It has been another huge year for the creator economy: as we approach the end of 2025, the sector’s global value is projected to hit over £190bn. The US remains a leading market, with ad spend expected to reach a total of hit USD$37bn (£27.80bn) by the end of this year.
It’s a thriving industry: despite the economic uncertainty, average annual influencer marketing investment has increased by 171% year-over-year.
Creators now play a role in almost any industry you can think of: travel, fitness, fashion, beauty, culinary, gaming, language learning, finance…the list goes on. What’s more, the creator economy has undergone a professionalisation: creators are now running their own businesses, becoming strategic partners for brands.
As the creator economy evolves amidst an ever-changing ad landscape, how are things shaping up for the future? Like with most industries, AI is playing a major role in developments.
AI technologies have been able to assist creators in several ways, such as providing data-driven insights and analysis on user behaviour and market trends to help shape their strategies.
But where there are benefits, there are also challenges. According to research from Billion Dollar Boy, more than six in ten creators are worried that virtual influencers are increasing competition. And surprisingly, consumer favourability appears to be high, with 76% of consumers trusting virtual influencers for product recommendations. Could we see competition intensify between real and virtual influencers in the coming years?
Elsewhere, what kind of content will dominate? How will we see the battle of short versus long-form content play out?
Plus, how will the creator economy compete with traditional media?
We asked experts from across the ad industry what could shape the creator space next year, and what the space is likely to look like.
