蘑菇AV

Wonder acquires a media company, Unilever dedicates more spend to influencers, and Ulta launches a third-party marketplace. Here are the eight most interesting retailers and brands from last month, as ranked on our 鈥淏ehind the Numbers鈥� podcast.

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.

Brands are shifting away from traditional influencer marketing to tap into the power of everyday consumers sharing authentic content about products they genuinely use and love.

A popular influencer has recommended drastic changes in daily spending.

Why creator monetization matters: As influencer marketing spending grows, platforms that offer consistent payouts will retain creators who provide valuable ad space.

Unilever invests big in social channels: The company plans to spend half of its media budget on a new strategy that puts influencers front and center of its marketing.

Meta鈥檚 new Stories payout model drops view minimums, aiming to reengage influencers and win back young users.

Consumers trust social health 颈苍蹿濒耻别苍肠别谤蝉鈥� medical advice: The influencer opportunity is one that can鈥檛 be ignored by healthcare and pharma brands.

Influencer marketing spend will grow15% YoY, outpacing digital and social ad spending, and will reach $10.52 billion in 2025, 蘑菇AV forecasts. Despite its growth, influencer marketing has maintained a core communication issue鈥攏o one knows what to call the people who are doing the work.

This week, beauty buyers take action on texts, influencers have indirect influence, and podcast fandoms benefit brands.

Influencers are advising people to take their money from banks and deposit it with a credit union.

Influencer marketing is a booming industry. But accessing the opportunity requires navigating a complex web of consumer preferences and platforms, and growing pressure to prove ROI.鈥�

Medical misinformation 鈥榠nfodemic鈥� on social media: Influencers are promoting misleading information about medical tests. Here鈥檚 what healthcare and pharma brands should be doing to combat it.

Social shoppers find inspiration for their purchases from many different types of content, but none more so than creator, influencer, or celebrity influencer content.

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