Your Weekly Creator Marketing Update🚀
19.05.2025
📊How creator platforms are building tech infrastructure to keep pace with a maturing industry
📌 TL;DR
The creator economy is experiencing rapid growth, projected to nearly double from $250 billion in 2024 to $480 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs. However, the technological infrastructure supporting this expansion is seemingly struggling to keep up. Platforms like CreatorIQ and Captiv8 are enhancing their AI capabilities to improve creator vetting and brand safety. Other platforms like Upfluence and Grin are integrating with e-commerce platforms and adding social listening tools to enhance their capabilities. Despite these advancements, marketers face challenges due to a fragmented tech landscape and the absence of a standardized tech stack, making it difficult to manage and scale influencer programs effectively.
🔍 MY THOUGHTS
With scale at the forefront of most conversations in the influencer industry today - it is highlighting the lack of a standardised tech-stack and tools that agencies and brands can utilise to more effectively handle their workflow. We’ve said it before, but the majority of people working on large-budget influencer operations are almost operating within “glorified admin” roles that mainly focus on project management and communication, and less on creative output.
The creator industry is in dire need of robust, scalable and standardised tech solutions in order to meet the demand for scale. Or perhaps the counter to this argument is that the most efficient, effective and authentic influencer marketing is inherently not designed to function at scale…?
🫶It is time for influencers to be shaping, not just selling, your brand
📌 TL;DR
The Drum's recent article advocates for a transformative approach to influencer marketing in 2025, urging brands to view influencers not merely as promotional tools but as integral partners in brand development. Key insights include:
Strategic Collaboration: Brands are encouraged to involve influencers early in the creative process, leveraging their unique perspectives to shape brand narratives.
Authenticity Over Perfection: There's a shift towards valuing genuine, relatable content over polished advertisements, aligning with audience preferences for authenticity.
Long-Term Partnerships: Building sustained relationships with influencers fosters deeper brand loyalty and more cohesive storytelling.
Community Engagement: Influencers play a pivotal role in cultivating and engaging brand communities, driving meaningful interactions beyond mere transactions.
This paradigm shift emphasizes the importance of co-creation and trust, positioning influencers as vital contributors to brand identity and growth.
🔍 MY THOUGHTS
Hurray - more articles discussing the required industry transition from transactional engagements to collaborative partnerships.
We’re big fans of (at least attempting) integrating content creators into the wider creative journey - allowing brads to tap into authentic narratives that are constructed with not for content creators. This approach not only enhances brand credibility but also creates / builds on a sense of community and loyalty among consumers.
I would highly encourage standardising the idea of treating influencers as co-creators rather than mere channels for promotion, but as we’ve outlined in the previous article - it’s incredibly challenging to prioritise both scale and authenticity/quality, and the likelihood is that one will take priority over the other..
🏭Industry Headlines
John Lewis, Asda and HSBC join brands signed up to influencer code of conduct
15 major brands, including John Lewis and HSBC, have signed onto the UK’s Influencer Marketing Code of Conduct, committing to clearer ad disclosures, zero tolerance for hate speech, and better influencer vetting. Despite progress, only 57% of influencer content is properly labelled, showing there's still work to do on transparency and compliance.
Why flexibility is key to building authentic influencer marketing campaigns
Involving creators early in the creative process and allowing them flexibility fosters authentic influencer marketing campaigns. Broadcaster and LGBTQ+ advocate Riyadh Khalaf emphasizes that when influencers have the freedom to express their unique perspectives, the resulting content resonates more genuinely with audiences. This approach not only enhances authenticity but also builds trust and deeper connections between brands and consumers.
Why brands are bringing influencer marketing in-house
Brands in India are increasingly bringing influencer marketing in-house to gain greater control, reduce costs, and align campaigns more closely with business objectives. This shift allows for better integration with CRM systems and the use of first-party data. While agencies still offer value in terms of scale and cultural insights, a hybrid model combining in-house strategy with agency execution is emerging as the preferred approach.
The majority of influencer advertising is undisclosed
A study analysing over 100 million tweets from 2014 to 2021 reveals that most influencer advertising on social media lacks proper disclosure, making it difficult for consumers to distinguish between sponsored and organic content. Surveys indicate that users struggle to identify paid promotions without clear labels, highlighting the need for stricter enforcement of disclosure regulations to protect consumers from potential deception