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- Influence Weekly #439 - From One Brief To A 50M+ View Franchise: Why Lenovo Bet On Creator IP Over Campaigns
Influence Weekly #439 - From One Brief To A 50M+ View Franchise: Why Lenovo Bet On Creator IP Over Campaigns
Why Alcohol Brands Are Finally Advertising On TikTok
Nii Ahene
May 01, 2026
Spotlight Stories
From One Brief To A 50M+ View Franchise: Why Lenovo & Portal A Bet On Creator IP Over Campaigns
AI Search Visibility Index: Creator Management Agencies, May 2026
Expedia Bets On Creator-led Marketing With Ishowspeed Partnership
Why Alcohol Brands Are Finally Advertising On TikTok
Great Reads
Portal A, a social content studio, developed a multi-year creator program called "Creator Odyssey" for Lenovo's Yoga Aura Edition that generated over 50 million views across three chapters from 2024 to 2026. The program produced 1.6 million engagements and 250+ pieces of content, according to the companies.
The third installment, "Creator Odyssey: World Stage," launched alongside Lenovo's 2026 FIFA World Cup partnership and featured seven creators from five countries producing soccer-inspired content. The program culminated in a live showcase in Mexico City and a documentary-style brand film. Chapter Three alone delivered nearly 400,000 watch hours and close to half of the program's total views.
Portal A elevated creators Gawx and Vexx from talent in the first chapter to creative directors by the third, having them design challenge briefs and co-host events. The program focused on long-form YouTube content supplemented by brand films and short-form content across platforms. Aditi Rajvanshi, Portal A's Head of Strategy, said audience sentiment reached nearly 100% positive across all branded content.
Coachella 2026 brand activations and creator content generated $1.7 billion in earned media value, marking a 69% increase from 2025, according to WeArisma, an influencer intelligence platform. The firm tracked 30,000 pieces of content and 3.3 billion engagements from April 8-21.
Rhode led brand performance with $13.4 million in EMV from 484 posts and 21.4 million engagements. The campaign centered on Justin Bieber's headline performance and Hailey Bieber's "Rhode World" pop-up, with press coverage accounting for 54% of total EMV. Neutrogena ranked second at $3.5 million EMV, followed by Heineken at $3.1 million from 33 posts.
Sabrina Carpenter topped creator rankings with $20 million in EMV, while Paris Hilton generated $19.3 million across 39 posts. Charli D'Amelio earned $18.1 million, with a single TikTok producing $4.6 million in EMV.
Who's Winning in AI Search? We Ranked 100+ Creator Economy Companies to Find Out
When a creator asks ChatGPT or Perplexity for the best creator marnagement firm, some companies get cited. Others don't exist.
We partnered with Grow and Convert and their AI visibility tool Traqer to rank 100+ creator economy companies across the major AI platforms. The results were surprising. A handful of companies dominate across every platform. Most don't show up at all.
Want to know what the top-ranked companies are doing differently and how to improve your visibility share? We're breaking down the full data live later this month.
Webinar: How to Win Attention in AI Search: What Top-Ranked Creator Economy Companies Do Differently
May 20 | 1:00 PM ET, 10:00 AM PT | Free
Limited to 100 seats
Campaign Insights
Meta partnered with NIL Club to deploy hundreds of college athletes nationwide in a campaign promoting Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses. Atlanta-based NIL Club announced the activation on April 28, 2026, as part of its tournament strategy model.
NIL Club operates a platform connecting brands with more than 650,000 registered student-athletes across 2,000-plus schools and 20,000-plus team-based groups. The company reported these athletes collectively represent nearly 1.7 billion social media followers and have driven more than 4 million verified conversions across campaigns.
The platform enables brands to engage entire teams simultaneously rather than individual creators. NIL Club stated athlete-driven content achieves engagement rates of 5.6% to 8.4%, compared to approximately 1.9% for traditional influencer campaigns. Previous campaigns included partnerships with Subway, SoFi, and Amazon Prime Student.
Meta sold more than seven million Ray-Ban and Oakley units with its technologies in 2025, according to EssilorLuxottica.
Expedia launched a global partnership with livestreamer IShowSpeed, whose real name is Darren Jason Watkins Jr., to target Gen Z travelers through creator-led marketing. The travel booking platform began the campaign with IShowSpeed's Caribbean tour across Dominica, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts & Nevis and St. Maarten, documented in a 12-hour livestream on Twitch and YouTube on Wednesday.
Expedia created a dedicated website at Exspeedia.com where fans can watch behind-the-scenes content, book IShowSpeed-inspired trips, enter prize contests and vote on his future destinations. The next phase will bring the creator to North American cities throughout the year. A six-second YouTube teaser generated over 12 million views.
IShowSpeed has more than 150 million followers across platforms. Expedia offered customers who book full trips through September the chance to meet IShowSpeed and bring a friend. According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, creator marketing ad spending was forecast to reach $44 billion this year as brands treat influencer partnerships as core media channels rather than supplementary tactics.
Liquor brands are flooding TikTok after years of being locked out, following the platform's rollout of stronger age-gating protocols and a new advertising framework negotiated with the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States. Pernod Ricard's Malibu just launched its first major TikTok-specific campaign, partnering with creator Sabrina Brier on "get ready with me" videos to promote a new flavored rum.
Competitors are moving fast. Grey Goose tapped Heidi Klum, Espolon Tequila enlisted Ken Jeong, and St-Germain worked with Sophie Turner. The opportunity is sizable. TikTok generates more than $14 billion in U.S. ad spending annually, with four in ten American adults active on the app and 80% over the age of 21. Pernod Ricard and Bacardi piloted alcohol content beginning in 2024.
Dating app The League has launched its first LinkedIn creator campaign, partnering with 10 verified members who are also founders and entrepreneurs on the platform. The campaign, called "Network here. Find me on The League," signals a broader shift as consumer brands eye LinkedIn beyond traditional B2B advertising.
Partners include Chelsey Mori of Unbound Legal and Cherie Brooke Luo of the Tiger Sisters podcast. Most ad spend goes directly to creators, with some paid boosting. LinkedIn reports 1.2 billion members, and B2B ad revenues were projected to surpass 5 billion dollars last year, according to eMarketer. Dreamdata reports LinkedIn ads deliver stronger ROAS for B2B marketers than Google Search or Meta. The League is tracking engagement, reach, and sentiment to measure success.
YouTube dominated advertising effectiveness metrics in a survey of 1,000 U.S. respondents ages 13-17 and 25-45, according to research from Precisify, a digital advertising intelligence company. The platform achieved 52% ad recall among both demographics, outpacing TikTok's 38% among teens and Facebook's 36% among adults 25-45.
YouTube Shorts outperformed TikTok on ad engagement, with 66% of teens and 48% of adults 25-45 reporting they watch ads on the platform, compared to 57% and 43% respectively on TikTok. Skip rates were also lower on YouTube Shorts at 20% for teens versus 25% on TikTok.
Parents cited YouTube ads as purchase drivers more than competitors, with 30% saying YouTube advertising influenced their most recent child-related purchase, ahead of TikTok at 21% and Netflix at 19%. YouTube reached 83% of teens and 75% of adults surveyed. The study found 45% of combined respondents spend 30 minutes to one hour daily on YouTube.
Launchpoint, a New York-based creator marketing platform founded in January 2025, processed roughly 1,000 creator deals per day for clients including Keurig Dr. Pepper, C4 Energy, New Era Cap, and GoPuff. The company expanded from connecting brands with college athletes under NIL compensation rules into a broader automated creator marketing system.
Launchpoint's AI engine Darwin handles contracting, content review, and campaign reporting at scale. The platform reported having over 1,000 creators at one university alone, enabling brands to deploy content simultaneously across large portions of student bodies rather than relying on single high-profile creators.
New Era Cap worked with Launchpoint on campaigns targeting sports campuses including UCLA, Ohio State, and University of Florida. The company reported 400% total campaign ROI, 120% attributable ROI on organic posts, 444,000 total views, and 118 videos across four campaigns, with shipping time reduced by 1,500% through automated fulfillment.
Fox Corporation's Red Seat Ventures signed a multiyear partnership with comedy podcast "Kill Tony" in April 2026, marking the company's first entry into live entertainment and comedy content. Red Seat Ventures, which Fox acquired in February 2025, will serve as exclusive audio and video ad sales partner for the show and distribute episodes across Fox streaming platforms including Tubi and FOX One, plus YouTube and third-party platforms.
"Kill Tony," hosted by comedians Tony Hinchcliffe and Brian Redban, generates nearly 3 million downloads per episode across Spotify and Apple Podcasts and has 2.6 million YouTube subscribers. The show combines stand-up comedy, improvisation, and talent discovery formats.
ATRX Agency launched "UpNext: The Rise," a performance-based creator development platform featuring a $50,000 cash prize and $250,000 career acceleration package. The company, founded in 2020 by former Warner Music Group executive Bill Herndon, operates as an official TikTok Live Partner managing creators across music, entertainment, and lifestyle categories.
ATRX distinguishes itself by not taking commission from creator Diamond earnings on TikTok Live streams. Instead, the agency receives compensation through TikTok's partner program, aligning incentives with platform growth rather than creator revenue extraction.
The agency's development model centers on its Creator Lab training system, which analyzes live performance data and tests engagement formats. ATRX manages three revenue streams for creators: TikTok Live gifting, TikTok Shop commerce integration, and external brand partnerships. The company assigns agents rather than managers to provide strategic oversight beyond daily operations.
Sonar Seed Intelligence released research covering 549 TikTok influencer marketing campaigns run by Shopify merchants from Q2 2025 through Q1 2026, revealing nano creators achieved the highest reach efficiency.
Nano creators with 1,000 to 10,000 followers posted a median Reach Efficiency Ratio of 54.9x across 215 campaigns, compared to 10.1x for micro creators, 3.0x for macro accounts, and 1.0x for mega creators. The RER measures organic views earned per follower.
Content featuring Problem-Solution hooks produced the highest RER at 29.3x, while Talking-Head format delivered the lowest at 1.4x. Videos revealing products in opening seconds achieved 415,000 median views versus lower figures for later reveals.
Creators who mentioned product drawbacks earned 4.2% share rates and 114,000 median views, outperforming purely positive content which recorded 1.8% share rates. Home content achieved the highest sector RER at 38.1x, while Beauty posted the lowest at 1.1x despite representing the largest sample with 75 campaigns.
The Big Three Podcast
In this May episode, hosts Ceci Carloni and Nii Ahene unpack three stories revealing how brands are rethinking creator program structure, Target’s shift to its creator compensation model, and Meta’s embrace of creator affiliate marketing.
Interesting People
Sidewalker Daily co-founder Nina Zadeh launched a creator education platform that has grown to 160,000 creators without paid advertising. The Miami-based company, founded in 2015 with lawyer Clairesse Brogoitti, focuses on teaching creators to negotiate brand deals through its "Pitching To Brands Mastercourse."
Zadeh previously managed influencer marketing budgets for brands including Infant Optics, Jetsetter, and Costa Rica Tourism Board before switching to creator advocacy. The platform also operates "The Paid Creator," a Substack publication that distributes daily brand partnership opportunities.
Zadeh identified two contract issues affecting creators: brands offering product gifting instead of payment, and AI clauses that allow companies to use creator content for model training. She cited a case where a creator received $100,000 in gifted furniture but faced a $20,000 tax bill because the IRS classified it as income. The company offers tax education courses and contract review services to address these challenges.
Sounds Profitable and Podcast Movement completed a merger in 2025, consolidating two of podcasting's largest trade organizations under the leadership of Bryan Barletta, who serves as partner at Sounds Profitable and President of Podcast Movement. The combined entity now operates with more than 200 partners, publishes six newsletters weekly, and maintains event presence at Cannes Lions, South by Southwest, and Advertising Week Europe.
Sounds Profitable, founded by Barletta in September 2020, operates on a flat $500 monthly membership model without equity requirements or contracts. The organization eliminated ticket sales for its South by Southwest 2026 event, forgoing approximately $500,000 in revenue to focus entirely on sponsorship funding.
The merger announcement came in 2025 after Podcast Movement co-founder Dan Franks and the original team moved into a separate events company called Event Movement. In September 2026, the combined organization will occupy Terminal 5 venue in Manhattan for a week-long event featuring the Sounds Profitable Business Summit with $2,000 tickets for 600 attendees and creator-focused Podcast Movement sessions priced at $199 for 1,000 attendees across five stages.
Creator economy consultant Gigi Robinson tested her business systems theory through a pet Instagram account that reached 11,000 followers. Robinson, founder of Hosts of Influence consulting firm, argued that creators fail from lack of systems rather than talent, using her dogs' account @zekeandtrixie as proof of concept.
The account secured an Adobe Acrobat billboard campaign partnership, leveraging Robinson's three-year relationship as an Adobe Express Ambassador. Adobe agreed to run the hero campaign on the pet account instead of her primary channel. The collaboration promoted Adobe's PDF Spaces feature launch.
Robinson found pet creator economics differed from lifestyle content, with brands prioritizing conversion rates over thought leadership. During Amazon Prime Day, the dog account generated thousands in affiliate sales. Pet content followers skewed toward high-income millennial and Gen Z women with higher saves-to-shares ratios than lifestyle content.
Dzung Lewis built Honeysuckle from a weekend hobby in 2009 into a food brand with three million followers across platforms, one billion YouTube Shorts views, and a published cookbook. Lewis launched the YouTube channel while working in corporate finance and committed fully to content creation after being laid off in 2012.
The channel faced declining viewership several years ago, with videos dropping from 50,000-100,000 views to below 10,000 views. Lewis pivoted to short-form content on TikTok and YouTube Shorts, growing to one million subscribers within a year through daily posting and analytics-driven content strategy.
Lewis works with Night Media for deal negotiations and brand partnerships. She shifted from scripted sponsorships to integrated brand content that maintains audience trust. Her cookbook launched in 2020 during increased home cooking trends.
Amazon and the Kelce brothers announced that Jason and Travis Kelce will host a live edition of their Wondery podcast "New Heights" on June 15 at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. The event coincides with FIFA World Cup matches in LA, with the live recording becoming available on YouTube, Prime Video, and podcast platforms on June 17. Enterprise serves as the official rental partner and Xfinity as associate sponsor.
The live show represents the latest expansion of the Kelce brothers' content partnership with Amazon. In August 2024, Amazon's Wondery secured rights to the "New Heights" podcast in a deal reportedly valued at $100 million, covering audio and video distribution and monetization.
In January 2026, Amazon and the Kelces launched Kelce Clubhouse, a retail platform combining merchandise sales with podcast content access. The platform features exclusive apparel from brands including HOMAGE and Pro Standard, alongside a Warren James-designed "New Heights Essentials" collection.
Industry News
Fox Corporation's free streaming service Tubi announced creator-led live altcasts for select Formula 1 races beginning May 3 with the Miami Grand Prix. The series, titled "The Fast Lane," will feature YouTuber Michelle Khare with 5.4 million subscribers and co-host Jeremiah Burton from automotive channel "BigTime," alongside former racing driver and YouTube F1 analyst Scott Mansell from "Driver61."
The programming will cover three races: Miami Grand Prix on May 3, Austin Grand Prix on October 25, and Las Vegas Grand Prix on November 21. Content will include real-time driver data, onboard footage, and commentary available free to Tubi's 100 million monthly active users in the U.S.
Live Digital Entertainment produces the series with Emmy Award-winning executive producer Eddie Delbridge and showrunner Augie Vargas. The altcasts complement Apple TV's exclusive U.S. Formula 1 coverage, which holds rights to all 2026 Grand Prix races including practice, qualifying, and sprint sessions.
Nashville-based creator management agency Of Note, founded in early 2020 by former PR professionals Katy Shah and India Mayer, rejected 95% of inbound creator inquiries in its selective approach to talent representation. The agency manages lifestyle creators across fashion, beauty, home decor, food, and family content nationwide.
Of Note launched Creator Strategy in 2022 to handle affiliate revenue and platform optimization for creators below their management threshold. Creator Development, added in 2024, serves as a pathway for smaller creators, with two of ten participants graduating to full management. One graduate reached over 500,000 followers while another remained under 100,000 but built a niche business.
The agency raised its revenue threshold for new signings from creators earning thousands monthly to those booking higher volumes. Of Note maintains low manager-to-client ratios for daily individualized attention. The founders chose to remain independent despite industry consolidation trends, citing creator feedback favoring smaller, intimate agencies over larger platforms.
Eleven Holdings transformed SoaR Gaming from a fan-facing gaming brand into a marketing agency after acquiring it in 2019. The company recently crossed one million YouTube subscribers while working with brands including Royal Bank of Canada, Wendy's, Coca-Cola, and DoorDash.
SoaR Gaming launched in 2011 with Call of Duty content and had accumulated two million social media followers by the time of acquisition. Oliver Silverstein, co-founder of Eleven Holdings and SoaR's Chief Operating Officer, said the brand had "zero commercial infrastructure" when purchased.
The company eliminated its 100-creator exclusive roster model after losing pitches due to limited talent inventory. SoaR now operates as a creative and strategic agency that sources talent from external agencies rather than managing creators directly.
The brand refocused on Call of Duty nostalgia content over the past 24 months, generating tens of millions of monthly views. SoaR uses AI-powered live streaming technology that surfaces brand content during peak gameplay moments to address audience ad-skipping behavior.
Blink49 Studios, a Toronto-based independent TV studio, launched a Creator Studios division in April 2026 and appointed Mickey Meyer as president. The division will partner with creators to develop IP across scripted, unscripted, and digital-first formats while providing development, financing, production, and global distribution services.
Meyer brings over twenty years of experience in digital media and the creator economy. He previously worked at Maker Studios, served as president of Group Nine Studios, and co-founded creator investment fund Altitude, comedy studio Jash, and production company The Unreasonable. Meyer will report to Tara Long, president of global unscripted television, and operate from Los Angeles.
Separately, Blink49 hired Tieren Hawkins as VP of vertical content to develop microdramas. Hawkins produced content for ReelShort, Dramawave, and ShortMax, including "Forbidden Bonds," which garnered over 150 million views at premiere. Blink49 was founded in 2021 by John Morayniss with backing from Fifth Season and Bell Media.
California Senate Bill 1247 advanced through two Senate committees in April with unanimous votes, moving closer to giving adults the right to demand removal of monetized social media content featuring them as minors. The legislation passed the Senate Privacy Committee 9-0 and Senate Judiciary Committee 13-0 on April 21.
The bill requires social media platforms to provide mechanisms for removal requests from adults who appeared in at least 30% of a family vlogger's paid content as children. Creators have 10 business days to delete or edit content after notification, facing $3,000 daily penalties for noncompliance plus potential damages and legal fees.
SAG-AFTRA members including former child entertainers Jillian Clare and Jennifer Stone testified in support. The Civil Justice Association of California opposed the measure, citing concerns about the penalty structure potentially encouraging abusive litigation. The bill builds on California's 2024 law requiring family vloggers to deposit 65% of minors' earnings in trust accounts. Similar laws exist in Minnesota and Utah.
Spotter, a creator economy company, outlined its strategy to distinguish long-form content creators from traditional influencers through what it calls "creator TV." Chief Revenue Officer Jodie Kennedy told The Drum that marketers confused short-form influence with long-form entertainment, limiting brand partnership opportunities.
Spotter works with creators including Dude Perfect, Airrack, Michelle Khare, and Jesser who produce episodic content of 22 minutes or longer for connected TV viewing. The company identified approximately 6,600 creators capable of delivering consistent programming from a global creator pool of 26 million.
Kennedy cited a McDonald's campaign that drove three times the expected foot traffic as evidence of long-form content effectiveness. Spotter completed partnerships with brands like Adobe within two months, from initial conversations in January to campaign launch in March. The company positioned creator TV as appointment viewing similar to traditional television, with audiences expecting regular episode releases on specific schedules.
Bauer Media UK Managing Director Simon Kilby and online safety campaigner Esther Ghey called on advertisers to withdraw funding from social media platforms that harm young people at Campaign's Influencer360 event this week. The majority of attendees supported raising the minimum social media age to 16 years following an audience poll.
Ghey, whose daughter Brianna was murdered in 2023 after experiencing mental health problems linked to smartphone addiction, criticized tech platforms for showing no recognition that their services harm children. She urged industry professionals to avoid investing in advertisements on harmful platforms and support safety campaigns.
Kilby emphasized that advertising funds these platforms, creating responsibility for brands to consider return on investment for society rather than just financial returns. He positioned advertisers as a critical lever for change, noting that while regulation takes time, financial pressure could drive immediate platform modifications. Both speakers stressed that collective industry action was needed to create safer digital environments for young people.
Creator Authority, a Los Angeles-based B2B influencer marketing agency, joined LinkedIn's Marketing Partner Program in April 2026. The agency, which serves clients including SAP, Notion, Dropbox, HubSpot, Webflow, Upwork, Amazon, and Canva, gained access to LinkedIn platform tools and closer collaboration opportunities.
The partnership occurred amid a 171% year-over-year increase in creator marketing investment, according to CreatorIQ research. The same study found 61% of B2B marketing leaders plan to increase creator content spending. LinkedIn's research indicated 87% of B2B buyers refer to thought leaders when making purchase decisions, and 82% said creator content directly influences them.
Creator Authority was founded in 2023 by CEO Brendan Gahan, who previously built and sold influencer marketing agency Epic Signal to Mekanism. The company provides strategy, creative direction, creator sourcing, paid amplification, compliance, and reporting services focused on LinkedIn's professional audience.
Harvard Business School experienced a surge of influencer speakers after Kim Kardashian's 2023 visit sparked the trend. Multiple creators including TikToker Alix Earle, Swedish influencer Matilda Djerf, Bethenny Frankel, MrBeast, and jewelry founder Pia Mance appeared on campus through 2025 and 2026.
Earle became the only creator invited twice to actual classroom sessions by senior lecturer Reza Satchu, who is now writing an HBS case study about her founder journey. Satchu received 30 to 40 speaking requests from influencers but extended invitations only to Earle. Most other creators spoke at student-run club events rather than formal classes.
The appearances reflected the creator economy's projected $500 billion valuation by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. Harvard MBA students Katie Pfleger and Ella Rubin closed a $2 million investment as part of a $3 million seed round for their startup Trace after Earle featured them on TikTok, demonstrating tangible business outcomes from these connections.
Meta launched a new standalone app called Instants in Italy and Spain on April 23, 2026. The app enables users to send disappearing photos and videos that remain viewable for 24 hours and can only be viewed once during that window.
Instants is available on iOS and Android platforms. The app builds on Instagram's existing "Shots" feature, which was previously rebranded to Instants within Instagram messages. Users can send content to mutual Instagram followers and close friends but cannot edit photos beyond adding text.
Meta described the app as designed to provide "low-pressure ways to connect with friends" and uses the tagline "real life, real quick." The company told Business Insider it is "exploring multiple versions of Instants to see what people like." Meta has not announced plans for desktop versions or expansion to other regions including the United States. The launch represents Meta's continued efforts to compete with similar apps like Snapchat and BeReal.
The Consumer Federation of America filed a class-action lawsuit against Meta on April 21 in Washington D.C. Superior Court, alleging the company profited from fraudulent advertising on Facebook and Instagram while misleading users about enforcement efforts. The Consumer Federation of America represents nonprofit consumer organizations.
The lawsuit cited internal Meta documents showing the company estimated it displayed 15 billion "higher risk" scam ads daily, generating $7 billion in annualized revenue. Separate internal projections estimated Meta would earn approximately $16 billion from ads tied to scams and banned goods in 2024, representing roughly 10 percent of overall revenue.
Meta denied the allegations through spokesperson Chris Sgro, stating the company removed more than 159 million scam ads in the previous year. The company reported 92 percent were removed before user reports and 10.9 million accounts linked to criminal scam centers were taken down.
The lawsuit follows previous legal actions, including a June 2025 bipartisan state attorneys general coalition urging Meta to address Facebook ads directing users to WhatsApp investment scams.
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Influencer Clavicular has racked up 2.2 billion views across 70,000 short-form video clips between March and April, despite holding a combined following of under 1.7 million across platforms. The 20-year-old's reach is engineered by Clipping, a marketing firm deploying 1,600 contractors who mine his Kick livestreams for viral moments and post them to TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube Shorts. Clippers earn a few hundred dollars per million views.
Some Clipping clients pay $2,500 to $10,000 monthly. Kick, owned by Easygo Entertainment, bankrolls the operation to funnel viewers toward sister brand Stake, the offshore crypto casino that pulled in an estimated $18 billion in deposits last year. YouTube removed two Clavicular channels last week over performance-enhancing drug content. Average Kick viewership has climbed 238% in two years.
TikTok Shop drove $4.9 billion in U.S. sales during the first quarter, nearly doubling year-over-year, as major retailers race to launch storefronts on the platform. Ralph Lauren and Olaplex moved on late last year, Ulta Beauty opened in March, and Academy Sports & Outdoors plans a launch later this year. They join early adopters Crocs, Revolve and L'Oreal.
Consumer spending on the platform climbed 46% in the first three months of the year, with shoppers aged 45 and older now the fastest-growing segment. ThredUp sold over 100,000 Clean Out Kits in roughly two weeks after debuting on TikTok in January, and 98% of buyers were new customers. TikTok Shop currently accounts for about 1% of overall retail sales but could reach 10% by 2028, according to Circana.
Virgin Voyages hosted more than 1,000 creators on a three-night cruise from Miami to Bimini last week, the cruise line's largest ever creator activation. Attendees, whose followings ranged from a few thousand to over a million, generated more than 3,300 posts on TikTok and Instagram under the #SailingWithVirgin hashtag. Most guests had no content obligations.
The brand has more than doubled creator spending in each of the past two years and now allocates roughly half its non-paid-media marketing budget to creators. CMO Nathan Rosenberg credits creators for the company's nearly 30% gross ticket revenue surge between 2024 and 2025. Sponsors included Coca-Cola, Fabletics and Moet Hennessy. Sprout Social, TikTok and creator marketplace paid partnered on the program. A 2,000-creator follow-up is being considered.
EMARKETER forecast that US social network amplified content ad spending will reach $14.15 billion in 2027, matching creator sponsored content revenues before surpassing them in 2028. The research firm projected this crossover marks a shift in how brands allocate creator economy budgets.
IAB data showed 57% of ad buyers identified influencer ads and partnerships as their top investment priority for 2026, up from 48% in 2025. The increased focus on amplification reflected growing brand interest in boosting creator content through paid promotion rather than just sponsoring original content creation.
Billion Dollar Boy research revealed 77% of senior marketing decision-makers planned to redirect budgets from traditional creator marketing toward AI-generated creator content. However, only 26% of consumers believed AI-produced creator content performed better than authentic creator-made content, suggesting a disconnect between marketer strategy and consumer preferences.
The forecast indicated brands were prioritizing content amplification strategies as separate budget line items rather than afterthoughts to sponsored content deals.
Crossmedia's Nate Levinson argues influencer marketing should serve as the backbone of social media strategy, not a supplementary line item, citing data that 61% of consumers trust creator recommendations over brand messaging. Levinson, the agency's managing director and head of social, says platform algorithms now prioritize creator content, and partnership ads have eliminated the old tradeoff between authenticity and scale.
He contends most organizations still silo influencer teams, constrain creator budgets, and measure success through engagement metrics rather than business outcomes. Paid media teams are left adapting brand assets that underperform in native environments. The shift demands tighter collaboration between social, paid and influencer teams, faster creative cycles, and brand willingness to give up control in exchange for platform relevance and conversion.
U.S. advertisers are projected to spend $43.9 billion on sponsored creator posts and related ads this year, up from $37.1 billion in 2025, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau. The 18% growth rate trails the 26% increase in 2025 and 34% the year before. Forty-eight percent of marketers now call creators a "must buy." Yet smaller and direct-to-consumer brands accounted for more than 94% of the 150,000-plus sponsored YouTube videos last year, per Gospel Stats.
Activision led household-name sponsors with 579 videos, still trailing top spenders Ground News and BetterHelp. Unilever now works with 300,000 creator advocates, up from 10,000 two years ago. Most deals remain short-term contracts for a handful of TikTok and Instagram posts, frustrating creators pushing for long-term ambassadorships.
Amazon has restructured its podcasting strategy by gutting Wondery and launching Creator Services, a department focused on building monetizable ecosystems around video podcast hosts rather than selling traditional ads. The August overhaul eliminated roughly 100 jobs and shifted audio-only podcasts to Audible. Jason and Travis Kelce, hosts of New Heights, are the flagship test case after signing a reported 100 million dollar, three-year deal with Wondery in 2024.
Amazon launched Kelce Clubhouse in January, a landing page selling merchandise, the brothers' forthcoming book, Garage Beer, and Audible promotions. A live New Heights show is planned for June in Los Angeles around the World Cup, sponsored by Enterprise and Xfinity. The model extends to creators including Dax Shepard, Keke Palmer, LeBron James, and Twitch gamers.
PATTISON Outdoor has partnered with Calgary-based agency Embold to bring influencer and creator content to digital out-of-home screens across Canadian transit networks and airports. The offering adapts vertical, closed-captioned social videos from Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, and TikTok for digital posters in major markets. The format emphasizes visual-first storytelling for sound-off environments and short viewing windows.
In a winter 2026 subway activation with a Toronto-based creator, PATTISON reports more than one-third of frequent riders recalled the ad, and 72 percent of those engaged by searching, visiting a site, or discussing it. The deal opens new packaging options combining influencer, social, and DOOH placements, particularly around hubs like Toronto Pearson, where PATTISON holds exclusive ad rights and is expanding its Pulse analytics platform.
Young finance workers posting day-in-the-life content on TikTok are clashing with Wall Street compliance policies. Allison Sheehan, a 26-year-old former Goldman Sachs wealth management employee, built a following as "The Investment Baker" before compliance officers ordered her to delete posts and rebrand. She resigned to focus on her cake business, which now serves clients including Goop, LoveShackFancy, and Gigi Hadid.
Nearly 60,400 videos tagged hashtag investmentbanking have appeared on TikTok recently. The trend highlights tensions between Gen Z creators and traditional finance, where Goldman Sachs received 360,000 applications for 2,600 internships in 2025, up 15 percent year over year. FINRA and SEC rules govern confidential information sharing, but firms set their own internal social media policies, creating uneven enforcement.