蘑菇AV

Influencer marketing is maturing and diversifying. While the turmoil at TikTok and the escalating trade war are causing temporary uncertainty, the industry will remain resilient as momentum around influencer marketing grows.

Instagram introduces Testimonials: The addition to Partnership Ads lets creators get paid for sponsored comments to boost Instagram鈥檚 influencer marketing ecosystem.

Next year, US influencer marketing spend will hit $5.89 billion, and 82.7% of marketers will use influencer marketing, according to our forecasts. While that figure still pales in comparison to the $75.08 billion going to social network ad spend, influencer marketing is growing at a faster rate.

Spending on sponsored content will rise 3.5 times faster than social ad spending will this year. Social ad spending, including YouTube, still dwarfs influencer marketing spending, at $83.72 billion versus $5.14 billion in 2023, per our forecasts. But the different spending patterns are a clear indication that creators aren鈥檛 tied to social media. The trend holds true on every platform, as marketers continue to shift more budget into influencer marketing, particularly video.

US Influencer marketing spending will pass $2 billion on Instagram in 2024, while spending on TikTok, YouTube, and Facebook will each pass $1 billion, per our forecast.

Brands could scatter influencer marketing dollars. Despite its outsize role in the growth of the creator economy, TikTok represents somewhat of a middle ground within influencer marketing. In 2024, TikTok accounted for 17.2% of influencer marketing spending, per our forecast.

While the potential TikTok ban could impact how much marketers spend on creators, it still represents less than a fifth of total influencer marketing spend in the US. 鈥淭he creator economy is much bigger than just TikTok,鈥� said Enberg. As the creator economy evolves, it鈥檚 become harder for brands to identify the right partners.

US influencer marketing spend will hit $9.29 billion in 2025, a 14.2% increase from last year, according to our March 2024 forecast. 59% of total US consumers and 73% of Gen Zers make online purchases from creators, according to an August 2024 report from LTK. Here are some of the ways experts see the creator economy expanding. Finding creators who play the field.

US social ad spend will grow YoY in 2025, even as platforms grapple with tariff-related budget cuts from industries that spend heavily on social channels, like CPG and retail.

The trend: Younger generations continue to prioritize wellness more than older consumers and are purchasing products across a range of health and well-being categories. Our take: Sharing practical tips and advice is helpful, but brands and marketers can further stand out on social platforms by replying to users鈥� comments and questions within a post. Building partnerships with wellness influencers is essential, and it鈥檚 important to find creators who have real-life experiences that are relatable to the targeted audience.

The news: Google launched 鈥淧ortraits鈥� on Thursday, a new experiment that creates AI-generated versions of influencers that offer users notes and advice using the voice of the individual they鈥檙e based on. Described as 鈥減ersonalized AI coaching built alongside real experts,鈥� Portraits is built in partnership with the AI celebrity鈥檚 real-life counterpart. Our take: Google鈥檚 experiment, while it may not connect with every audience member, could prove effective at increasing time spent with Google鈥檚 AI offerings, drawing attention away from competitors like Meta AI and potentially unlocking a new revenue stream if Google monetizes in the future.

Latin America鈥檚 digital revolution is marching full steam ahead, with consumers spending more than a third of their day online. As social commerce and retail media propel the region鈥檚 digital economy to new heights, the runway for growth remains long.鈥�

Click here to view our full forecast for US influencer marketing spending. Pay transparency can help normalize rates. That can help optimize and streamline different stages of the campaign life cycle, including:. Planning.

鈥淲hile marketers no longer have to fight for executive buy-in for influencer marketing, the days of unchecked spending are over.鈥�. Proven higher ROI compared with other channels is the top factor (54.7%) that would warrant an increased creator marketing budget among US brand marketers and agencies, per a February 蘑菇AV and Spotter survey.

Publicis purchases influencer marketing platform Captiv8: The deal highlights that marketers are seeing influencers as a must-have for brand growth.

Podcasts represent a small, but growing, revenue stream for creators. Brands want in on creator-led podcasts, especially as video becomes a more crucial component of podcasting. But both sides face challenges over concerns related to scale, brand safety, and ad loads.

The news: Brands are increasingly engaging with nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers鈥攃reators with up to 10,000, 50,000, 500,000 followers, respectively鈥攁nd shifting away from macro- and mega-influencers with larger followings. Nano-influencers maintain the highest engagement rate across influencer categories on Instagram at 6.23%. On Instagram, there鈥檚 a notable trend of engagement rates decreasing as follower count increases. Our take: Partnering with nano-, micro-, and mid-tier influencers enables brands to tap into deeper authenticity and niche audiences, translating to more meaningful engagement and higher ROI than broader, but less personal, macro-influencer campaigns.

The news: Pinterest will host high-performing influencer content posted on affiliate shopping platform LTK, automatically bringing popular images from the platform to Pinterest, according to The Verge. Pinterest also hired Chip Jessopp, former Amazon director of global accounts and ad tech sales, as head of programmatic, per Digiday. Jessopp will help Pinterest create new demand channels while scaling its programmatic abilities. Our take: Pinterest鈥檚 moves could better position it as a legitimate competitor in digital advertising and a promising growth area for influencers and marketers鈥攇iving the platform more legs against social commerce giants like Meta and TikTok.

The news: Unilever acquired men鈥檚 personal care brand Dr. Squatch鈥攚hich recently made headlines for offering soap containing actress Sydney Sweeney鈥檚 bathwater鈥� for an undisclosed amount as it looks to establish a greater foothold in the fast-growing category. It鈥檚 a notable move for a company that is otherwise shedding brands to speed its turnaround, and a clear sign that Unilever counts men鈥檚 personal care as one of the 鈥減remium and high growth spaces鈥� to prioritize. Our take: While men are hardly a monolithic entity, their optimism about the economy makes them more likely than women to increase their spending this year. At the same time, shifting consumption habits are turning male consumers into a more valuable commodity鈥攁s Saks and Unilever see only too clearly.

2024 was a year of legitimacy for the creator economy. 2025 will be a year of professionalization, as creator content scales beyond social media and marketers focus on proving the ROI of their growing influencer marketing investments.