The creator economy is in the spotlight with digital video consumption reaching an all-time high, led by creator content, and advertisers spending more money toward smartphone-yielding creatives.
Ali Fazal, vice president of marketing for creator management platform Grin, said: “Starting first with creators when it comes to advertising is definitely the wave of the future.”
According to a creator economy report by IAB and TalkShoppe, this year, 44 per cent of marketers plan to up their creator investment, with an average spending increase of 25 per cent. The landscape was valued at $250 billion and is expected to grow to $480 billion by 2027, Goldman Sachs forecasts. As creators become more connected in advertiser budgets, the role they play could grow, graduating from the experimental bucket to a category of their own.
While the terms creator and influencer are often used interchangeably, the key difference is purpose, with an influencer being a type of a creator that uses their platform to promote products and influence buying decisions.
Influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy is among those experimenting with the concept of creator-led advertising.
The agency last year teamed with Lipton Iced Tea for an international creator-led campaign that spanned digital out-of-home, social media and experiential and was centred around an original song performed by TikToker Matt Storer with support from a slew of other creators.
In total, the campaign achieved a video view-through rate of 23.9 per cent while the brand saw a sales uptick of 15 per cent in Australia during the campaign’s two-week run.
The example shows that creator-based advertising provides over traditional tactics in the digital age, according to Ed East, Billion Dollar Boy’s founder and global CEO.
“Previously you would have had creator activity, influencer marketing, bolted onto a plan. Now, creator activity needs to be at the heart of your plan,” adds East.
