This caught my attention because the creator economy moving from “experimental” line item to a $37 billion media channel changes the rules for everyone who earns or spends money on attention. A projected 26% YoY growth and ad spending expanding four times faster than the rest of media isn’t just hype – it forces creators, agencies and brands to act like this is core media planning, not a side hustle.
Creator Economy Ad Spend: $37B by 2025 – an action guide, not just a stat
- Key Takeaway: Creator-driven ad budgets are scaling fast; treat creators as a distinct media channel.
- Key Takeaway: Platform-specific formats (Reels, Spark Ads, Shorts) and measurement are table stakes.
- Key Takeaway: AI matching, marketplaces and affiliate programs will power scale – but human vetting still matters.
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Publisher|Base.tube Research
Release Date|2025
Category|Creator Economy
Platform|Cross-platform
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We’ve seen creator marketing grow from product seeding to a full ad strategy. The numbers propping up that narrative — 26% YoY growth and $37B in ad spend — mean brands are shifting budget lines into creator partnerships, not just boosting one-off influencer posts. But what does smart action look like? Here are the priorities that matter and the pitfalls to avoid.
What’s actually changing
First: buyers now view creators as a channel that needs media planning, attribution, and optimization the same way they treat search or display. That means allocating a meaningful percent of media budgets to creator-driven campaigns, instrumenting proper tracking (UTMs, pixels, CAPI), and splitting investments across macro, mid and micro tiers for different funnel goals.
Second: platform-native ad formats are where the performance lives — Reels, TikTok Spark Ads and YouTube Shorts are optimized for short-form conversion. Brands that try to shoehorn static ad thinking into these formats will waste spend. Creators who learn basic ad manager mechanics (how to boost, how to set creatives for ads) become far more valuable negotiating partners.
Sober reality check — where the press release glosses over risk
Not all growth is sustainable. The projection assumes brands solve attribution pain points and creators scale reliably. In practice, fragmentation persists: platforms change features, creator audiences shift, and fraud/engagement quality remain concerns. Also, “48% calling creator partnerships a must buy” is meaningful but doesn’t guarantee consistent ROAS for every brand. Expect more brands to demand performance clauses, which will shift deals toward CPA or hybrid models.
Practical moves for creators and agencies
- Start offering ad-friendly deliverables (30/15s, captions, clean CTAs) and learn how to hand over assets to ad managers.
- Use AI-matching but always vet — audience overlap and tone matter more than a model’s “score.”
- Negotiate performance-based terms where it makes sense, but protect your baseline rates for brand value and creative IP.
- Build a simple tracking stack (UTMs + pixel + landing-page confirmation) so you can prove direct impact.
For brands, centralize creator relationships in one system, standardize contracts, and treat creators as part of your paid media mix. For creators, diversify income (sponsorships, affiliates, creator ads revenue) and get comfortable with ad ops basics — knowing how ad managers work is a competitive advantage.
What this means for readers
If you’re a creator: lean into ad-friendly formats and insist on measurable outcomes. If you’re an agency: stop thinking about creators as PR and start wiring them into your media buying stack. If you’re a brand: allocate budget, instrument measurement, and test performance-based contracts — but expect to iterate.
Prediction: we’ll see a wave of creator marketplaces and AI-matching tools consolidate, plus a rise in hybrid deals (upfront + performance) as advertisers chase predictable ROAS. The winners will be creators who can package creativity as repeatable ad assets and partners who can prove results.
TL;DR
- Creator ad spend is growing fast — act like creators are a core channel.
- Focus on platform-native formats, measurement, and diversified creator tiers.
- Use AI tools for scale but keep human oversight; expect more performance-based deals.