Creators are not just building audiences—they’re shaping culture, redefining influence, and commanding a larger share of brand budgets than ever before. In its latest Measuring the Digital Economy report, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) declares the creator economy’s growth not only sustained but accelerating.
In 2024, The New Yorker dubbed it “The Year Creators Took Over,” noting that while traditional media still matters, its cultural clout has eroded significantly. Creators now set the tone across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and beyond, reaching highly engaged audiences in ways legacy media simply can’t match.
What’s driving this seismic shift? According to the IAB, it’s a perfect storm: democratized content creation via smartphones and GenAI, the erosion of gatekeeping institutions, and the professionalization of creator-led businesses. In an environment where anyone can become a publisher and audiences crave authenticity, creators are thriving—and so are the marketers who back them.
The 2025 Super Bowl highlighted just how far things have come. The NFL handed 150 digital creators unrestricted access, allowing them to broadcast unfiltered content directly to their massive follower bases.
The result? Over 2 billion views for the #SuperBowl hashtag during game week, with team hashtags generating five times the reach of the game’s actual TV broadcast—even though it was the most-watched Super Bowl in history.
Source: captiv8
Specific team-related hashtags, such as #Chiefs and #49ers, achieved reach levels five times greater than the game's actual TV broadcast viewership. The Super Bowl's digital footprint extended beyond traditional platforms, with livestreams on YouTube and Twitch amassing over 3.4 million hours of watch time, surpassing combined viewership figures of other major events like the Grammys and WWE Royal Rumble.
Digital advertising is the backbone of this new ecosystem. It allows brands to support creators at scale—especially those just starting out—by aggregating budgets across campaigns and platforms. As a result, creators gain financial viability, and brands gain unprecedented reach and relatability.
Major companies are taking notice. Unilever’s new CEO, Fernando Fernandez, recently committed to doubling the company’s influencer partnerships and raising social media spend from 30% to 50% of its total ad budget. It’s a bold bet, and one backed by the math: the IAB now estimates the creator economy is 7.5 times larger than it was just five years ago.
That growth hasn’t gone unnoticed by investors.
Amazon has poured $1 billion into Spotter, a company providing capital and services to creators. Publicis acquired Influential, a leading influencer marketing firm. This acquisition combines Influential's extensive network of over 3.5 million creators with Publicis's data and technology resources.
Razorfish’s Creator CoLab now integrates creators directly into campaign development. Slow Ventures, a venture capital firm, launched a $60 million fund dedicated to investing in content creators.
For senior marketers, the takeaway is clear: creators aren’t just another media channel—they’re a cornerstone of the modern marketing mix. Partnering with the right voices, at the right moment, offers not just brand exposure but cultural relevance and business results.
