蘑菇AV

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�

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: 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.

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.

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.

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.

But YouTube will capture the biggest share of influencer marketing spending this year at 32.8%, compared with 30.2% for Instagram and 22.4% for TikTok, according to our forecast. And this year, for the first time, over half of US marketers will use YouTube for influencer marketing. Brands are getting more serious about YouTube. It will see ad revenue growth through at least 2027, per our estimates.

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.

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

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.

The news: ByteDance is closing in on Meta鈥檚 revenues, driven largely by TikTok鈥檚 global expansion. ByteDance expects to generate roughly $186 billion in revenues in 2025, up 20% from 2024, per Bloomberg. That puts it just shy of Meta鈥檚 forecasted $187 billion, underscoring how quickly the Chinese tech firm has become a global force.

That鈥檚 more than four times the number swayed by influencer or celebrity recommendations, suggesting that the price has to be right before would-be shoppers pull the trigger.

US creator revenues from social media sponsored content will reach $10.52 billion this year, marking a 15.0% YoY increase, per our March 2025 forecast.

Only 12% of creators in the US and UK consider content creation their full-time job, according to Q3 2024 data from Influencer and CrowdDNA. Our take: Being a creator is still one of the most coveted career paths, and the number of people who independently create and monetize content, as well as total creator revenues, will continue to rise.

Netflix remains a revenue leader in the streaming space, however tariff concerns and tightening budgets for both consumers and advertisers have increased the pressure across all providers to stand out.

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

Podcast ad revenues surpassed $2 billion in 2024: As revenues maintain consistent growth, advertisers must tap in to meet audiences where they鈥檙e at.

The ad agency ecosystem is vast, complex, and ever-changing. It now faces changes brought on by AI and clients鈥� shifting preferences over how and where to spend their advertising dollars.

Ad targeting isn鈥檛 traditionally associated with influencer marketing. But sponsoring influencer posts and buying ads on their posts are really just ways for marketers to target their audience. And it continues to attract more ad dollars: We expect influencer marketing spending to cross $10 billion in the US by 2026. GenAI can help brands evaluate where to spend that money. How will it create impact?

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.