This article is part of a series exploring trends in marketing, media and media buying for 2025. More from the series →
The creator economy is gearing up for significant change over the next year — from the rise of AI and creator-founded businesses to the growth of long-term brand partnerships and embrace of long-form content.
As a whole, the creator economy continues to significantly transform, moving beyond simple influencer marketing to a more complex and integrated ecosystem. All signs point to the maturation of influencer marketing, as brands and creators move toward long-term brand ambassador programs replacing one-off influencer collaborations.
As more business opportunities emerge for creators, the industry is also seeing an increase in entrepreneurial opportunities for them — whether it’s starting their own brands and storefronts to hiring talent agents as they scale. By the start of the year, there may be a potential shakeup in the social media landscape as TikTok nears its ban-or-sale deadline.
“The creator economy is entering a transformative phase,” said Ed East, founder and group CEO of influencer agency Billion Dollar Boy.
Here are four themes impacting the creator sector in 2025.
AI strategies take shape
Be it generative AI avatars, creators’ workflow or the content creation process, companies and creators will continue testing new products. Next year, the industry may get a clearer picture of where these efforts will lead.
AI is already creating entirely new types of creators, including AI-generated personas that blur the lines between reality and artificiality. Dave Snyder, partner and head of design at digital studio Siberia, believes more “AI-created personas will quietly take over social platforms [as they] become indistinguishable from human creators” by the end of 2025.
Creators also tend to embrace the experiments and emerging tech faster than other sectors, and the way they integrate AI platforms will continue to evolve. Roee Zelcer, CEO of creator management platform Humanz U.S., adds that “creators will now need to explore more sophisticated ways to leverage AI to stand out” in their creative processes, rather than using standalone tools.
However, experts also raise the ethical concerns about how authenticity gets affected or how harmful content might spread. Snyder asks, “What happens when the voices shaping our culture, values and buying decisions are nothing more than algorithms wearing human faces? Is this the future of information or misinformation?”
Creators are media companies now
A creator is essentially their own media company these days. As creators mature professionally, they are hiring talent representation, building their own teams, launching their own brands, TV shows and stores. They are expanding their content channels beyond the social networks through podcasts, in-person events and newsletters, as well.
“Influencers are no longer just ambassadors for a product — they are becoming integral to brand strategy,” said Gabby Gamad, COO of digital marketing agency LV8.
Major creators, such as Kai Cenat or MrBeast, have already become individual media brands with their own teams, products, partnerships and brand deals — and the appetite is still growing among consumers and brands. Some 88% of creators have created a product or service, and 93% of marketers are planning to launch a co-created product or service with a creator in the future, according to Billion Dollar Boy.
“Next year feels like there’s going to be a gear change,” added Neil Waller, cofounder of creator agency Whalar Group. Waller mentioned that the agency is seeing professional creators with managers has increased from around 20% to 75% in the past year.
Long-form content is still on the rise
From video podcasts to creators’ episodic series, long-form content is going through a renaissance. It turns out there’s an audience for two-hour long podcast videos like Joe Rogan’s, and brands are getting on board with more ways to integrate this creator content. Going forward, we can perhaps expect more product placements and creator content aligning more closely with marketing cycles, Waller explained.
“Creators are now saying, here’s the series I’m making next year,” Waller told Digiday. “I know I’m going to do four episodes a quarter in this format. That’s a very different thing for a brand to be able to support and engage with instead of, like, ‘I don’t know how to work with this creator, or I’ve got to commission them for something specific to my brand.’”
Some short-form content is also evolving into longer, more narrative-driven formats, with creators making episodic content and exploring TV series formats.
“Short-form content is evolving into a TV season-like format, with brands sponsoring entire seasons, creating new engagement avenues,” said James Brownstein, founder of influencer relations agency Poster Child.
Ryan Horrigan, president of production company London Alley Studios also mentioned creators are increasingly making content that “will look like indie television and indie films on YouTube.”
What happens to TikTok?
While TikTok remains a vital part of the creator space, the platform faces uncertainty in the U.S. in the new year. Whether or not a sale or ban finalizes, TikTok’s impact in AI, social commerce and short-form videos is undeniable. Many creators are also diversifying their content on several platforms at this point, so if TikTok does go away — their following can also migrate.
Suffice to say, creators and brands will continue to invest in social commerce as more people shop on social media and test live shopping features. However, platforms like TikTok also have to balance being careful not to overload users with shopping content and product recommendations. If the balance between engaging content and commerce becomes too focused on selling, it could lead to content fatigue and steer users away.
“With the continued rise of social commerce on platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, the entire buying journey now sits in consumers’ pockets,” said Olivia McNaughten, senior director of product marketing and partnerships at influencer marketing platform Grin.
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