Impersonation Detection Tools For Creators
In Talent Management? This Webinar is For You
Right now, your creators' content is being clipped, reuploaded, and monetized across YouTube and Facebook by other people. Every day that goes unmanaged is revenue lost permanently. Most talent managers have zero visibility into it.
The few who do are already recovering it.
This session shows you exactly what's out there, puts real numbers on it, and gives you everything you need to bring this to your roster before someone else does.
Great Reads
YouTube joined TikTok as a FIFA-designated "Preferred Platform" for the FIFA World Cup 2026, securing expanded content rights and creator access for the tournament taking place across Canada, Mexico, and the United States. The partnership grants official FIFA Media Partners broader content options, including live-streaming rights for the opening 10 minutes of every match on their YouTube channels for the first time in tournament history.
Select matches will be available in full on partner channels, alongside extended highlights, behind-the-scenes footage, Shorts, and video-on-demand content. FIFA will unlock archival footage from its digital library on its official YouTube channel, including full-length past matches and historical moments.
YouTube will provide a global cohort of creators with direct access to matches and tournament activities to produce human interest stories, tactical analysis, and behind-the-scenes content. The deal follows TikTok's own "Preferred Platform" agreement with FIFA announced in January, which included a dedicated World Cup hub and creator access to press conferences.
Ulta Beauty launched a TikTok Shop storefront on March 17, marking its entry into social commerce with over 15 brands and 25 exclusive bundles. The beauty retailer partnered with brands including Ulta Beauty Collection, Noyz, Isima, Made By Mitchell, Dibs, Drmtlgy, Polite Society, Maelys, Squishmallows Fragrances, and Iconic by Paris Hilton.
The company announced the launch during its fourth-quarter earnings call, where CEO Kecia Steelman reported Q4 net sales grew 11.8% year-over-year to $3.9 billion. Full-year fiscal 2025 net sales increased 9.7% to $12.4 billion.
Ulta Beauty structured the TikTok Shop around creator affiliate programs with performance-based commissions and plans to test livestream selling. The move builds on an existing TikTok partnership and follows the retailer's fall 2025 digital marketplace launch. According to eMarketer projections, TikTok Shop is expected to generate more U.S. ecommerce sales this year than Target, Costco, Best Buy, and Kroger combined.
Latest Podcast
Ceci chats with Glenn Ginsburg, President of The QYOU, to hear his perspective on three critical issues: how creator marketing shifted from experimental budgets to enterprise-level infrastructure inside major corporations, why media amplification has become necessary for brands investing six and seven figures in creator programs, and what breaks when companies try to scale creator marketing from 10 creators to hundreds while maintaining brand consistency. Tune in for concrete guidance on building creator strategies that deliver measurable impact at scale.
Campaign Insights
Evereden, a New York-based Gen Alpha skincare brand with revenues exceeding $100 million, granted equity stakes to three teenage creators through its "Generation E" partnership program launched March 18. The company gave ownership stakes to Madison Rae, 14, Embreigh Courtlyn, 15, and Kaili Asa, 17, alongside a nationwide Sephora expansion.
CEO Kimberley Ho said the equity structure aligned long-term interests rather than traditional paid sponsorships. The creators will participate in product testing, concept development, limited-edition launches, curate collections on Evereden's website, and advise on brand strategy.
Creator economy expert Lindsey Gamble noted this may represent one of the first equity arrangements with creators this young, comparing it to Alix Earle's equity stake in Poppi before its nearly $2 billion PepsiCo acquisition. Evereden surveyed over 7,000 Gen Alpha customers and parents, finding this demographic treats brand selection as self-expression and connects more with peer creators than celebrity endorsements.
Clinique launched its first "creator-led" campaign called "Unstoppable Together," featuring married Olympic athletes Tara Davis-Woodhall and Hunter Woodhall. The campaign promotes two skincare products: Moisture Surge Active Glow Serum and Moisture Surge 100H Hydrator.
This marked the brand's shift from celebrity ambassadors to athlete partnerships. Clinique previously cast actress Emilia Clarke as its first celebrity ambassador in 2020, followed by Melissa Barrera in 2021. The athletic couple brings combined social media reach of 7.7 million followers across platforms, compared to Clinique's 3.8 million Instagram followers.
The campaign targets Gen Z and millennial consumers, who represent 49% of Clinique's audience. Davis-Woodhall is 26 and Woodhall is 27. Clinique supported the campaign with paid media on Hulu, Disney+, Netflix, TikTok, YouTube, Meta, and Pinterest.
The featured serum drove a 38% year-over-year increase in Clinique's serum sales during its first year. Clinique currently holds the top position in both skincare and makeup sales at Ulta Beauty.
Fintech companies are replacing big-name influencers with armies of micro-creators posting hundreds of videos monthly that look like organic recommendations. Cash App partnered with creator agency PlayKit to promote its MSCHF-designed game Cash Apples, generating 268,000 views across six TikTok posts in three days at single-digit CPMs.
The playbook relies on creators with under 500 followers, new accounts per brand, and weekly script iteration. PlayKit produces over 600 videos per engagement; managed platform Sideshift fields 800,000 creators for clients including Polymarket and Brex. Traditional influencer CPMs run $8 to $14 on Meta. PlayKit averages $3.87. AI-generated creators remain roughly 10% less effective, giving human creators a shrinking but real advantage.
Bonkers Toys launched the first toy line for YouTube channel Genevieve's Playhouse in March 2026, now available at Walmart, Target, and Amazon. The educational channel has 49 million subscribers and 40 billion lifetime views.
The Spring 2026 collection includes character figures, plush toys, playsets, and mystery surprise sets designed for ages 3 and up. Products feature the "Mystery Plush Series 1," "Mystery Figures Series 1," "Cherry Cat Mystery Surprise Set," and "Treefort Playset." Bonkers Toys said many items were designed by Genevieve herself.
Genevieve's Playhouse launched in 2016, focusing on toy-based learning content for young children in English, Spanish, Hindi, and Vietnamese. The channel was founded by Robert and Jackie Mann and remains family-produced.
Dubai-based social media influencers shifted their content messaging after Iranian missile and drone strikes hit the city in late February during an Iran war. Initially, creators like day trader Mike Babayan posted dramatic war coverage that garnered over 1 million Instagram views, while Will Bailey filmed explosions near the Fairmont Dubai hotel.
Within days, influencers adopted uniform messaging emphasizing Dubai's safety and strong leadership. A BBC analysis of 129 influencer posts found similar language about "stability" and "safety" uploaded within minutes of each other. The UAE requires influencers to obtain "Advertiser Permits" and prohibits content that might harm the country's economic situation.
The UAE actively courts creators through its annual "1 Billion Followers Summit" featuring speakers like MrBeast and Will Smith. The government offers Golden Visas to influencers and operates a Creators HQ office for business registration and permits. Dubai ranks among the top five most Instagrammed cities globally based on hashtag counts, above Miami and Los Angeles.
Edison Research found that 58% of Americans aged 12 and older listened to or watched podcasts monthly in January 2026, representing 167 million people and marking a record high for the medium. Weekly podcast consumption reached 45%, up from 40% in 2025. Edison Research, a digital media research firm, conducted the survey with SSRS and SiriusXM Media, polling 2,050 Americans through a nationally representative online sample.
YouTube emerged as the leading podcast platform, with 39% of weekly podcast consumers accessing content there most often, compared to 20% for Spotify and 11% for Apple Podcasts. By consumption time, YouTube captured 32% share versus 25% for Spotify and 20% for Apple Podcasts.
The data revealed podcasting's dual-format nature, with 36% of monthly podcast consumers both listening and watching content. Overall online audio consumption reached 81% of Americans monthly, totaling 233 million people. Smart TV ownership rose to 81% from 75% in 2025, supporting increased digital media consumption.
Unilever announced plans to shift 50 percent of its advertising investment into social media and influencer marketing, according to CEO Fernando Fernandez. The consumer goods conglomerate's decision represented one of the largest commitments to creator economy channels by a traditional advertiser.
Industry research revealed a disconnect between social media investment and measurement capabilities. While 97 percent of marketing leaders believed they could communicate social media's value to their organizations, only 30 percent of marketers felt confident measuring social media return on investment.
Measurement challenges stemmed from attribution difficulties, particularly for organic content and influencer partnerships. Unlike paid social advertising with built-in tracking systems, organic and influencer campaigns required separate studies from companies like Nielsen, creating additional costs most brands avoided funding.
Creator-led mobile virtual network operators emerged as a growth strategy for telecom companies, according to Circles, a telecom technology provider. The company identified several celebrity and creator-backed MVNOs, including Mint Mobile launched by Ryan Reynolds, SmartLess Mobile launched by Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett, and Rockstar Wireless associated with music producer RoccStar.
These MVNOs leverage existing audience relationships rather than traditional marketing, reducing customer acquisition costs and supporting smaller-scale operations. Creators gain recurring revenue streams independent of social media platforms, while operators access niche segments without reshaping core brand positioning.
Circles operates as a telecom technology company that enables digital-first mobile brands. The company's Chief Revenue Officer Sanjay Kaul argued that operators are exploring portfolios of targeted brands alongside core businesses, allowing experimentation with specific audiences and measurable outcomes without broad market pressure.
TikTok food reviewer Keith Lee partnered with Vox Media to launch a weekly video podcast documenting his family's food-touring business. Lee, who has over 17 million TikTok followers, announced the deal at SXSW alongside his wife Ronni Lee.
The untitled podcast will debut in spring 2026 and follow Lee's family across food tours spanning more than 30 cities in 10 countries. Lee said discussions with Vox Media began at the 2025 Cannes Lions festival. The show will reveal behind-the-scenes operations of visits to as many as 12 establishments per day.
Lee expanded his business portfolio beyond the podcast deal. His family launched their first food-and-music festival, Familee Day, scheduled for May 16 in New Orleans, and invested in Brooklyn Dumpling Shop restaurant chain. In October 2025, Lee signed with UTA for representation across production, consumer products, and live events. His brand partnerships include Pizza Hut, Chipotle, DoorDash, and Microsoft.
Havas Red launched CRed, a new creator marketing practice that consolidates its influencer and content creator services into an integrated platform. The Australian agency positioned the practice to help brands develop long-term creator partnerships rather than one-off campaigns.
The launch comes as creator marketing spending in Australia reached $850 million in 2025, according to the agency. CRed combines AI-powered discovery tools with human expertise for creator selection and relationship management. The practice integrates across Havas Red's PR, social media, content and experiential marketing divisions.
Stuart Hood, executive director of social and influencer at Havas Red Australia, said the practice builds on successful creator campaigns for Tourism Tasmania, Booking.com, Smirnoff, Toyota, and Lexus. These efforts won awards for Tourism Tasmania, Toyota, and Booking.com.
Bulletpitch, a Gen Z-led media outfit and investing syndicate, hosted a monthly pitch event where influencers with large social followings listened to startup presentations. Founded by Brett Perlmutter and managed by podcaster Felix Levine, the company operates newsletters and special purpose vehicles for trendy companies like food startup Sauz.
The March event at Hudson Yards' BondST restaurant featured about two dozen content creators hearing pitches from companies including Eterneva, which turns remains into diamonds, and Popwtr, a beverage startup with cotton candy and lemon-lime flavored drinks. Eterneva had previously appeared on Shark Tank and received funding from a Bulletpitch SPV but was no longer seeking investment.
Pitches included PipeDream, which builds underground robotic delivery systems, presented by founder Garrett McCurrach who flew from Austin to attend. Influencers attended to learn startup investment strategies as an alternative monetization method beyond traditional brand deals. The model represents a shift where consumer goods startups seek captive audiences through influencer partnerships rather than traditional venture capital frameworks.
Interesting People
An AI-generated Instagram account named Jessica Foster gained nearly 1 million followers in three months by posing as a U.S. Army soldier and Trump supporter, before being exposed as a monetization scheme directing followers to an OnlyFans foot fetish account. The account launched on December 14, 2025, publishing fabricated images showing Foster with political figures including Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, and Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Military veterans identified rendering errors that exposed the account, including incorrect uniform name tapes and military insignia placement that violated U.S. Army dress codes. The scheme redirected followers to an OnlyFans account under the username @jessicanextdoor, where individual posts attracted tips exceeding $100.
The operation appeared to violate both OnlyFans policies requiring verified human accounts and clear AI disclosure, as well as Meta's requirements for AI disclosure in political content. The account operator's identity remained unknown, with some military veterans speculating about potential foreign influence operations on social media platforms.
Fox Entertainment hired Billy Parks as head of Fox Creator Studios, the company's digital division focused on developing formats and intellectual property from creators. Parks will report to Fox Entertainment CEO Rob Wade and brings experience from roles at multi-channel network Fullscreen, studio Astronauts Wanted, The Chernin Group, and Slow Ventures Creator Fund.
Fox Entertainment announced Fox Creator Studios at CES in Las Vegas on January 7, 2026. The division launched with food-focused content featuring Gordon Ramsay through Studio Ramsay Global and creators including YouTube baker Rosanna Pansino, British duo Jolly, Sorted Food, The Food Theorists, and Little Remy Food.
Fox Creator Studios represents one component of Fox Entertainment's broader creator economy engagement. The company's streaming service Tubi has pursued creator-focused programming separately, while Fox Advertising invested in The Lighthouse, a physical creator campus operated by Whalar Group. Fox has not specified timing for additional content verticals beyond food.
Los Angeles creators Jenine Pastores and Josh Jackson turned Tubby Nugget, a character originally drawn in private messages between the couple, into a multi-platform entertainment franchise spanning social media, merchandise, books, and live events. The cheerful alien character began as personal sketches in 2018 when Jackson drew "nuggets" to cheer up Pastores during her health recovery.
The creators launched Tubby Nugget on Instagram without prior social media experience, reaching their initial goal of 10,000 followers within days. Their growth strategy emerged through fan participation, with followers submitting photos for the creators to insert Tubby into, generating organic reach through reposts.
The business developed accidentally in early 2019 when their first plush toy generated $10,000 in sales within one day, despite the creators having no formal business training. Pastores taught herself manufacturing logistics and built their Shopify store, while Jackson continued content creation. They partnered with a Taiwan factory that produces toys for Disney and Marvel.
The franchise now includes a graphic novel titled "Escape from Nuggetville" and live events, with recent appearances drawing 300 attendees.
YouTube creator and journalist Johnny Harris launched Newpress in February 2026, a journalism platform designed to operate outside algorithmic content distribution. Harris partnered with three other creators including Sam Ellis and Max Fisher, with the collective claiming over 10 million combined subscribers.
Newpress operates on a crowdsourced journalism model where community members contribute local knowledge and expertise to stories in development. Harris cited an early experiment where thousands of members analyzed a historical Japanese map to inform his reporting.
The platform offers two membership tiers: a free Contributor level and a $60 annual Founding Member tier that includes exclusive content and ad-free video access. Harris stated that payment status would not affect community participation or voice.
The launch comes as independent journalists increasingly explore direct monetization through platforms like Substack and Patreon. Harris, who has over 5 million YouTube subscribers, positioned the platform as a response to media consolidation and algorithm-driven content that prioritizes engagement over substance.
Nashville-based creator Natalie Rose gained over one million followers during the pandemic through her viral "jobs" series on TikTok. The content started when viewers speculated about her profession after seeing her wear scrubs in a video. Rose turned this into a series where she tried different jobs suggested by commenters, reaching up to 30 million daily views.
The series attracted partnerships with professional sports organizations including the NFL, hockey teams, and NASCAR. Rose participated in activities ranging from serving as Stanley Cup keeper to working as a monster truck driver and NASCAR pit crew member.
Rose experienced burnout from the demanding travel and filming schedule and stepped back when TikTok removed sounds from its library, including audio used in over 100 of her videos. She has since shifted to lifestyle, sports, and travel content under the "Don't Be Boring" brand. Rose is represented by Odyssey Entertainment Group and plans to expand into NASCAR coverage and whiskey content.
YouTuber Markiplier received an official invitation to attend the 98th Academy Awards on March 15, 2026, despite not being nominated for any awards. Mark Fischbach, who operates gaming and entertainment channels with millions of subscribers, announced the invitation on his Distractible podcast earlier this month.
The invitation followed the release of his horror film "Iron Lung" on January 30, 2026. The independently produced movie was based on a cult horror video game and represented Markiplier's first full-length film project after creating interactive YouTube series including "A Heist with Markiplier" and "In Space with Markiplier."
Photos circulated online showing seating placards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles with "Markiplier" listed alongside his headshot, confirming his attendance as a guest. Since "Iron Lung" was released in 2026, it remains ineligible for the current ceremony honoring 2025 films but could be considered for the 2027 Oscars ceremony.
Industry News
Instagram tested its "Shop the Look" feature in late February, using AI visual recognition to automatically add product tags and shopping links to creator posts without consent. The feature drew backlash from creators who found their content linked to products they never endorsed, including knockoffs and unvetted items. Creators did not earn money from these recommendations.
Fashion creator Julia Berolzheimer wrote that the feature linked her posts to "cheap knockoffs and random items from brands I've never heard of." Meta confirmed it was "running a limited test to collect feedback," with the feature pulling products from business catalogs. It remains unclear if the test is still active.
Creator management companies including Illuminate Social and The Hive advised clients on protective measures. Industry executives suggested Meta should provide creators with residual cuts on sales and allow opt-in participation. The feature moves Meta closer to TikTok Shop's social commerce model while positioning the platform between creator influence and monetization.
Pretty Good Agents, a Seattle-based creator management agency founded in 2017, is targeting its first eight-figure revenue year according to founder Anthony Cappocchi. The agency represents over 100 content creators and was originally launched when Cappocchi began managing brand deals for a YouTube guitarist after being laid off from a music software company.
Pretty Good Agents measures campaign success by brand renewal rates rather than traditional metrics, with Cappocchi stating "For us, it's a success if we see them back again." The agency focuses on music, outdoor, and travel creators and plans to expand into engineering, automotive, and political content. Cappocchi aims to reduce the roster to 25 dedicated creators rather than expand.
The agency has observed increased brand demand for usage rights and content licensing, with deals including 60-day usage licenses commanding 25-30% higher fees. Cappocchi expressed concern about AI's impact on creator rates, noting "I worry it's going to be a race to the bottom for content creators" as synthetic influencers require lower operational costs than human creators.
Circle released its "2026 Community Trends Report" based on a survey of over 750 community builders and data from 18,000 communities on its platform. The community platform company found that 48% of respondents said having a community provided a competitive advantage over traditional branding alone.
The report revealed that 67% of survey participants said members joined or stayed because of shared identity and values. Member transformation emerged as the primary growth strategy for 69% of respondents, with 61.4% citing goal achievement as the most common transformation type.
Community engagement now spans the entire customer lifecycle, with 48% reporting people engage with their community before making purchases. Looking forward, 69.4% of respondents said community would play a larger role in their business strategy.
Organizationally, 32% now have dedicated community budgets, with some reaching $1 million. Software typically accounts for 30% to 50% of community spending. Meanwhile, 39% of respondents said they were de-prioritizing member growth for 2026 in favor of quality over quantity approaches.
YouTube paid more than $8 billion to the music industry in the 12 months ending June 2025, according to a letter from Lyor Cohen, the platform's Global Head of Music. The figure contributed to YouTube's cumulative total of over $100 billion paid to creators, music companies, and media partners to date.
Universal Music Group Chairman Lucian Grainge called the payout a starting point for future opportunities. Cohen highlighted visual storytelling as a growth driver, citing ROSÉ and Bruno Mars's "APT." Grammy performance with 2.3 billion YouTube views and Bad Bunny's Super Bowl performance with 120 million views. Bad Bunny holds 19 music videos with over one billion views each.
YouTube expanded its Content ID system to include likeness detection capabilities to combat low-quality AI content. The platform developed AI tools for artists, including Wonder Studios' Flow technology used for Lewis Capaldi's "Something in the Heavens" video. Research from catalog financing company Duetti found artists with sustained YouTube growth showed 16% better long-term audience development.
The Drive Agency launched in March 2025 as a talent management firm focused exclusively on B2B creators in technology, AI, data science, and professional development verticals. Co-founders Patrick Zielinski and Leila Marsh brought experience from Cameo, LinkedIn, ICM Partners, and StyleHaul to target what they identified as an underserved creator segment.
The agency represents creators including Colin Rocker, a Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree who has partnered with Microsoft Copilot and Adobe, and Megan Lieu, founder of Master LinkedIn. Their brand roster includes Microsoft, Anthropic, Adobe, Salesforce, IBM, Notion, and Replit.
Zielinski previously helped scale Cameo from 10 employees through Series A and later built LinkedIn's Top Voices program. Marsh managed Brad Mondo, whose XMONDO Hair brand sells in more than 2,200 Sally Beauty stores across the U.S. and Canada.
The Drive operates with five employees and positions itself as end-to-end infrastructure for expert creators, covering brand partnerships, physical products, digital courses, and speaking placements rather than traditional deal-focused management.
MADE BY ALL, a Los Angeles-based talent management company founded in 2017, trademarked the term "Creator Hollywood™" as part of its strategy to build entertainment infrastructure around digital creators rather than integrate them into traditional Hollywood systems. CEO Leanne Perice, who previously worked at Interscope Records, manages 40 creators across management, brand partnerships, venture investing, and a creative studio division.
The company operates through what Perice calls the "MBA" framework: meaningful content creation, brand amplification through outreach to 5,000-6,000 brands weekly, and providing access to cultural events including the Super Bowl and film premieres. MADE BY ALL's creators have collaborated with celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Jennifer Aniston, Messi, and Jack Black over the past two years.
Perice positioned the strategy as creators becoming "their own distribution centers" for intellectual property development, moving away from traditional studio gatekeepers. The company intentionally maintains a smaller roster compared to competitors who manage 500 clients, focusing on creators with 50-70 million audience reach who maintain consistent engagement across content formats.
Meta updated Facebook's original content guidelines and launched impersonation detection tools within its content protection system. The company reported that views and time spent watching original Reels on Facebook approximately doubled in the second half of 2025 compared to 2024, attributing growth to prioritizing original content while reducing reach of unoriginal material.
Under the new guidelines, content filmed directly by creators qualifies as original, while reaction videos relying solely on facial expressions and re-uploads without substantive additions will be deprioritized. Creators posting primarily unoriginal content may face demonetization and account restrictions.
Meta removed more than 20 million accounts impersonating content creators in 2025, with impersonation reports dropping 33% over the same period. The enhanced content protection tool, which uses Rights Manager matching technology, allows creators to track, block, or release claims on matching content across Facebook and Instagram. Creators can access the tool through their Professional Dashboard or apply on Facebook's website.
Linden Lane Films launched as a content studio pairing Hollywood talent with YouTube creators to compete for brand advertising budgets through first-party data collection. Led by actor Stephen Kunken, entrepreneur Morgan Rothschild, and consultant David Baum, the company signed YouTube creators the Stokes Twins, who have 137 million subscribers, and Ben Azelart, who has 48.6 million subscribers.
The studio operates two divisions: an independent film studio for theatrical and streaming releases, and Linden Lane Labs for creator-led content. Linden Lane partnered with Tracer Labs and its Trust ID platform to build proprietary ad technology called Reel-2-Reel AI, which uses opt-in audience data for targeted advertising within creator content.
YouTube now generates more ad revenue than Disney, Paramount, NBC and Warner Bros Discovery combined, according to Business Insider. The Stokes Twins will begin production with Linden Lane Labs in December 2026, with plans to expand beyond their typical challenge content into new genres including horror. The studio will release two feature films within two years.
Apple acquired MotionVFX, a Poland-based video editing company specializing in plugins, templates, and visual effects tools for Final Cut Pro. The deal allows Apple to integrate MotionVFX's capabilities directly rather than relying on third-party extensions.
The acquisition follows Apple's January launch of Creator Studio, a subscription bundle packaging professional creative apps including Final Cut Pro. Creator Studio competes with Adobe Creative Cloud, which provides access to more than 20 professional applications. The bundle's development was first discovered in November 2025 through code references in iOS 26.2 beta.
The deal supports Apple's services revenue strategy, which generated $85.2 billion in fiscal 2025. Services carry higher profit margins than Apple's hardware business. Apple previously acquired Pixelmator to expand its professional creative software portfolio.
The MotionVFX purchase positions Apple to attract more Creator Studio subscribers while competing directly with Adobe Premiere Pro's plugin ecosystem.
Senator Mark Warner questioned the Treasury Department about a $10 billion fee that TikTok buyers paid the U.S. government as part of the platform's sale from ByteDance. Warner asked Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent how the fee was determined and approved, and whether spending the money would violate the Anti-Deficiency Act without Congressional appropriation.
The total transaction price reached $24 billion, not the initially reported $14 billion. Oracle and Silver Lake each acquired 15% stakes in TikTok U.S., while ByteDance retained nearly 20%. Oracle disclosed its equity investment in earnings reports but did not mention fee payments.
The Treasury Department, TikTok U.S., and Vice President Vance's office declined to comment on the arrangement. Background sources who previously discussed the multi-year divestiture process refused to address the fee structure. The fee represents over 70% of the deal value, compared to typical merger and acquisition fees of 1% to 2%. Warner's inquiry follows Wall Street Journal reporting on the payment structure, which remains officially undisclosed despite being an unprecedented government extraction from a private market transaction.
Registration Required
The "Chinamaxxing" trend has taken over TikTok, with American users posting aspirational content about "being Chinese" that blends humor, wellness culture, and geopolitical anxiety. The trend accelerated after U.S. users migrated to Chinese app Xiaohongshu during the 2025 TikTok ban scare, then returned with a shifted perspective on Chinese infrastructure, consumer goods, and quality of life.
Chinese American creators like Sherry Zhu have built audiences as cultural guides, while traditional Chinese medicine and lifestyle content multiplies across the platform. Critics note the trend flattens Chinese culture into aesthetic branding and ignores the anti-Asian hate spike of 2020. For creators, the format offers a repeatable content template mixing cultural commentary with engagement-driving controversy, a formula TikTok's algorithm rewards.
TikTok removed Zuber Mohammed, its global head of consumer marketing, in March 2026 as part of cuts to its global marketing organization. Mohammed had overseen brand and creative marketing efforts since late 2024, reporting to global communications head Zenia Mucha.
The departure continued a pattern of marketing executive exits at the ByteDance-owned platform. Sofia Hernandez, global head of business marketing and commercial partnerships, left earlier in March. Rema Vasan, who headed business marketing in North America, also exited recently.
TikTok lost other leadership in 2026, including Kim Farrell, global head of creators, who departed in January during a content division reorganization. The company formed a joint venture in January with Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX to comply with legal requirements, though advertising and marketing staff remained under ByteDance oversight.
TikTok was expected to generate $18 billion in US advertising revenue in 2026, according to EMARKETER estimates.
Formula E, the electric motorsport championship, partnered with YouTube group The Sidemen and talent agency Arcade to create a live creator racing event that drew 5.8 million viewers on its YouTube channel last month. The motorsport series trained 10 creators to drive championship cars in a knock-out style competition streamed live.
Formula E CMO Ellie Norman said the brand prioritized original digital content over traditional race promotion clips to build awareness among target audiences. The partnership involved creators handling storytelling while Formula E provided infrastructure and driver training. Norman noted the brand operates with budget constraints compared to traditional sports, leading to a social and digital-first strategy.
According to EMARKETER data, digital live sports viewers represented 69.8% of total live sports viewers in 2025. An IBM survey from June 2025 found 49% of sports fans worldwide follow sports influencers, supporting Formula E's creator-focused approach to audience development.
Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos said YouTube creator Mark Rober experienced increased product sales after his show launched on the streaming platform in November. Rober, a former NASA engineer who creates science education content, saw higher sales of his science kits following the first week of "Mark Rober's CrunchLabs" on Netflix.
The comments came as Netflix expanded its creator content strategy to compete with YouTube, which holds the top position in US streaming TV and podcasts. Netflix has signed creators including Rober, preschool educator Ms. Rachel, and launched video podcasts featuring Bill Simmons, Charlamagne Tha God's "The Breakfast Club," and Barstool Sports content.
Sarandos said Netflix was seeing "promising numbers" from its podcast programming focused on comedy, sports, and true crime but did not provide specific figures. The streaming service has pursued both exclusive and non-exclusive deals with creators as it attempts to challenge YouTube's dominance in the creator economy space.