Marketers are rewriting the brand safety playbook for content creators in 2025

“They’re such a good partner, because they give us so much creative control on what we have going on,” said Dodds, speaking about the Bang Energy sponsorship. “They honestly just want to know the general idea, and if they align with it — which they pretty much always do — then they’re here to support, which is awesome because it really gives us an opportunity to not be held back in any way.”

AMP’s content has become known for its frenetic, anything-goes nature. Sometimes it veers into potentially controversial areas, with team members and their guests occasionally pretending to fight each other or referencing drug use or sexual topics. Despite these edgier elements, however, AMP has not received a single complaint from a sponsor or partner regarding brand safety concerns.

“No company has ever had any issue with any of the content we’ve done live,” Dodds said. “I cannot stress enough: It’s really important to have a partner that trusts you, and that you trust. No company that I’ve personally worked with has ever seen any content and been like, ‘oh my goodness, this is too crazy for us.’”

A more relaxed approach

The phenomenon of AMP’s popularity among both fans and advertisers reflects how brands have generally relaxed their approach to brand safety in the creator arena over the past year. Marketers are no longer showing up to meetings with content creators with a firm idea of how they want to be integrated into their content; instead, they’re giving the reins over to creators to decide exactly how they show up, for better or worse.

“Brands have learned that, when it comes to creators, you can’t really tell them exactly what to say — you don’t want them to be reading something off of a script, you want it to come off natural,” said Sami Barnett, gaming lead at The Marketing Arm, an Omnicom agency. “You want to trust that these creators have these massive audiences, and they know how to speak to them.”

In past years, the edgy or toxic nature of some creators’ content was a source of concern for brands, with creators such as PewDiePie actively losing brand deals after posting controversial videos. In 2024, AMP’s brand partnerships appeared to be unaffected by its occasional flirtations with controversy, with the collective securing sponsorships such as the aforementioned deals with Bang Energy and PrizePicks. (Bang Energy did not respond to requests for comment and PrizePicks declined to comment.)

Other creators, such as members of FaZe Clan, actually leaned into controversy to attract sponsors. The esports organization relaunched last year under new management, with the explicit goal of returning to its roots as an edgy, in-your-face creator collective. Since then, it has signed multi-year sponsorship deals with brands such as G Fuel and Rollbit — even after engaging in controversial activities such as publicly urinating on award trophies and endorsing Donald Trump.

“FaZe’s creators know internet culture and have evolved with it. They live and breathe it every day and every night, that’s why it resonates so strongly and has helped rebuild the FaZe brand with positive sentiment increasing over 50 percent since the relaunch,” said FaZe Clan svp of content and business development Spencer Sherman. “Some of our content could be perceived as edgy at times and we deliver one of the most passionate fan bases where brand campaigns can tap into real engagement. Our current partners (and soon to be announced partners) understand that, to activate our community, it’s important to believe that our team will provide the right creative filter to help their message stand out for their campaigns.”

The value exchange

One reason why marketers have eased up on brand safety concerns with content creators is because online audiences are more plugged in to how and why sponsorships actually work.

“Everyone is more media-savvy, and more willing to look at both sides of the relationship,” said Pete Basgen, global gaming and esports lead for WPP agency Wavemaker.

These days, more fans naturally understand that sponsorships represent a transaction between a creator and an advertiser, rather than some kind of moral or ethical alignment between the two. Even if something happens that hurts their perception of the creator, they are less likely to hold that creator’s sponsors accountable for those negative feelings.

“The changing demographics of buyers today has also accelerated this,” said Joshua Nino, CEO of influencer news publication and brand consultancy Dexerto. “As more people enter the workforce having grown up around influencer culture, they’re more likely to have been exposed to this type of marketing from early ages and understand it’s part of creating great marketing. I’d expect they are the ones leading the charge internally that it’s OK to take a relaxed approach.”

To marketers who truly understand the nature of online fandom in 2025, some creators’ potentially controversial or edgy approaches to content might feel like more of a feature than a bug. Although controversial content might turn off some proportion of any given audience, fans of online content creators generally flock to groups that feel like they are pushing the envelope, such as AMP. Although an edgy approach can come with risk, it is also the source of many creators’ popularity.

“This is an age where brands can discover new sides to their personalities through their interaction on social media and relationship with creators,” Nino said. “Indeed, opportunities are missed trying to control every detail in a market where the rapidly developing pace and unpredictability of entertainment are themselves part of the appeal to fans.”

— Antoinette Siu contributed to the reporting on this story.