Contrary to popular belief, not every creator has a podcast. But those who do are a driving force behind the roughly $1.50 billion US creators will generate from digital audio distribution channels this year.

Instagram brings brands into the group chat: Channels feature offers brands a more intimate way to engage, but conversion success is uncertain.

Roblox plants deeper roots in the creator economy: The video game platform is at a fascinating crossroads of gaming and digital advertising.

As ecommerce grows in back-to-school shopping (34.9% of total back-to school sales this year versus 33.5% in 2023), content creators are playing a pivotal role in how consumers find school supplies. This shift is driven by younger parents buying classroom supplies for K-12 children and college students outfitting their dorm rooms. Both groups favor online shopping for its convenience and the ability to compare prices, our analyst Sarah Marzano said in a recent edition of our “Behind the Numbers: Reimagining Retail” podcast.

On today's podcast episode, we discuss standout data points from this year’s back-to-school season, creators' role in this shopping period, and what back-to-school is trying to tell us about this year's upcoming holidays. Listen to the conversation with our analyst Sara Lebow as she hosts analysts Sarah Marzano and Zak Stambor.

Influencer marketing can help payment brands shore up their marketing strategies now before their ad budget growth slows.

Influencer marketing is often associated with Gen Z and millennials, and for good reason. Nearly half of both generations are more likely to trust an ad featuring an influencer they trust, according to June 2024 data from Captiv8. But 79.8% of US Gen Xers and 53.9% of US baby boomers will use social media this year, per our May 2024 forecast. To ensure marketers seize the untapped potential for reaching these generations, we’ve compiled a generation-by-generation breakdown on how and where to reach them.

Quieter Vidcon spotlights maturing creator economy: Growing sector turns focus to scaling up and revenue diversification.

Gen Alpha is “very savvy when it comes to brands,” said Dani Mariano, president of Razorfish. But the young generation has different attitudes toward technology and learning than their older counterparts. They’re open to learning from brands, especially when creators are involved. And they’re eager to interact with others, both on and offline. Here are five key stats from Razorfish’s recent report on Gen Alpha.

Creator platform LTK looks to boost engagement: CEO says she has “zero doubt” that Instagram will shut down the new shopping functionality, LTK DM.

TikTok unveils new AI tools: The platform streamlines content creation with avatars and dubbing, highlighting new challenges like deepfakes and transparency in years to come.

TikTok proves social search is here to stay: Its new image search function capitalizes on a shift from traditional discovery methods.

Cannes Lions to showcase creators: The ad industry is finally catching up to the power of creators as the creator economy evolves beyond brand sponsorships.

Influencer marketing is becoming a need-to-have for payment brands’ marketing teams. While not without risks, it’s key to building awareness and creating relationships with young consumers.

Creators are diversifying their revenue streams beyond influencer marketing. That’s a net positive for the creator economy, but it also puts some creators in direct competition with brands for consumer spending.

The creator economy is maturing. While brand deals are still the No. 1 revenue stream for creators, more are going directly to consumers to monetize.

“The pace of change and innovation is accelerating, and that's bringing with it a lot of big new challenges for advertisers to navigate,” our analyst Jasmine Enberg said during our recent Outlook and Strategies for 2024’s Second Half summit. “It's also bringing pockets of new opportunities as ads become ubiquitous across platforms, creators reshape strategies, and AI powers it all.”

Instagram’s charm offensive for TikTok creators: Its product updates aim to prioritize smaller creators’ content to provide more visibility and bolster discovery.

US marketers will spend $8.14 million on social media sponsored content this year, marking 16.0% growth YoY, according to our March 2024 forecast.

Many creators are reporting a deal drought, even as marketers are increasing their influencer budgets. That’s because the dynamics of the influencer-brand deal landscape are evolving.