蘑菇AV

Despite brands increasing influencer marketing spending, creators are struggling to grow their content business and earn more from sponsorship deals, per Digiday. And while holiday season typically provides a boom, 70% of creators expect traditional sponsored posts to account for under a quarter of their holiday content as focus shifts to performance-driven efforts, according to Collective Voice. Influencer marketing continues its growth trajectory, and the future of the sector relies on how creators adapt to the rise of third-party inventory solutions that divert brand spend away from traditional sponsorships.

The news: Influencer marketing spending is increasing steadily in the US and worldwide, representing a key area of growth as audiences turn to the creators they trust for purchase decisions. In a conversation with EMARKTER, Arthur Leopold, head of the creator content ad platform Agentio, discussed why audiences are turning to influencers, how technology is changing the game, and where influencer marketing is heading. Our take: Influencer marketing continues to be a core focus for advertisers in a consumer landscape dominated by social media鈥攂ut as more brands invest in influencers, advertisers need to keep key considerations in mind.

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

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.

In this report, CMOs share how they鈥檙e transforming influencer strategies to deliver business impact鈥攁nd what solution providers can do to help.

The news: Brands are ramping up influencer investment and creator rates are skyrocketing following Unilever鈥檚 commitment to allocate half of its advertising budget on an 鈥渋苍蹿濒耻别苍肠别谤-first鈥� strategy. Numerous influencer and social agencies 鈥渦nanimously鈥� claimed a notable increase in client spend on influencer marketing since Unilever鈥檚 announcement, per sources cited by The Drum. Our take: Unilever has accelerated a trend that was already in motion, signaling the broader shift among advertisers toward influencer-led strategies that deliver consistent engagement and targeted reach among key demographics.

The news: Global influencer marketing is booming, with spending increasing over $8 billion this year to reach $32.55 billion, per a Later report鈥攁nd smaller tier influencers are leading the charge. In an exclusive interview with 蘑菇AV, founder of creator company HYDP Thomas Markland discussed what trends are driving the shift and why smaller creators are making waves. Our take: As advertisers lose confidence in traditional media and creators proliferate across platforms, influencer marketing will continue making strides and driving the way forward for brands鈥攅specially those who are cost-conscious amid economic uncertainty.

The news: Influencer marketing is leading the way in attention metrics, with viewers in India spending 2.2 times longer viewing ads with influencers before skipping, per Kantar research. The average skip time for traditional branded content is 7.9 seconds鈥攂ut for ads with influencer content, that number jumps to 17.8 seconds. Our take: While a necessary part of the media mix, traditional ads are not enough to drive consistent growth鈥攁nd partnering with reliable influencers will prove valuable as social media represents a critical path to purchase. Influencer voices are able to cut through the noise of social media.

US brands will spend $13.7 billion on influencer marketing by 2027, up from $10.5 billion this year, according to a March 蘑菇AV forecast.

The news: Consumers increasingly trust shopping suggestions from AI, even more than product suggestions from content creators, positioning the technology as a trusted and personalized guide rather than a back-end tool. 27% of US consumers trust AI shopping recommendations, per Walmart鈥檚 Retail Rewired Report, compared with 24% who trust suggestions from social media influencers. Our take: AI retail tools are most likely to succeed if they offer both speed and a sense of user control. Retailers should let users set spending caps and offer options to pause or customize recommendations to help AI agents feel more like a trusted assistant than a pushy salesperson.

As retail spending slows down, consumers are increasingly using the same feeds that fuel impulse shopping to bond over the collective desire to curb their spending. This makes an influencer strategy embedded in value and relatability crucial.

YouTube鈥檚 Shorts push favors quick hits over deep engagement, leaving influencers to balance reach with revenue in an uncertain ad economy.

For brands, working with influencers was once an experimental addition to their media plans, but growth in influencer marketing spend is now outpacing its digital and social counterparts, per our forecast. While influencer partnerships still account for a significantly smaller part of the media mix, their growth is a sign that the industry is maturing鈥攁nd more legacy advertisers want in.

A popular influencer has recommended drastic changes in daily spending.

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.

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.

The news: YouTube is giving connected TV (CTV) users the ability to skip to the most-viewed part of a video, helping them avoid slow moments or sponsored content. The feature was previously available on mobile and web for Premium subscribers and is now rolling out to Premium users who watch YouTube on its CTV app, per Android Authority. Our take: Influencer sponsored content spots are becoming more invisible and avoidable. Brands should pivot toward native product integrations within core content or have creators place sponsorships in pre- and post-roll messaging, which may be less likely to be bypassed by AI. The era of passive viewing is over. Viewers have more control, and brands need to adapt to stay visible.

As the creator economy continues to expand, consumer attention is further fragmenting across a growing number of creators and platforms. But revenues are increasingly consolidating into top names, squeezing the long tail of creators and other creator economy stakeholders.

Etsy and eBay see opportunity to gain share as tariffs burden their competitors and consumers adjust their spending habits. Both companies are well-positioned to benefit from renewed interest in resale as tariffs make buying new more expensive for shoppers. The two platforms also now face less competition from Shein, Temu, and Amazon in online ad auctions鈥攁llowing them to be more efficient with marketing spend and reach more potential customers. While neither eBay nor Etsy is fully immune from the effects of tariffs鈥攁nd their potential drag on the economy and consumer confidence鈥攖hey are less exposed than most other retailers.