Trends in social media: The Motherhood scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!

Influencer Marketing Industry Resources

B2B brands and influencers aren’t meeting ad disclosure rules—here’s what they risk – July 28, 2025  

Business-to-business influencer marketing is experiencing growing pains as brands continue investing in the space. Sponsored posts and paid deals have become more common on platforms like LinkedIn, but so have complaints that brands and influencers are failing to meet Federal Trade Commission disclosure rules.

Always-On vs Burst Campaign Influencer ROI Showdown – July 28, 2025  

Savvy marketers face a pivotal choice: Should you invest in sustained, Always‑On influencer partnerships that build long‑term brand equity, or deploy high‑intensity Burst campaigns engineered for rapid spikes in conversions? Which approach best aligns with your growth objectives and budget cycle? Recent patterns show that micro‑influencer cohorts often deliver superior bang‑for‑buck in targeted markets, while macro‑influencer bursts can ignite short‑lived awareness surges. Yet without rigorous attribution—UTM‑driven link tracking, affiliate‑style performance metrics, and multi‑touch modeling—true ROI remains elusive.

The new rules of influencer trips – July 27, 2025  

Brands are swapping traditional influencers for ‘multi-hyphenate’ talent with cultural cachet. How does this change the brand trip playbook? This summer, brands are out in full force, flying and ferrying creators to far-flung European holiday destinations, from the South of France to Puglia. Only this year, it’s not your typical influencers filling spots on brand trips. It’s Substackers, brand consultants, photographers, chefs, gallerists and filmmakers — all of whom boast hefty social followings of their own.

Inside the reality-TV-star-to-influencer pipeline – July 25, 2025  

Talent agency Kensington Grey has worked with several alums of the show and other unscripted hits that furthered the reality-TV-star-to-influencer pipeline. Contestants on reality shows like Love Island and The Bachelor are supposed to be there to find love, so when drama emerges, they’re often asking: Is this person here for the right reasons?

In creator marketing, loose disclosures are finally catching up – July 24, 2025  

In creator marketing, disclosure has long been treated as optional by some influencers. Now, that loose approach may be catching up with them. A wave of lawsuits and watchdog scrutiny is digging into undisclosed or poorly labelled posts — and agencies are taking note.

Affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing in 2025 – July 23, 2025  

Where you land in the affiliate marketing vs. influencer marketing debate will depend on your goals and desired outcomes. Both are powerful digital marketing strategies—but failing to grasp their unique strengths, how best to combine them or how each delivers real ROI can lead to missed opportunities and wasted budget.

The art of the influencer brief – July 22, 2025  

A few years ago, you could pretty much guess how an influencer post would perform before it went live. We’d pop a KPI of 3% engagement rate in a proposal, and that was job done. Entire agencies were built on how easy that was to hit. But things have changed. Audiences have got smarter and more discerning. Creators got savvier, and the platforms moved on. But the way brands brief creators remains stuck.

The Influencer Marketing Bubble Has Burst  – July 22, 2025  

For years, influencer marketing revolved around likes, reach, and engagement. But in today’s high-pressure, ROI-driven climate, those metrics no longer cut it. Marketers are being held accountable, and that means performance is the new benchmark. Why the traditional influencer model is breaking: When influencer marketing took off, it promised something different: Authenticity, connection, and built-in trust. And for a while, it worked. But inflated follower counts, fake engagement, and shrinking organic reach made it harder to justify rising costs with unclear returns. Meanwhile, tracking ROI remains a major challenge across fragmented platforms. Marketers are now under pressure to demonstrate real growth, not just visibility. From CMOs to social teams, the demand is clear: Creator efforts must translate into measurable business results.

Influencer marketing survival playbook: How the creator economy is shaping up in the back half of 2025 – July 21, 2025  

Between the TikTok ban and the tariffs eating into marketing budgets, the first half of the year was full of growing pains in the creator economy. As the second half of 2025 shifts into focus, trends in how brands spend and creators monetize are coming into full view.

Another sign the creator economy is growing up: brands hiring agencies of record – July 21, 2025  

Sign number 108 that creators aren’t just a tactic for marketers anymore: they’re hiring agencies of record to manage them. It might not be as headline-grabbing as Unilever’s influencer pledge or Publicis buying up Captiv8, but it signals the same shift: marketers are, for the umpteenth time, done dabbling. The era of patchwork partnerships and borrowed budgets is giving way to strategy, accountability and the infrastructure to match. Naming an agency of record is the industry’s shorthand for saying this isn’t going away.

How Sprite Used Pop Culture and Physical Experiences to Reinvent Beverage Marketing – July 21, 2025  

The lemon‑lime soda teams with McDonald’s, Takis, Buldak and more to amplify—not quench—spicy flavors. Sprite has long been known for its crisp lemon‑lime refreshment, but the brand’s latest global initiative flips that perception on its head. Rather than masking the burn of chili or curry, “Hurts Real Good” positions Sprite as the perfect companion for those who crave intensity. This creative leap emerges from deep behavioral insights: today’s young consumers seek out spicy fare not as a last‑ditch thrill but as a defining lifestyle statement.

Influencers want brands’ sponsorship, but not their rules – July 21, 2025  

Many influencers operate within very small and specific niches, which is useful for a brand seeking to customize its ads. Yet influencers are extremely selective about which advertisers they choose to work with. In September 2018, Snapchat launched a new generation of its Snap Spectacles. Instead of relying on a traditional advertising campaign to promote the camera-enabled sunglasses, the brand chose an influencer to get the word out. Luka Sabbat was a 20-year-old model and actor best known for playing a character based on himself on the TV show Grown-ish and for reportedly dating a Kardashian. More importantly, he had 1.7 million Instagram followers.

Influencer marketing survival playbook: How the creator economy is shaping up in the back half of 2025 – July 21, 2025  

Between the TikTok ban and the tariffs eating into marketing budgets, the first half of the year was full of growing pains in the creator economy. As the second half of 2025 shifts into focus, trends in how brands spend and creators monetize are coming into full view. Amid the so-called cultural wars, marketers are pulling back on diversity, equity and inclusivity-driven campaigns, disproportionately impacting multicultural creators. Meanwhile, lifestyle and mid-sized influencers are feeling the squeeze as brands prioritize micro and niche content creators. Simultaneously, the creator lifespan has increasingly been a talking point on the heels of the TikTok ban, forcing creators to think about building businesses off-platform. The creator economy is taking in more ad spend than ever — as U.S. brands are expected to shell out $13.7 billion on influencer marketing by 2027, according to eMarketer. But as it continues to mature, the emphasis is less on virality and more on strategy for survival. 

The economy is turbulent for influencers, too — here’s how you might see it online – July 16, 2025  

It’s an unexpected place to spot a recession indicator — from videos reviewing the latest in skin care to picturesque posts of summer vacations — but the impact of turbulent financial markets and seesawing tariff policies threatens to upend the multibillion-dollar influencer industry for millions of online creators.

Sprout Social: State of Influencer Marketing Report 2025 – July 14, 2025  

You can thank your favorite influencer. Chances are, they’ve inspired one of your recent purchases. According to Sprout Social’s State of Influencer Marketing report, 86% of consumers make a purchase influenced by a creator. And when it comes to daily, weekly, or monthly purchases, nearly half of consumers say influencer posts play a role. But what kind of content actually drives people to buy? The report highlights three content qualities that often lead to purchases: 

• Genuine reviews (64%): People want honest opinions about what’s good, what could improve, and how a product fits into real life.

• Discount codes (55%): Limited-time or exclusive deals create urgency and make audiences feel like insiders.

• Multiple influencers posting about the same product (26%): Seeing trusted creators repeatedly recommend the same product builds credibility and social proof.

LinkedIn emerges as a haven for influencer marketing – July 14, 2025  

LinkedIn is gunning for a top spot in the creator economy, and business-to-business marketers are buying in.

Micro‑Moments And Nano‑Creativity: An Influencer Marketing Playbook – July 14, 2025  

When I launched my first influencer campaign for a boutique brand, I assumed I needed big influencers because it looked glamorous on paper, but I didn’t see the results the brand wanted. Engagement was flat, and conversions were nearly zero. Then, an unplanned shift occurred as a nano-influencer with 4,500 followers attended our soft launch and posted an honest Reel from their perspective. Within hours, foot traffic and online chatter began. It wasn’t just exposure; it was a context-driven approach.

Influencers are linking supplements to customers – July 13, 2025  

If you were walking down the street and encountered a shirtless man trying to sell you distilled yak protein, you’d probably walk away quickly. But in the world of social media, people can’t seem to stop giving influencers promoting supplements a lot of money.

How Tresemmé’s influencer-first strategy turned a legacy brand into a Gen Z favorite – July 11, 2025  

Tresemmé has been around since the late 1940s, first in salons, then drug stores—and even backstage as the official hair care brand of New York Fashion Week for the past 33 seasons. But despite a comeback in the previous decade, Tresemmé had found it had a relevance problem in the age of TikTok.

Influencer marketing best practices for B2B brands – July 11, 2025  

Social media platforms, like LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok, have led to the rise of influencer marketing, which is the strategic partnership between content creators and brands to promote products and services. While B2C brands popularized this approach, it can also help B2B brands across all stages of the marketing funnel. Yet, most brands limit themselves to top-of-funnel activities, such as generating brand awareness, said Nick Bennett, B2B marketer, content creator and bestselling author.

Why Everyday People Are Becoming the Most Powerful Influencers for Your Brand – July 10, 2025  

Celebrity endorsements and influencer marketing have long been staples of brand strategy. But in today’s digital landscape, authenticity and relatability are becoming far more valuable than fame. Consumers are tuning out polished ads and turning their attention to brands that reflect real stories — told by people who look and live like them. That shift is changing how smart businesses build trust, market products and grow communities — and it’s opening the door to a more cost-effective, scalable and human-centered approach to influence.

Study Finds Language, Imagery & Follower Size Drive Instagram Engagement the Most – July 10, 2025  

A study by Woodroof et al. unveils how agreeableness in captions, authentic influencer visuals, and follower-tier–specific tactics combine to shape sponsored post performance. In our modern, saturated social media environment, brands increasingly lean on influencers to cut through the noise. Yet follower counts alone no longer guarantee impact. A landmark study published in the Journal of Interactive Marketing by Woodroof and colleagues analyzes nearly a thousand Instagram posts from fashion influencers to reveal the nuanced interplay between an influencer’s linguistic style, visual presentation, and audience size.

A US-only TikTok could be on the horizon – July 8, 2025  

TikTok might be sticking around in the US, but it may not be the TikTok you know. Aside from that one dark day in January when the app was temporarily unavailable, it’s been nothing but delays when it comes to the enforcement of the TikTok divest-or-ban law that passed last year. Last month, for the third time since taking office, President Trump issued a legally questionable executive order delaying the US operations’ required sell-off date, which keeps the app up and running in the US until September 17. Now, it seems TikTok may be working on a new, US-specific version of the app to avoid a ban ahead of the latest deadline.

LinkedIn influencer marketing: Untapped opportunity – July 8, 2025  

Investment in influencer marketing is expected to exceed $10 billion in the U.S. this year, surpassing previous projections. But doing it right requires more than money — it requires marketers to constantly evaluate which platforms offer the most impact. While Instagram, TikTok and YouTube have been the go-to platforms for influencers, LinkedIn has emerged as an incredibly viable channel for brand-creator partnerships. 

Micro-Influencer Swarms: Scale UGC with Briefs, Dashboards & DMs – July 7, 2025  

How can a single coordinator mobilize a hundred micro-ambassadors to deliver authentic brand amplification, without expanding headcount? What systemic approach turns under-1000-follower creators into high-velocity PR conduits?

The next chapter of the creator economy is measurable, scalable—and human – July 7, 2025  

Influencer marketing is growing up. No longer a sideshow to broader media plans or a playground for quick-hit virality, big-brand creator partnerships are booming—and they’re now being held to the same standards as every other line item on the marketing budget. That evolution was on full display at a private roundtable at the 2025 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity, hosted by Ad Age Creativity Editor Tim Nudd and Linqia Chief Strategy Officer Keith Bendes. Marketing leaders from some of the world’s most recognizable brands gathered to hash out opportunities and challenges of creator strategy.

How CEOs Who Became Influencers Are Supercharging Company Sales – July 2, 2025  

It is not easy for a startup to launch a brand and carve a niche for itself in a market dominated by corporate titans. But Jake Karls, Co-Founder of Mid-Day Squares, a chocolate bar company in the growing “functional,” better-for-you-ingredients market, has successfully used social media to become an influencer and build a loyal customer base — despite competition from Hershey’s and Mars that together control the lion’s share of the chocolate market in North America.

Dear Pharma, The Creator Economy Is NOT Only For Beauty – July 7, 2025  

The pharma industry has always relied on a select few channels to reach its audience: doctors, medical journals, and direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising. For decades, this model seemed sufficient where authoritative voices shared tightly regulated messaging, and ads filled the gaps with glossy, compliance-friendly content. But the world has changed.

How Influencers Are Using Soulbound Tokens for Identity and Loyalty – July 6, 2025  

Influencer marketing is entering a new era where on-chain credentials replace static media kits and spreadsheet-driven performance reports. What if every creator collaboration, benchmark achievement, and loyalty milestone were minted as an immutable Soulbound Token (SBT) in their wallet, verifiable at a glance and impossible to counterfeit or transfer?

How Influencers Are Driving NFT FOMO—and When It Backfires – July 6, 2025  

TikTok’s fast-paced environment has become the epicenter for NFT hype, but with skyrocketing floor prices and “to the moon” mantras come critical questions:How are influencers engineering these surges, and at what point does the momentum collapse into community backlash? Recent patterns reveal a two-pronged trend—short-form creators weaponize real-time price alerts and third-party sentiment indices to fuel instant mint velocity, while gated Discord and Telegram channels create an echo chamber that amplifies scarcity signals.

Glossy Pop Newsletter: When it comes to brand trips, is all press good press? – July 4, 2025  

Over the weekend, TikTok was flooded with posts of major influencers — including Kennedy Eurich, Brandon Edelman, Halley Kate McGookin and Jazmyn Smith — partying in Tulum with the electrolytes brand Waterboy. At the same time, dozens of posts criticizing the brand’s social media strategy for the trip began circulating: Why weren’t the influencers showing the products? And don’t electrolytes help thwart hangovers? Why, then, were they posting about how hungover they were? The marketing experts on TikTok (read: everyone) had questions.

Influencer trip challenges—what brands can learn from Waterboy’s controversy – July 2, 2025  

Influencer trips have become a staple marketing tactic, but growing scrutiny over appearing out of touch has made it essential for brands to get them right. For Waterboy, its Tulum, Mexico getaway became a case study in the risks of ceding control to unfiltered, creator-driven content.

Social Good

Storytelling For Social Good: How To Inspire Action Through Compelling Narratives – June 30, 2025  

If you’ve ever donated to a nonprofit or volunteered at one, you might have been moved to do so because of a compelling story. Effective storytelling is a powerful tool for nonprofits. Compelling stories have the power to humanize issues, spread awareness, shift people’s perspectives and inspire action around causes. Effective storytelling is an art that nonprofit leaders and their teams can excel at with the right approach.

Non-Profit

Bursting The Bubble: How Outside Voices Strengthen Nonprofit Marketing – July 7, 2025  

When was the last time someone inspired your organization to think bigger, act bolder and break through long-standing barriers? I’m talking about the kind of outside perspective that doesn’t just validate your current approach but propels you toward innovative strategies you might never have considered on your own. If you’re struggling to remember, you might be missing one of the most powerful tools in nonprofit marketing.

Healthcare

How Women Can Drive Mission-Driven Marketing In Healthcare – July 8, 2025  

Women are increasingly finding themselves at the heart of transformative efforts in the healthcare marketing sector, a field that is at an exciting juncture. Currently, we are witnessing an increasing number of women in leadership roles across industries, who are rewriting the rules of engagement through their efforts. And in marketing, in particular, the number of women in the field has been growing. In 2021, research by LinkedIn found that women made up about 66% of healthcare marketing roles in North America.

AI Is Transforming B2B Healthcare Marketing, But Humans Must Lead – July 8, 2025  

It started with a campaign to target overburdened hospital chief information officers. A midsized healthcare IT company, looking to introduce its new revenue cycle data exchange solution, struggled with low conversion rates from traditional email campaigns. After leveraging traditional marketing approaches, the marketing team decided to try their hand with AI—not for automation alone, but for intelligence.

Social News

LinkedIn’s Latest Ad System Updates – July 27, 2025  

If you’re a regular reader of Social Media Today, you’re likely across all of the latest updates and improvements within LinkedIn’s ad systems. But if you’re not reading every single post, you may have missed something, and that tweak could end up playing a big part in improving your LinkedIn marketing and outreach process.

Reddit Shares Insights on Its Influence in Consumer Purchase Pathways – July 27, 2025  

As AI previews and summaries continue to take over online discovery and search, human-sourced insight is becoming more valuable, both as a beneficial reference point for people in their shopping process, and also as a data source for AI models.

Pinterest Shares Tips on How To Maximize Marketing Efforts – July 27, 2025  

You may not want to do it, you may not want to even think about it, given the broader concerns in the economy/government/world. But right now is the time to start planning your holiday marketing strategy, in order to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your efforts, and meeting those increasingly early shoppers.

Social Media Age Checking Requires an Industry Standard Detection Process – July 27, 2025  

Over the last few years, there’s been a big push to increase the age of access to social media apps, due to concerns around exposure to harmful materials, predators, misinformation, etc. Indeed, in the last year alone, several European nations, including France, Greece and Denmark, have put their support behind a proposal to restrict social media access to users aged under 15, while Spain has proposed a 16 year-old access restriction. Australia and New Zealand are also moving to implement their own laws that would restrict social media access to those over the age of 16, while Norway is also developing its own regulations.

US TikTok Ban To Be Upheld if a Deal Isn’t Finalized by Current Deadline – July 24, 2025  

So this may mean nothing, because it isn’t coming from Trump himself, but it could be reflective of broader U.S. government policy, and the approach the White House is now looking to take on the TikTok U.S. sell-off negotiations.

Elon Musk Says He Is Bringing Back Vine in AI Form – July 24, 2025  

Okay, I don’t know for sure what this means, or how it would work in practice, as Elon sees it. But after many teases, Elon Musk has today again claimed that X is going to bring back Vine, though this time “in AI form.”

Shorter Video Ads on Facebook Get More Replays via Looping – July 22, 2025  

Hey, did you know that if you run shorter video ads on Facebook, that they’ll actually auto-play more times? It may not be a significant factor, but it’s something to consider either way.

Instagram Tests Like Counts For Individual Frames in a Carousel – July 20, 2025  

Instagram’s testing a new addition to its post analytics which would show how many likes each specific frame within a carousel post has garnered (sort of), which could give you more insight into what your audience is most interest in.

LinkedIn Stops Resurfacing Old Posts, Shares Updates on Hashtags and AI Functions – July 20, 2025  

LinkedIn says it’s rolled back a recent algorithm change that led to people seeing a lot more older posts in their feed, while it’s also provided some more guidance on hashtag use (or lack of use) to help guide your process.

Instagram Tests Auto Scroll Option for Posts – July 20, 2025  

Instagram’s testing a new auto-scroll option with some users, which could make it easier to consume a heap of posts that are fed to you by IG’s algorithm.

Data Shows Best Content Format on Social Platforms in 2025: Millions of Posts Analyzed – July 16, 2025  

Video, photos, carousels, or text? We dug into Buffer’s data, analyzing millions of social posts from Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, Threads, and X to find out which content format performs best. If you’ve spent any time on social media lately, it’s easy to believe that video is the be-all and end-all. Instagram Reels, TikToks, LinkedIn’s new video feed: it’s everywhere, and it feels like every platform is building for it.

An Overview of LinkedIn’s Ad Options and Targeting Tools – July 13, 2025  

Are you considering adding LinkedIn ads into your digital marketing mix? It could be worth a discussion. LinkedIn is now seeing more engagement than ever, and with over a billion members, its audience is also significant enough across most sectors to provide some benefit.

Instagram Expands Google Access to Public Posts to More Regions – July 13, 2025  

A quick note of clarity here: Over the past week, several people have emailed me asking why SMT isn’t covering Instagram’s shift to enabling all posts to be indexed by Google, which some have suggested is a major change in content discoverability.

YouTube Clarifies Changes to Monetization Rules Around Inauthentic Content – July 13, 2025  

After announcing a change to its monetization guidelines to disincentivize the posting of duplicate content, YouTube has now been forced to explain the change in more detail, as creators speculate on the potential impacts of the update. As you may be aware, YouTube recently announced an update to its enforcement of “mass-produced” content, with improved detection measures now coming into effect.

YouTube Updates Trending Content Displays To Keep Users Watching for Longer – July 10, 2025  

YouTube’s making a change to its in-app discovery elements, with the removal of its “Trending” and “Trending Now” listings, which will be replaced by a series of category-specific charts. The update aims to align with emerging user behaviors across different content categories, and encourage more focused topical engagement.

TikTok Launched Its Own Font To Expand Its Familiar Style – July 10, 2025  

Hey, are you really, really excited about TikTok, and want to show everyone how cool and in touch you are with the latest TikTok-aligned trends? This could help. TikTok’s looking to expand its impact on broader web culture, with the launch of its own “TikTok Sans” font, which enables you to take that familiar TikTok text style across to other platforms, apps and tools.

Edits Gets New Performance Insights, Improved Audio Editing Tools – July 9, 2025  

The updates just keep on coming for Instagram’s new video editing app “Edits,” with this latest round of improvements including expanded performance insights, improved audio editing, and refined sharing options from the app.

LinkedIn Provides More Analytics Data to Third-Party Platforms – July 9, 2025  

LinkedIn has launched a new set of Member Post Analytics APIs, which will enable third party social media management platforms to integrate more LinkedIn post performance data, in order to make it easier to manage your LinkedIn strategy. So now, you’ll be able to access more information on your LinkedIn content, including video performance, and compare that to other platforms all in-stream.

Meta Adds New Facebook and Instagram Management Options for Third-Party Platforms – July 9, 2025  

Meta has added some new elements to its Marketing API, its connector that enables third party platforms to facilitate Meta ad management, with a focus on providing more tools to enable creator monetization in its apps.

Edits Gets More Features To Help Manage Video Projects – July 7, 2025  

The updates keep coming for Meta’s new “Edits” video editing app, though last week’s round of updates was more about managing projects than creating them. Late last week, IG announced a new round of features for the “Ideas” tab in the app, which are designed to help creators keep track of their inspirations for future projects.

YouTube Enables Creators To Share More Data With Brands – July 7, 2025  

YouTube has begun informing creators that they’ll now be able to share channel and audience data with brands for potential partnership opportunities.

TikTok Is Reportedly Developing a US-Only Version of the App – July 6, 2025  

We have yet another wrinkle in the ongoing TikTok-U.S. saga. According to a new report from The Information, TikTok is in the midst of developing a new U.S.-only version of the app, as it closes in on a deal with a U.S. partner, in line with the requirements of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.”

Threads Turns Two, Continues To Gain Momentum – July 6, 2025  

Threads celebrated its second year of existence over the weekend, and if you logged on, you may have been shown this pop-up notification in your feed. Yes, a party hat, that you can’t place on your profile image, and just sits as an overlay, no matter where your head is placed in the frame, if indeed it is your head that you’re showing in your Threads profile.

TikTok Cuts Staff as Its Shopping Push Fails To Reach Targets – July 2, 2025  

While TikTok’s in-stream sales push is seemingly gaining some traction, it’s clearly not happening fast enough, with the platform undertaking a new round of layoffs in its U.S. eCommerce division. As reported by Bloomberg, TikTok has initiated a third round of layoffs in its Shop department, which comes after the platform failed to meet its performance goals in 2024.

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Trends in social media: The Motherhood scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!

Influencer Marketing Industry Resources

How A Corporate Influencer Program Can Feed Your Thought Leadership – June 28, 2025  

Last year at Europe’s biggest HR conference in Cologne, I spent several days immersing myself in the world of the corporate influencer program. I hung around the so-called corporate influencer stage, listening in on discussions about how companies are equipping employees to build personal brands and become visible ambassadors on LinkedIn. As I soaked it all in, a question began to form: What if we bridged the best of these grassroots influencer programs with the discipline and strategic focus of organizational thought leadership?

Influencer Marketing Can Be Good as Hell – June 28, 2025  

Lizzo is a lot of things—singer, songwriter, classically trained flutist—but a “bookstagrammer” she is not. So how did she end up at the Library of Congress (LC) in 2022? LC staff told the story at “Bookstagrammers are People Too: Boosting Library Engagement with Influencer Marketing,” a June 28 session of the American Library Association’s 2025 Annual Conference and Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Building 200-Year-Old Brands in a 24-Hour World: AG1’s Marketing Revolution  – June 27, 2025  

Creative leadership and strategic risk-taking are essential ingredients for building transformative brands in today’s marketing landscape. In this episode of Marketing Vanguard, host Jenny Rooney sits down with Paulie Dery, CMO of AG1 (formerly Athletic Greens), for a masterclass in brand building and creative leadership. Drawing from his impressive journey through R/GA, Uber, and Yeti, Paulie shares invaluable insights on why running toward challenges breeds creativity, how to maintain brand authenticity in a rapidly evolving market, and why great products paired with strong storytelling create a lasting impact.

Influencer marketing gains momentum as trust shifts to creators – June 26, 2025  

Influencer marketing spending is increasing steadily in the US and worldwide, representing a key area of growth as audiences turn to the creators they trust for purchase decisions. In a conversation with EMARKTER, Arthur Leopold, head of creator content ad platform Agentio, discussed why audiences are turning to influencers, how technology is changing the game, and where influencer marketing is heading.

Influencer Marketing in 2025: New Data Reveals What Works, What Costs, and What’s Next – June 25, 2025  

Influencer marketing is in a new era marked by smarter strategies, deeper partnerships, and widespread adoption of AI. In 2025, global spend has surged to $32.55 billion, driven by a measurable shift toward ROI-first strategies, AI integration across workflows and a strong preference for micro and mid-tier creators. New research from Later shows brands are moving beyond vanity metrics, while creators are evolving into multi-platform entrepreneurs.

Crafting an influencer campaign that goes beyond social channels – June 24, 2025  

Crafting a successful influencer campaign requires more than a recognizable face in today’s oversaturated ecosystem of social media. With the right strategy, their success can break free of social media and cross over into other avenues of PR. Influencer campaigns can serve consumers more authentically and reach new audiences. They have the potential for impact that reaches more than a social media audience. Hubspot’s 2024 Social Media Marketing Report showed that 64% of organizations used influencer marketing in the past year and 47% of those said it was their most successful strategy for promotion.

Influencer Marketing Can Cause Headaches With FTC, Creators’ NIL – June 24, 2025  

Love it or hate it, influencer marketing looks like it’s not slowing down any time soon. Influencer Marketing Hub’s Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2025, released in April, indicated that the influencer marketing industry is expected to grow to a whopping $32.55 billion by the end of 2025, up a staggering 1,815% from its $1.7 billion market size in 2016, according to the report.

Olipop turns fans into influencers for pennies with PR boxes on Amazon – June 24, 2025  

• Olipop unveiled its summer campaign, which includes a nostalgia-themed travel experience and influencer-style PR boxes targeted at everyday consumers, per details shared with Marketing Dive.

• The Time Travel Travel Agency activation transforms the Austin Motel in Austin, Texas, to create three suites that bring Olipop flavors to life through the lens of different decades. Consumers can enter to win a stay at the location by calling an official hotline.

• The better-for-you soda brand also partnered with Amazon Ads to drop 5,000 exclusive VIP boxes for 5 cents each on Amazon starting June 30. Each box includes seasonal Olipop flavors and branded merchandise, aiming to flip the typical influencer marketing script.

Thinking small: lessons from the micro-influencer boom – June 23, 2025  

From ROI to authenticity, micro-influencers are delivering where it counts – with tighter communities, higher engagement, and lower-cost campaigns that drive real sales. In this article, Jessica Marshall, influencer partnerships manager at Awin, reveals why brands are rethinking scale, how performance-based partnerships are fueling the shift, and what marketers can learn from the micro-influencer boom.

Influencers Step Onto Center Stage at Cannes – June 21, 2025  

Dhar Mann, the creator of a YouTube channel with more than 25 million followers, first heard about the Cannes Lions advertising festival last year from a couple of friends. “It was incredible — the amount of brands they met, the amount of opportunities that they walked out getting,” Mr. Mann, 41, said. So this year, he and his wife and the chief executive of his 200-person company, Dhar Mann Studios, flew themselves to the south of France for dozens of meetings with marketers and agencies.

‘Not just transactional’: Dove on the value of treating influencers as ‘strategic partners’ – June 20, 2025  

It’s been hard to miss the cheers for Unilever since March, when the FMCG giant identified influencer marketing as a “key pillar” of its strategy and pledged to work with 20 times more content creators through a “4V model of social media”. Dove is one of Unilever’s brands taking the investment in its stride, having launched its first end-to-end creator campaign across 64 digital placements in March amid continued creator investment.

How influencer marketing lost its edge – June 19, 2025  

Scroll through a TikTok feed, and you’ll eventually come across someone—usually incredibly photogenic, with perfect teeth and flawless skin—extolling the virtues of some product or another, or a restaurant, or a destination. And then another. And another. Influencer marketing is an unintended consequence of the social media revolution. Platforms like YouTube and TikTok allowed ordinary people to build followings—and, in a way, become celebrities. Brands and businesses soon latched onto these influencers, leveraging the trust they had with their audiences to advertise products.

AI Marketing Meets Influence: The Creator Economy OS – June 18, 2025  

Brands are investing heavily in influencer partnerships. The global creator economy is projected to grow from $203 billion in 2025 to $848 billion by 2032. But too often, marketers are flying blind. Data is siloed. Campaigns are run on spreadsheets. And marketers are forced to guess which creators truly align with their brand.

Influencer Marketing Class Actions on the Rise: Common Themes & Key Takeaways – June 17, 2025  

A wave of class action lawsuits targeting influencer marketing practices has emerged in the first half of 2025, signaling what could be a popular trend in consumer class action litigation. With demands for substantial monetary and injunctive relief and significant brand damage at stake, influencer marketing lawsuits can be detrimental for brands and influencers alike. Companies, influencers, and other influencer marketing stakeholders would be wise to take note of the recent lawsuits and their striking similarities, which suggest a potential new formula for plaintiffs’ attorneys to replicate on a wider scale.

Creator marketing trends to watch at Cannes Lions 2025 – June 16, 2025  

At Cannes Lions, the drinks are flowing and the creator presence keeps growing. During this year’s festival, which kicks off Monday, creators like Kai Cenat, Amelia Dimoldenberg, and Alix Earle are set to make appearances. The Publicis-owned influencer marketing platform Influential is returning for the third year and hosting Influential Beach, which promises to be “bigger than ever.” (Publicis is also, apparently, trying to make a lion—which happens to be the festival’s mascot—an influencer.) Beyond that, creator programming and discussions at this week’s festival are going to be more integrated than in years past, Becky Owen, global CMO of influencer marketing agency Billion Dollar Boy, told us.

Influencers are taking over the marketing industry – June 16, 2025  

For the first time, ad revenue from user-generated content and platforms will exceed the amount earned from professionally produced content this year, according to WPP Media’s global president of business intelligence.

How B2B food brands can leverage influencer marketing – June 16, 2025  

Whether you’re selling pepperoni or POS systems, the same principle holds: People trust people. That’s why foodservice brands — from equipment manufacturers to ingredient suppliers — are turning to trusted social media voices to connect with buyers in a more human, high-impact way. B2B marketers are getting creative, working with social media influencers to co-create new recipes, showcase equipment in action, promote honest reviews, run contests, and host events.

Influencers are taking over the marketing industry – June 16, 2025  

For the first time, ad revenue from user-generated content and platforms will exceed the amount earned from professionally produced content this year, according to WPP Media’s global president of business intelligence.

Big Brands Are Spending More on Influencer Marketing – June 15, 2025  

Influencer marketing budgets are growing, as more and more brands look to tap into the popularity of online creators to boost their branding efforts. Because these days, big-name YouTubers and TikTok stars are just as recognizable as TV and film actors, while there are also many niche-specific influencers offering more specialized reach, as well as platform-specific creative nous, which can help to drive your messaging with just the right audience.

Big Brands Are Spending More on Influencer Marketing – June 15, 2025  

Influencer marketing budgets are growing, as more and more brands look to tap into the popularity of online creators to boost their branding efforts. Because these days, big-name YouTubers and TikTok stars are just as recognizable as TV and film actors, while there are also many niche-specific influencers offering more specialized reach, as well as platform-specific creative nous, which can help to drive your messaging with just the right audience.

Why Kerrygold’s Butter-Themed Influencer Trip Went Viral on TikTok  – June 13, 2025  

Kerrygold’s recent brand trip proves influencer trips are still a way to generate positive buzz. In the past couple of years, influencer brand trips have seemingly fallen out of favor with consumers. If a brand trip stirs negative conversation across social media, marketers face backlash for being out of touch and showing a gross display of wealth. But Kerrygold’s latest brand trip is evidence that doesn’t have to be the case. 

Move over, Becks. It’s time to make room for the nano-influencers – June 13, 2025  

Celebrity endorsements from the likes of David Beckham used to be the holy grail of marketing. Not anymore, says Annie Johnson at Cygnus – authenticity is now king. Once upon a time, influencer marketing was all about star power. From David Beckham sipping soft drinks (Becks loves a brand deal) to supermodels fronting luxury perfume ads. Brands turned to celebrity clout to sell products. The formula was simple: big names + big budgets = big impact. But the world has changed – and so has the way we connect with brands. In 2025, fame is no longer the golden ticket. Trust is.

The ultimate guide to Instagram influencer marketing in 2025 – June 12, 2025  

Instagram is one of the original social media networks for influencer marketing, and it’s still a highly impactful platform for marketers today. With uncertainty surrounding other networks and saturated feeds, partnering with creators is no longer optional—it’s how brands break through the noise and authentically tap into trends.

The Rise of B2B Influencers on LinkedIn – June 12, 2025  

Influencer marketing has made its way into the B2B playbook, transforming how brands build trust and connect with buyers. Brands are increasingly relying on creator-led content to leverage trust and credibility with buyers. As a result, B2B buyers are turning to digital communities for clarity, credibility and insights that speak directly to their industry concerns. In a professional context, 59% of B2B buyers saying they consume creator content on LinkedIn— more than on any other platform.

Always-On Influencer Programs: Rolling Brief Framework for 12-Month Partnerships – June 10, 2025  

Many creators lament overly prescriptive briefs that stifle their unique voice, yet brands worry that too little direction risks off-brand content. A clear pattern emerges: rigid, short-term campaigns struggle to keep pace with shifting platform trends and audience expectations. Brand-influencer collaboration insights reveal that when influencers “follow a brief word for word,” engagement plummets, whereas long-term collaborations empower creators to iterate and build trust.

Starbucks is hiring full-time content creators to travel the world and post on social media – June 10, 2025  

Here’s a dream job for chronically online coffee lovers: Starbucks is hiring two full-time content creators for a 12-month gig posting content at Starbucks locations around the world. The role, aptly titled “global coffee creator,” involves traveling to between 10 and 15 Starbucks locations, from Milan to Costa Rica, and capturing “the local culture, community, and atmosphere surrounding each Starbucks location,” according to the job description.

Avoiding Creative Bottlenecks in Influencer Collabs: 10 Mistakes Brands Make – June 10, 2025  

Are you still asking influencers for long “About Me” decks instead of watching their latest TikToks? Do you find yourself scrambling to answer last-minute edits and chasing late payments? Nowadays, brands and agencies repeatedly fall into the same traps: neglecting real-time content audits, burying pricing in dense text, and treating video creation as a one-off task rather than a structured process.

B2B marketing, effectiveness, influencers: 5 interesting stats to start your week – June 9, 2025  

Almost two-thirds of B2B marketers say their marketing strategy is “incomplete” without influencers. While B2B marketers may have been slower to embrace influencer marketing than their B2C counterparts, working with creators is now a core element of their marketing plans. According to new data from LinkedIn, 94% of the 3,000 B2B marketers it surveyed globally say influencer marketing is among their most effective strategies to achieve direct sales.

How To Avoid The Seven Deadly Sins Of Influencer Marketing – June 9, 2025  

You’ve heard of the seven deadly sins: pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony and sloth. It’s easy for both influencers and brands to fall prey to them because of the nature of social media, where instant gratification is prized and comparison is frequent. For influencers, giving in to the seven deadly sins can mean cutting into their livelihood because it impacts their audience relationships and brands’ desire to work with them. Brands can also be tempted, which can impact their following and credibility. My agency has advised content creators and brand representatives on avoiding these pitfalls and making the most of their influencer marketing efforts.

Five Shifts In Influencer Marketing Reshaping Business Strategy – June 9, 2025  

Once a space dominated by bloggers, influencer marketing has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry that dictates how brands connect with consumers across global markets. While Millennials and Gen Z have been the driving force behind this shift, the impact now extends beyond younger demographics, influencing purchasing decisions across all age groups.

Danone Is Redefining the Influencer Marketing Playbook  – June 6, 2025  

At a time when culture moves quickly and content is ubiquitous, Danone is redefining the marketing playbook along with Linqia, its agency of record and one of the largest influencer agencies in the world. Linqia’s chief strategy officer, Keith Bendes, sat down with Danone’s chief marketing officer, Linda Bethea, and executive creative director, Eric Flinn, at ADWEEK’s 2025 Social Media Week in May to discuss their ever-evolving marketing strategy and philosophy.

Most Influencers Use AI to Create Content but Consumers Are Skeptical  – June 5, 2025  

The vast majority of influencers are using artificial intelligence but consumers want influencers to be transparent about how the technology is being used, according to new research commissioned by survey company Typeform.

What to know before you start your B2B influencer campaign – June 5, 2025  

If you think about B2B influencers at all, you might think of large-scale accounts with crossover appeal like Corporate Natalie. But in the emerging world of content creators who specialize in appealing to white collar professionals, small accounts can pay big dividends – especially for those just getting involved in the space.

Google Tests AI Versions of High-Profile Influencers – June 5, 2025  

The implementation of gen AI seems to get weirder and weirder, while we’re continually told about how valuable and useful such experiences will become.

Most B2B marketers say influencer marketing one of ‘most effective strategies’   – June 4, 2025  

While B2B marketers may have been slower to embrace influencer marketing than their consumer-focused counterparts, working with creators is now a core element of their marketing plans. According to new data from LinkedIn, 94% of 3,000 B2B marketers globally say influencer marketing is among their most effective strategies to achieve direct sales.   

How Dove’s first creator-led campaign paves way forward for Unilever – June 4, 2025  

Just days after becoming CEO of Unilever in March, Fernando Fernandez made waves by discussing plans to move to a social-first advertising strategy, shifting 50% of ad spend to the channel and looking to work with 20 times as many influencers. Even as social media remains one of the fastest growing marketing channels across the industry this year, it was a bold statement. 

How Influencer Marketing Is Rewiring The Consumer Journey – June 4, 2025  

The way consumers shop today looks nothing like it did a decade ago. Gone are the days when a flashy TV commercial or a celebrity endorsement could drive meaningful sales. Now, purchasing decisions happen in comment sections, Instagram DMs, YouTube reviews and, increasingly, at immersive brand experiences. Influencer marketing isn’t just a trend; it’s fundamentally reshaping the path from discovery to purchase, creating a new, symbiotic relationship between digital content and real-world connection.

​​16 Strategies For Boosting Company Marketing With Influencers – June 4, 2025  

No marketing strategy today is complete without a social media component. As social media continues to be a major way companies reach their target audiences, influencer-infused marketing campaigns for new products and services will become much more common. However, companies would be remiss to assume that simply partnering with a popular influencer is enough to sway consumers to purchase. Below, 16 Forbes Business Council members share how companies can effectively leverage influencers in their marketing while ensuring it feels genuine and natural to their customers.

How This Influencer Strategy Drove Growth in a Down Market – June 3, 2025  

There comes a time in every company’s existence when “a board asks the brand marketer to validate their existence,” Matt Kerbel, Turo’s global brand strategy director, says. At the San Francisco-based car rental service, that time came last year. According to Kerbel, most marketers in this position argue that their work is hard—or even impossible—to measure. But in his opinion, that’s a myth.

The secret to brand-safe virality? Trendy, licensed music – June 3, 2025  

Remember that one song that goes “doo ba doo ba doo ba doo, ba doo ba doo ba doo ba doo”? Okay, probably not from that description. But if it played out of a phone speaker right now, chances are that anyone who has been on TikTok in the last year or two would recognize it—but still might not be able to name it.

Creative Freedom vs Brand Guardrails: Finding the Sweet Spot in Your Influencer Brief – June 2, 2025  

How much freedom should influencers really have—and where should brands draw the line? That’s the recurring tension in today’s brand collaborations. Creators want to “just do you,” but they also recognize that ignoring a brief can cost them future deals.

Social News

X Hires New Head of Product To Reignite Growth – June 30, 2025  

This could be a significant hiring for X, and the future development of the app. Today, app designer Nikita Bier has announced that he is joining X as head of product, which will see Bier bring his expertise to the app, and could spark all-new growth opportunities.

X Will Soon Charge for Ads Based on the Size of Visuals – June 29, 2025  

After announcing that hashtags would be banned from all Promoted Posts on X last week, X owner Elon Musk also flagged another coming to change to X’s ad process, with bigger ads to soon cost more per placement.

TikTok Launches Bulletin Boards for Broadcast Messaging From Creator and Brand Profiles – June 27, 2025 

TikTok’s experimenting with its own variation of broadcast channels, which enables brands and creators to share message updates with their audience in the app.

Snapchat Shares Insight Into How It Influences Consumer Electronics Purchases – June 27, 2025 

Snapchat has published a new report into the role it plays in the purchase cycle for consumer electronics, based on a study of 3,000 electronics shoppers across five markets. And as you might expect (given the report was published by Snap), the data shows that Snapchat drives significant interest in electronics discovery.

LinkedIn Adds Video Covers for Articles and Newsletters – June 26, 2025 

LinkedIn’s rolling out a new option to make your articles stand out in-stream, which also aligns with its broader push on video content. Soon, all LinkedIn members will be able to add a video in the header image slot on a LinkedIn article.

Meta Says It Fixed an Issue That Led To Erroneous Facebook Group Suspensions – June 25, 2025 

If you manage a Facebook group that’s been inexplicably banned over the last week or so, you’re not alone. As reported by TechCrunch, thousands of Facebook groups have been suspended of late, with many pointing the finger at faulty AI-detection for incorrectly tagging them as violating the platform’s rules.

Social Platforms Explore Age Verification Options to Comply With Teen Access Regulations – June 20, 2025  

While many regions are pushing for new age limits on social media access, the key challenge remains that there’s currently no universal technology that enables platforms to verify user ages, nor a process in place that would definitively stop youngsters from accessing social apps. Over the last year, several European nations, including France, Greece and Denmark, have put their support behind a proposal to restrict social media access to users aged under 15, while Spain has proposed a 16 year-old access restriction.

How TikTok Shop’s New Badges Will Drive In-App Sales – June 20, 2025  

TikTok Shop has rapidly established itself as a major player in social commerce. While its U.S. market share remains modest compared to global benchmarks, recent data reveals that over 11% of American households have already made at least one TikTok Shop purchase since its launch in the U.S.

TikTok Launches New AI-Powered Ad Creation Tools, Integrations With Adobe and WPP – June 16, 2025  

TikTok’s announced some new AI-powered elements for its TikTok Symphony brand creation platform, including updated text-to-video creation, image-to-video animation, and more. First off, TikTok’s rolling out its own version of text-to-video, which will generate AI video using TikTok’s own AI tools.

TikTok Says In-Stream Shopping Has Increased 120% This Year – June 15, 2025  

TikTok has shared some new stats on in-stream shopping engagement in the app, which it says has seen a big rise over the past year. According to TikTok, Americans, in particular, are warming to its TikTok Shop offerings, as it continues to promote its in-app buying options to its billion-plus users.

YouTube Offers Expanded Monetization Avenues for Educational Content – June 15, 2025  

YouTube’s added another revenue opportunity for creators, with its “Player for Education” program giving creators a share of any revenue earned when their content is embedded as part of a schools initiative. That could be a big boost for certain creators who make videos that include an educational element, and could lead to more educational content creators coming to the app.

Snapchat Adds New Creator Tools, Updated Analytics Elements – June 12, 2025  

Snapchat’s rolling out some new ways to make more use of your Snap content, along with some additional analytics elements to help creators improve their in-app performance.

Meta Says Link Posts on Threads Are Seeing Better Performance – June 8, 2025  

According to Instagram chief Adam Mosseri, the Threads team has been working to improve the reach of links in the app, with a view to encouraging more publishers and creators to post to the app.

Instagram Says Trial Reels Have Helped Creators Significantly Increase Reach – June 8, 2025  

Instagram’s trial Reels have been available for just on six months now, and IG is keen to get more creators trying out its audience sampling feature, in order to help boost content performance.

LinkedIn Shares Video Posting Best Practices – June 5, 2025  

Video view time in the app has increased by 36% year-over-year, while video content now generates 1.4x more engagement than other post types. 

Instagram Announces Latest Updates for Edits App, Including More Transition Effects – June 3, 2025  

Instagram continues to roll out more updates for its new Edits app, with another set of new creative tools now available in the video customization platform.

Organic posts and brand-voice tests: how advertisers are approaching Threads – June 2, 2025  

In April, Meta’s Threads, which counts over 350 million monthly active users, opened up to all advertisers. Less than two months in, many advertisers are still in wait-and-see mode, media buyers told Marketing Brew, but some agencies are pitching spending on Threads as a “low risk, high learning opportunity,” Anna Hofer, group director of integrated media at Stagwell’s Assembly, said. As more advertisers test out the platform, it could open the doors to continued investment from more cautious brands.

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Influencer Marketing Industry Resources

Unilever’s K18 Tests a New Frontier for Beauty Influencing: LinkedIn – May 30, 2025  

Unilever’s K18 is bringing beauty influencing to an unexpected platform: LinkedIn. The haircare company is working with LinkedIn influencer marketing firm Creator Authority to partner with two LinkedIn influencers, Jade Walters and Elvi Caperonis, to give away a K18 product haul and a mentorship by the creators to two members of each of their respective communities.

E.l.f. Buys Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Beauty in $1 Billion Deal: What Influencer Marketers Should Know – May 29, 2025  

In a huge move that underscores the growing demand for influencer-founded brands, Hailey Bieber’s Rhode Beauty has been acquired by e.l.f. Beauty in a deal valued at up to $1 billion. The transaction includes $800 million in cash and stock, with a potential $200 million performance-based payout, making it one of the biggest celebrity beauty acquisitions in recent years.

How creator marketing has become key to Mastercard’s culture-hacking strategy – May 28, 2025  

Fine dining and globe-trotting travel have been displacing mere objects as consumer status symbols ever since Instagram first arrived on the app store way back in 2010. It’s a shift that brand marketers have long sought to connect with. Few have been as persistent as Mastercard, though. The payments brand first began marketing around “experiences” almost 10 years back, according to CMO Raja Rajamannar; it first unveiled its “Priceless.com” loyalty platform in 2016. Increasingly, Mastercard’s means of reinforcing its position has been through creator and influencer marketing. The company stages hundreds of events a year, including some linked to its sporrts sponsorships like Formula One’s McLaren team and tennis’ Roland Garros tournament, and typically invites several creators to each one, giving it a creator cast of thousands. Rajamannar spoke with Digiday about the brand’s creator strategy, how it picks the influencers it partners with, and whether creator spending could eventually eclipse traditional channels like TV.

How IBM is looking to ‘enter the B2C conversation’ through influencers – May 27, 2025  

As Marketing Week previously reported in the last instalment of ‘Influencers Explored’, B2B brands are becoming braver when it comes to introducing influencers to the marketing mix. Global technology company IBM is one B2B giant investing more into both external creators and its own employees as brand advocates.

Brands are starting to use AI agents to execute creator deals—what it means for the industry – May 27, 2025  

Creator marketing companies are launching AI agents capable of forging and maintaining relationships with creators on a brand’s behalf—both to the industry’s awe and alarm.

How to Create an Influencer Campaign Brief – May 23, 2025  

What was once an afterthought PDF attachment is now a strategic tool that can make or break the success of a collaboration. A well-structured brief not only helps creators deliver content that resonates but also saves brands hours of back-and-forth, failed posts, and unmet expectations.

How CMOs Use Influencer Marketing to Build Trust and Drive Revenue – May 21, 2025  

To understand how CMOs are transforming their influencer strategies, we interviewed marketing executives Sarah Crockett from DSW, Paul Deacon from Volition Beauty, Jessica Jensen from LinkedIn, Elizabeth Money from BÉIS, Isabel Romero from Metricool, Brit Starr from CreatorIQ, and Nick Tran from Farfetch. This report explores how brands are proving ROI, building strong relationships, scaling operations, and integrating AI—while working cross-functionally to meet C-suite expectations.

Winning Influencer Strategies in the Real Estate Industry – May 20, 2025  

The real estate marketing landscape is evolving rapidly, with influencer and social media strategies playing a pivotal role in engaging younger, more tech-savvy audiences. Recent trends show that influencer marketing in real estate continues to grow significantly. In fact, reports indicate that 63% of realtors are using social media to promote listings, with 60% of millennials using social media to find their homes. This shift highlights the growing influence of digital platforms, particularly as younger generations turn to social media for everything from research to making purchasing decisions.

‘Embrace the change or get left behind’: Inside the rise of B2B influencers – May 20, 2025  

Working with influencers may have once seemed daunting for B2B businesses, but in recent years more brands than ever have jumped on the creator bandwagon.Ogilvy’s global head of influence, Rahul Titus, describes the growth of B2B influencing as “unprecedented”, growing in popularity since the agency reported in 2023 75% of B2B companies are already using influencers.

Earned Media is on the Rise, But What Does That Mean for Influencers? – May 19, 2025  

Influencer marketing has been the star of the advertising world for years, and it’s still stealing the spotlight. But as the industry matures, a new buzzword is making waves – and it’s giving paid media a run for its money. We are now in the age of earned media, where brands chase authenticity, and influencers juggle gifting with paying the bills.

The Future Of Influencer Marketing: What’s Next In 2025 And Beyond – May 19, 2025  

Among the most defining shifts in 21st-century marketing is the rise of social media influencers (SMIs). Over the past decade, influencer marketing has evolved from a niche tactic into a core component of digital strategy. Today, brand partnerships with SMIs are growing by over 50% annually, underscoring their increasing value and impact.  

It is time for influencers to be shaping, not just selling, your brand – May 16, 2025  

Be it Nike’s creative partnerships or Dove’s community-driven campaigns, influencers are shaping the brands they are working for. Landor’s Anna Kohl believes there is more to come. For years, brands operated on a simple formula: control the message, repeat the asset, and build recognition. Now, the influencer economy has driven a fundamental shift in branding where consumers no longer experience brands in a linear, one-size-fits-all manner.

The future of influencer marketing – Not in the loudest voice, the most trustworthy one – May 16, 2025  

In today’s digital economy, the ability to “influence” has never been more powerful, or more scrutinised. The truth is that real influence stems from integrity and connection.

How To Use Influencer Marketing To Reach Older Consumers – May 16, 2025  

The consumer behavior of older consumers remains understudied despite the group’s large numbers and high buying power. There are over 110 million adults in North America age 55 and over, representing approximately 30% of the total population. By 2050, this group will make up 36% of the population. Moreover, recent studies show that in the U.S., consumers over 50 years old account for more than half of consumer spending.

B2B brands up influencer marketing budgets – May 16, 2025  

Key stat: Over half (53%) of US B2B marketers have a growing dedicated budget for influencer marketing, according to September 2024 data from TopRank Marketing and Ascend2.

Beyond the chart:

• 56% of US B2B marketers who use influencer marketing say social media posts are the most effective content types, according to the TopRank Marketing data.
• Micro influencers, those with 10,000 to 99,999 followers, drove the most success in 2024 for a plurality (43%) of worldwide marketers who found positive results with B2B marketing, according to October 2024 data from HubSpot.

18 Emerging Influencer Marketing Trends Brands Need To Watch – May 15, 2025  

Influencer marketing has evolved far beyond chasing likes and follows. As consumers demand more authenticity, personalization and value from the brands they engage with, new trends are reshaping how companies partner with online creators to drive interest and community. From the rise of nano-influencers and virtual avatars to executive-led thought leadership and B2B advocacy, recent shifts reflect a growing emphasis on trust, transparency and impact. Below, members of Forbes Communications Council explore influencer marketing trends they see gaining momentum and why smart businesses should take note now.

Why flexibility is key to building authentic influencer marketing campaigns – May 15, 2025  

Flexibility, listening and getting creators involved in the creative process is key to making the most of authentic influencer marketing partnerships and storytelling. Speaking at the Creative Equals RISE conference in London today, Helen O’Donnell, Director of Development, BBC Studios, led an uplifting and honest conversation with Riyadh Khalaf, broadcaster, author, podcast host and LGBTQ+ advocate, and Megan Crabbe, author of ‘Body Positive Power’ and broadcaster.

How one influencer campaign can power an entire marketing engine – May 15, 2025  

Influencer content is no longer just for social media. Today’s most agile marketers are discovering that a single creator campaign can fuel their entire marketing engine, from paid social and connected TV to digital out-of-home and retail media. What makes the difference is how you plan, build and scale the content—and increasingly, how you use technology to do it faster and smarter.

Inside the Gen Z creator mindset: what marketers can learn from LTK’s rising stars – May 14, 2025  

At the LTK Upfronts in New York, marketers gathered in the hope of catching a glimpse of the future. What they got instead was something far more valuable: an honest, unfiltered look into the present from the perspective of the generation that’s shaping it.

Why Lyft and Notion Turn to LinkedIn Influencers for Brand-Building – May 12, 2025  

When you think of social media influencers, LinkedIn creators aren’t usually top of mind. However, the professional networking platform has seen an abundance of thought leadership over the past few years, paving the way for a new kind of influencer. 

The Creator Economy Now Outranks TV: What Marketers Must Know – May 12, 2025  

Creators are not just building audiences—they’re shaping culture, redefining influence, and commanding a larger share of brand budgets than ever before. In its latest Measuring the Digital Economy report, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) declares the creator economy’s growth not only sustained but accelerating. In 2024, The New Yorker dubbed it “The Year Creators Took Over,” noting that while traditional media still matters, its cultural clout has eroded significantly. Creators now set the tone across platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram, Twitch, and beyond, reaching highly engaged audiences in ways legacy media simply can’t match.

From influencers to impact: Why authentic brand partnerships are winning in hospitality – May 12, 2025  

Not long ago, influencers were considered the jewel in the crown of hospitality marketing. The global market for influencers more than tripled from 2019 to 2023. A single post from the right personality could send diners flocking to a new venue. But in 2025, is their influence waning? While platforms like Instagram and TikTok remain essential channels for discovery, are influencers generating the same level of trust, engagement or results?

From feed to street: why brands need to rethink influencer marketing – May 9, 2025  

Influencer marketing is moving beyond social. Jenny Penich of Influencer tells The Drum why brands are now tapping creators as full-funnel partners – from CTV to out-of-home – and reshaping the media mix in the process.

Want to Work With Influencers? Here’s What Small Business Owners Need to Know. – May 8, 2025  

Key Takeaways:

• Actual influence comes from people who genuinely connect with your brand, whether they’re content creators or everyday customers.
• Before partnering with influencers, make sure your own social channels are up to the task. Influencer marketing should be the cherry on top of your existing marketing strategies.
• Nurturing creators over time turns one-time partners into brand advocates.

Winning Gen Z: Five Lessons From Scaling Through Influencer Marketing – May 8, 2025  

When we launched our AI writing assistant, it was just one of many experiments inside our venture capital studio. We had a simple goal: to help students write better, faster and with less stress. We didn’t have the ambition to build a unicorn. We just wanted to solve a real problem quickly. Fast forward 12 months, and our business has scaled significantly and revenue has skyrocketed. One of the key drivers behind that growth? Gen Z. More specifically, we learned to speak their language and play the game by their rules. We had to earn their trust in a way that I’ve found most modern software-as-a-service (SaaS) companies overlook.

Influencer marketing class actions target Shein, Celsius and Revolve – May 8, 2025  

Influencer marketing class action lawsuits overview:

• Who: Consumers recently filed class action lawsuits against Celsius Holdings, Shein, Revolve Group and multiple “influencers.” 
• Why: The class action lawsuits argue Celsius, Shein and Revolve failed to disclose that influencers were paid to promote their products. 
• Where: The class action lawsuits were filed in California and Illinois federal courts. 

Should you use an influencer or celebrity to promote your brand? – May 8, 2025  

When partnering with talent, marketers often ask the wrong questions, says Paula Albuquerque of YKONE. Stop focusing on the big names and instead think about who’ll keep the conversations going longest.

We can still save influencer marketing before AI eats it alive – May 7, 2025  

Unilever wants to spend half its marketing budget on influencers. The Secret Little Agency’s Ludovica Damonte worries that the world’s biggest brands only see ad space in place of the medium’s real strength. Unilever’s new CEO, Fernando Fernandez, recently announced that the company will increase its social media spend from 30% to 50% of its marketing budget. The real kicker? It plans to work with twenty times more influencers than before. Fernandez was even quoted as counting zip codes in India and Brazil, aiming for at least one influencer in every single one.

Fohr CEO on Influencer Marketing & How Brands Can Get It Right – May 6, 2025  

Key Takeaways

• The best partnerships happen when brands prioritize alignment, shared values, audience fit, and content style over raw numbers.
• Be clear about your brand’s values and boundaries upfront, so that you can respond and act if any issue or controversy arises.
• Treat your agency like a collaborator, not a vendor. The more you share about what you want and how you want it, the better they can build a strategy.

Why Influencer Marketing is Critical to PR – May 6, 2025  

It’s understandable that some in the industry might feel unsure whether PR should take ownership of influencer marketing efforts. Especially since those partnerships usually involve commercial arrangements, in contrast to traditional media relations, where payments are almost never made for editorial coverage. But despite this difference, there are too many similarities to ignore. Influencer marketing is just as much about storytelling, relationship building and reputation management as public relations is. A key role of PR is to communicate brand messages to the right audiences via trusted intermediaries such as the free press.

The most effective influencer campaigns are built on fit, not fame – May 5, 2025  

Explore the disciplined approach behind today’s most successful influencer campaigns — built on insight, alignment and results. Long gone are the days of experimenting with influencer marketing. It’s now a proven lever for strategic growth. But outperforming in this space isn’t about jumping on trends or chasing fame — it’s about brand alignment, scale and strategy.

SAG-AFTRA is expanding its reach into the influencer economy – May 2, 2025  

In late April, the union’s board unanimously voted to establish a new influencer committee, appointing New York-based lifestyle influencer Patrick Janelle as chair.

LinkedIn emerges as a serious player in the creator economy – May 5, 2025  

Creators are flocking to LinkedIn — and brands’ dollars are right behind them. As LinkedIn positions itself more firmly as a home for creators, influencer marketers who operate within the platform’s ecosystem say that their business is booming.

Possible 2025 takeaways for marketers—Gen Z strategies, creator economy moves and media innovation – May 2, 2025  

As the conference haze clears, a few dominant themes from Possible have emerged: marketers are grappling with how to effectively reach Gen Z, get influencer partnerships right and use technology to boost media buys. These topics came up repeatedly throughout the Miami Beach event. Below, Ad Age rounds up the top takeaways for marketers.

Glossy Pop Newsletter: Medicube’s influencer marketing-fueled mission to be No. 1 is working – May 2, 2025  

Medicube, the 11-year-old K-Beauty brand known for its Booster Pro skin-care device, has been making waves in the U.S. since at least 2023, prior to the current “second-wave” explosion of K-Beauty. In July of 2023, the brand’s most famous gadget was seen in one of Hailey Bieber’s GRWM videos on TikTok. It was an organic mention, and Bieber had not been seeded the product, according to the brand. That post, in which Bieber doesn’t say a word but goes through her skin-care regimen, has 1 million likes.

How the ‘Jaws’ TikTok Trend Is Changing the Way Brands Approach Influencer Marketing – May 1, 2025  

TikTok trends are not just for fun—they can have a massive impact on marketing strategies. The viral “Jaws” TikTok trend, where users imitate sharks circling around in humorous ways while the iconic theme from the movie plays in the background, is a perfect example of how brands can tap into viral moments for influencer marketing.

Traditional Marketing Funnels No Longer Work In The Social Media Era – April 30, 2025  

The traditional marketing funnel is broken. Customers today behave differently. In the era of social media, brands need to keep up and adapt their strategies. After nearly a decade of collaborating with leading brands across hundreds of influencer campaigns, I’ve seen first-hand how brands need to engage customers through culturally relevant influencer partnerships. In today’s world, influencers and social commerce drive culture and customer demand over traditional media.

Glossy 101: The dos and don’ts of influencer partnership disclosures – April 29, 2025  

In mid-April, fashion brand Revolve was hit with a class-action lawsuit alleging that the company and its influencer partners had failed to disclose paid partnerships. The lawsuit alleged that this gave consumers the false impression that endorsements of Revolve by various influencers were organic rather than paid.

LTK wants to be creators’ post-social platform of choice – April 28, 2025  

Founder and President Amber Venz Box said the platform is “playing the long game” and aiming to provide a home for creators amid social platform and economic uncertainties. Everyone is pivoting to video, and LTK is no exception. Amber Venz Box started as a creator on WordPress, and founded the platform formerly known as LiketoKnow.it and RewardStyle in 2011 as an affiliate platform for bloggers, which is now often cited as one of the original social commerce platforms. Today, the affiliate space is booming, but LTK has diversified beyond its original purpose as an affiliate marketing channel, and Venz Box, who is also LTK’s president, said it now drives less than half of the platform’s revenue. (Last year, LTK reportedly generated more than $5 billion in sales from creators.)

Leveraging Influencer Marketing In The Mining Industry: Opportunities And Challenges – April 28, 2025  

The mining industry has traditionally relied on conventional marketing methods such as industry conferences, investor relations campaigns and paid media to reach stakeholders. However, a marketing trend is emerging: influencer marketing. While this strategy is more commonly associated with consumer brands, influencers are now playing a role in shaping investor relations, public perception and attracting talent to the mining sector.

Pharma

Trust in pharma and health care industries plummet with young people leading the way: report – April 30, 2025  

Fewer and fewer people trust institutions when it comes to health information and advice, according to the latest 2025 Edelman Trust Barometer health report. Even worse, they think leaders are misleading them on purpose. The majority of people in the global survey believe industry leaders say things that they know are “false or gross exaggerations” when it comes health topics. That includes 59% of people who believe business leaders are misdirecting them, and 57% who believe both government leaders and journalists mislead the public.

Social News

ChatGPT’s Rising Traffic Versus Other Top Websites – May 27, 2025  

No matter how you look at it, ChatGPT has had a transformative impact on web usage trends, and the broader tech industry as a whole. Because while generative AI tools in a similar vein to ChatGPT have been in development for years, with Meta, Google, and many others exploring the possibilities of AI tech, no one had launched a user-friendly, conversational AI interface like ChatGPT, and that quickly made the app synonymous with the new tech.

Are AI Chatbots Taking Over Online Search? – May 18, 2025  

Are AI chatbots really taking over online search, and just how long will it be before Google is supplanted by AI tools? While trends are definitely shifting towards AI, with Google recently seeing its first ever decline in search volume, Google still has a commanding share of online search traffic. And with its own AI-based summaries now being filtered into every query, Google itself could well end up winning out in the AI battle on this front, however ChatGPT has quickly become synonymous with discovery, and is rising fast.

Instagram Shares Advice on Switching Content Focus in the App – May 15, 2025  

Thinking about changing up your approach on Instagram?

You may want to take a cautious approach, in order to ensure that you maintain engagement and reach in the app. That’s according to IG chief Adam Mosseri, who’s provided some new notes on how creators should go about switching up their content approach in the app, and what they should be mindful of in the process.

TikTok Adds More Accessibility Features, Including Alt Text for Photos – May 14, 2025  

Today is Global Accessibility Awareness Day, and TikTok is marking the occasion by rolling out some updates to its inclusive access features, including alt-text for photos, enhanced text presentation options, and variable color contrast.

An Ad Quality Control Checklist – May 14, 2025  

Digital ads expert Savannah Sanchez has shared an overview of her key tips for ensuring your ads tick all the right boxes, and get maximum attention and engagement.

Meta Adds More Creative Options To Edits App – May 13, 2025  

Meta’s certainly staying true to its word on rolling out regular updates to its new “Edits” video editing app, with another round of new Edits features now available to users.

Unlockable Reels Are Now Live on Instagram: Here’s What Marketers and Creators Need to Know – May 10, 2025  

Instagram has just rolled out its highly anticipated Unlockable Reels feature, allowing creators to share exclusive content that’s hidden behind a secret code. After a successful test run, this feature is now live, offering fresh opportunities for marketers and creators to engage their audiences in unique ways. With the popularity of exclusive content continuing to rise, Unlockable Reels could be a game changer in how brands and influencers drive engagement.

TikTok Announces a Range of SMB Support Initiatives for Small Business Month – May 8, 2025  

May is Small Business Month, and TikTok has announced a range of activations and opportunities for SMB, including a chance to win a share of $1 million in TikTok ad credits.

YouTube Outlines Advanced Creator Collaboration Tools at NewFronts 2025 – May 8, 2025  

YouTube’s announced some new tools to help brands collaborate with creators on promotions, including an AI-powered search option that will help brands find relevant creators on any given topic.

Meta Provides Guidance for Advertisers Based on Latest Engagement Trends – May 1, 2025  

Following Meta’s latest earnings call, the company has shared a listing of five key stats of note for advertisers, and how to apply them to your own ad efforts. From video, to Threads ads, to AI tools, Meta’s provided some pointers that indicate what it’s looking to capitalize on, which is likely where you should also be looking in order to boost your content performance.

LinkedIn Takes First Steps Toward Creator Monetization With ‘BrandLink’ – May 1, 2025  

With video consumption rising on LinkedIn, the professional social network is adding new ways for marketers to tap into popular video content, with an expansion of its Wire program, which it’s now renaming as “BrandLink”.

LinkedIn Reports Record Engagement Once Again in Latest Performance Update – April 30, 2025  

Oh look, Microsoft has published its latest quarterly performance report, I wonder whether LinkedIn saw “record engagement” in the period?

LinkedIn Shares Technical Specs and Posting Tips for Video Content – April 28, 2025  

Looking to post video to LinkedIn, and tap into rising video engagement in the app? You probably should be. LinkedIn recently reported that video watch time rose 36% year-over-year in 2024, while video content also generates 1.4x more engagement than other formats.

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Influencer Marketing Industry Resources

Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report 2025 – April 25, 2025  

As we enter 2025, the question is no longer whether influencer marketing works but how to unlock its next evolution. In 2024, influencer marketing propelled social media to become the world’s largest advertising channel, surpassing paid search with a staggering $247.3B, reaching $266.92B by end of 2025 in global spend, cementing its role as the epicenter of consumer influence and engagement.

Top Influencer Marketing Strategies Every Insurance Brand Should Implement – April 25, 2025  

If you assume insurance is too regulated or “boring” for influencer marketing — the numbers and campaigns say otherwise. State Farm’s viral TikTok campaign with Khaby Lame is a standout example. Instead of promoting policies directly, the campaign leaned into humor and cultural moments, positioning State Farm as a recognizable, trusted name among Gen Z and millennial audiences. With tens of millions of views, it proved that even legacy insurance brands can resonate online — if they let creators lead with authenticity.

Top Influencer Marketing Campaigns Driving Success for Insurance Brands – April 25, 2025  

If you think influencer marketing can’t work for insurance, you’re underestimating just how much the landscape has shifted. Insurance brands are quietly cracking the code — not by mimicking viral lifestyle brands, but by meeting people at financial and emotional crossroads where trust matters most. In a category known for skepticism and complexity, influencers aren’t just driving reach — they’re reframing the conversation around life, health, auto, and renter’s insurance with relatable storytelling, financial literacy, and real-life context.

From Employees to Influencers – April 25, 2025  

If you’re not following influencers on Instagram, you are part of a rare minority. In case you’ve been living under a rock, you will know that the importance of influencer culture has grown to the extent that even employees are becoming influencers now. And yes, that could very well include you. You know those iPhone unboxing videos you love? Or the ASMR iced latte reels that you stop to watch mid-scroll? They are prime examples of user-generated content (UGC). UGC is very commonly used on social media these days. In fact, with the boom of influencer marketing and microinfluencers, you have probably been guilty of an irrational purchase because of them.

Top Influencer Marketing Strategies to Revolutionize Investment Platforms – April 24, 2025  

Influencer marketing is no longer just a buzzword—it’s a powerhouse that’s reshaping industries, including the investment platform sector. With the influencer marketing platform market expected to soar from $20.24 billion in 2024 to a staggering $71.04 billion by 2032, brands are hopping on the bandwagon faster than you can say “ROI.” And it’s not just about the big names; Asia-Pacific is seeing a surge with 27% annual growth driven by social media engagement and digital adoption. More and more brands are sinking serious cash into influencers—55% of them, in fact, are investing over $1 million a year.

How marketers, creators vet influencer agencies as the creator economy continues to expand – April 24, 2025  

When major marketers like Unilever are saying they’re dramatically increasing their ad spending on influencer marketing, the agencies who manage influencer marketing are, naturally, chomping at the bit to get those ad dollars.

What brands get wrong about influencer sourcing – April 24, 2025  

We’re back with the latest edition of our series, @Me Next Time, where we invite Team Sprout and some of our favorite social experts to share how they really feel about the latest trends. This time, we’re breaking down what brands get wrong about influencer sourcing. We’ve all seen those overly-scripted, cringe-worthy sponsored videos. The ones where the influencer completely changes their tone and content style to talk about a product they would never use. The influencer seems more like a paid actor than a content creator.

Influencer Marketing in 2025: Why Brands are Backing Micro and Nano-Influencers – April 24, 2025  

The age of mega-influencers isn’t over, but it’s definitely evolved. In 2025, more brands are shifting budget and attention towards smaller creators — specifically micro and nano-influencers — in search of stronger engagement, better ROI, and more authentic content.

Does size matter? The power of micro- and mid-tier creators in podcasting – April 23, 2025  

Gone are the days when major celebrity endorsements dominate every consumer decision. Today’s consumers are turning to creators they trust—and increasingly, it’s not the biggest names commanding the most influence. While blockbuster shows grab attention, smaller, niche podcasts are increasingly driving deeper trust, higher engagement and stronger conversions. Consumers are looking to niche podcasts where micro- and mid-tier creators’ authentic voices resonate on a deeper level. This connection affects not only listening engagement but positively impacts ad engagement and conversion. Savvy advertisers are getting wind of the high-conversion opportunities and are exploring these smaller but mightier markets.

Why the NFL hired a fashion editor—and other moves from its social media playbook – April 22, 2025  

The NFL is enhancing its social media and influencer marketing strategies as it looks to create more fans all over the globe. The work includes the appointment of stylist Kyle Smith as the league’s first-ever fashion editor, a move to create more content featuring players’ personal lives and families, and dispatching a small army of creators to Green Bay, Wisconsin, to cover this week’s NFL Draft.

Marketing Briefing: How the current chaos affects influencer marketing – April 22, 2025  

Marketers may be expecting, and prepared for, chaos but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to navigate yet another round of economic uncertainty — especially when the last one was just a few years ago. The replanning, re-forecasting and expected budget cuts has the marketing community on edge, waiting for the other shoe to drop.

Why B2B influencers are an essential spend for marketers – April 22, 2025  

With B2B influencers on the rise, experts in the region advise marketers to prioritise trust and credibility over visibility and metrics. Meanwhile, an emerging business to human (B2H) trend is overtaking B2B storytelling. Anna Ong never set out to become a B2B influencer. After a 15-year career as a banker, she took a break and stumbled across a storytelling event while on a trip to New York. On stage for the first time, she realised the ability to tell a story is the ability to own the room. Today, with more than 20,000 followers on LinkedIn, Ong helps leaders craft stories that build influence.

YouTube influencer marketing guide to boosting brand awareness – April 21, 2025  

YouTube influencer marketing is a powerful but often underused tool in a marketer’s toolbox. According to data we collected using our Sprout Social Influencer Marketing platform, in 2024, YouTube influencers generated 28.4 billion engagements in the United States alone. That kind of attention is hard to ignore.

Why Micro-Influencers Are Winning the Trust Game in Marketing – April 18, 2025  

What people remember about Calvin Klein’s #MyCalvins campaign is the way it encouraged social interaction through micro-influencers and paved the way for users to share their own photos, creating a sense of community around the brand. The influencers that the company selected are also indicative of the brand’s presence, and by interacting with fan posts, it initiated a reciprocal relationship among the brand, the influencers and their followers.

New Survey Highlights Creators’ Demand for Clarity in Sponsorship Agreements – April 18, 2025  

In 2025, influencer marketing is more than just a buzzword—it’s the cornerstone of how brands are connecting with their audiences. But as the industry grows, there’s one glaring oversight: the voices of the creators themselves.

Why influencer performance, not just reach, mattered more at Coachella this year – April 18, 2025  

Thousands of influencers descended on the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last week for the first weekend of the annual music festival—most with brand partners financing their trips or showering them in free products, as has become standard practice at the marquee influencer marketing event.

The Traditional Barrier Between PR And Marketing Has Fallen—How Brands Should Adapt – April 16, 2025  

Picture this: You’re a skilled writer living in the 1960s. You can write compelling newspaper articles, memorable radio scripts and snappy lines for TV news broadcasts. You dream of launching your own newspaper and have the talent, but you lack the finances needed to get distribution—running the presses and getting your newspaper to thousands of people. Unless you can find funding, you have to put your dream on hold.

YouTube’s cross-platform takeover is putting pressure on creators – April 15, 2025  

When the first YouTube video was uploaded in 2005, the only way to watch it was on a desktop computer. Now, 20 years later, YouTube has moved on to other screens. It’s the No. 1 streaming service on connected TVs (CTV), and in a recent blog post, CEO Neal Mohan called YouTube “the new television.” Even older folks are in on the trend, with the 65+ crowd doubling their YouTube consumption on TV sets in the last two years alone, according to Nielsen.

We hold influencers to an impossible standard. It is unsustainable – April 14, 2025  

Influencing is no walk in the park. Charlie Oscar’s Hannah Cooke thinks we’ve set the bar way too high for content creators, and that needs to change. It’s 2025, and if you’re an influencer or creator, it’s tough. You’re expected to be a marketer, a public figure, an activist, a role model, a content creator, a media personality, and a moral compass – all while keeping your engagement rates high and your personal life Instagrammable.

Five Things We Learned About… The Increasing Influence of Creators – April 14, 2025  

Experts debate the growing power of influencers, including Rahul Titus, Ogilvy’s global head of influence, and Suzy Barker, AMV BBDO’s strategy partner. Influencers are on the rise at an exponential rate. Whether it’s being sold mascara on TikTok, the promotion of a skin care product, or a 12-part storytime with an ‘#ad’ in the caption’, audiences are now used to a constant state of being influenced. 

6 Standout Influencer Marketing Campaigns Food & Beverage Brands Nailed – April 12, 2025  

If you haven’t noticed by now, influencer marketing isn’t just a trend—it’s a full-fledged movement, particularly in the food and beverage industry. With an estimated worth of $24 billion in 2024, this powerhouse strategy is expected to grow at a staggering pace, reaching $32.55 billion by 2025. And it’s no surprise, given how food content (hello, drool-worthy photos and viral recipe videos) dominates social media feeds worldwide.

Game-Changing Influencer Campaigns in the Tech Space – April 12, 2025  

Influencer marketing in tech is like that secret sauce everyone’s been searching for—it’s finally been discovered, and now it’s making everything better. With influencer marketing spending hitting a record-breaking $35 billion in the U.S. alone in 2024, the tech industry is riding this wave of growth. And it’s not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, the global influencer marketing platform market is expected to soar to a jaw-dropping $25.44 billion by the end of 2025, growing at a clip of 23.3% year-over-year. Talk about an industry boom.

Meghan Markle is on ShopMy. Is everyone next? – April 11, 2025  

Even the Duchess of Sussex isn’t above a link in bio. Earlier this month, Meghan Markle joined affiliate marketing platform ShopMy and shared commissionable links for everything ranging from a Reformation button-down to a Uniqlo trench coat. Meghan is certainly not the first public figure looking to make a buck off a product recommendation, and this isn’t her first rodeo, having used affiliate platform LTK prior to becoming a royal. But her decision to join ShopMy as one of the world’s most influential and recognizable people marked a high-profile moment for affiliate marketing and led some online to wonder whether everyone will soon have a monetizable lookbook as part of their online presence.

Why Liquid Death’s chief media officer pays special attention to the upper funnel – April 10, 2025  

Ad Age is interviewing in-house media execs for their thoughts on trends, best practices and gripes they have with the industry. Below, the first edition of this recurring series.

What Brands Should Look For In An Influencer Marketing Agency – April 9, 2025  

Nowadays, influencers play a large role in many brands’ marketing strategies. But finding the right influencers whose content aligns with your brand’s mission and values can be a challenge. Influencers also need to be reliable, professional and genuinely interested in collaboration.

TikTok Launches Expanded Creator Incentive Program To Fend Off Advances From Instagram – April 9, 2025  

As Meta gears up to target TikTok creators in a new push, TikTok’s looking to retain them via a new, invite-only “Specialized Rewards Program”, which will provide additional monetization opportunities for selected creators in the app.

Meta Looks to Scoop up TikTok Creators Amid Ongoing Uncertainty – April 8, 2025  

With TikTok creators facing another few months of uncertainty about the app’s future in the U.S., Instagram is preparing a new push to scoop up wavering TikTok influencers, as it seeks to capitalize on the TikTok sell-off saga, as well as the worsening U.S.-China trade war.

Liquid Death’s Latest Collab May Keep You Awake if You’re Scared of Clowns – April 8, 2025  

Liquid Death, expanding its ongoing collab streak into the health and wellness space, partners with organic supplement maker MaryRuth for a limited-edition product called Sleep Like the Dead. The video to announce the nighttime sleep aid, though, might have the opposite effect on anyone suffering from coulrophobia—that’s the fear of clowns. 

How Life is using influencers to market its new immunity cereals – April 7, 2025  

Life cereal is making a new appeal to parents with varieties meant to support kids’ immune systems and bones. The lineup, called Mighty Life, began hitting shelves in January. Immunity-focused Mighty Life Strawberry Blueberry Bliss contains vitamins C and D along with zinc. Very Vanilla, which contains vitamin D and calcium, is positioned for bone health.

B2B influencer marketing is now an essential marketing strategy – April 4, 2025  

B2B influencer marketing success requires careful influencer selection, data-driven measurement, and alignment with broader marketing goals. Marketers must balance AI-driven efficiencies with human creativity, ensuring that influencer partnerships remain trustworthy, measurable, and impactful. Influencer marketing budgets continue to gain traction. In a 2024 TopRank Marketing survey, 81% of B2B marketers cited dedicated influencer marketing budgets, including 53% who said their budgets were growing, while 9% will introduce such programs in 2025. However, more investment is needed for technology, research, and audience analysis to scale programs effectively.

Why Brand Partnerships Are More Meaningful Than Just Hiring An Influencer – April 3, 2025  

For years, brands have treated creators like billboards. They’ve hired them to hold up products, hit share buttons, and boost reach. But the game has changed. As the creator economy matures, the most forward-thinking brands are rethinking their approach—not as buyers of influence, but as partners in creativity.

WFA sees 54% of multinational brands boosting influencer spending — with more relying on agencies to find creators – April 2, 2025  

With influencer marketing budgets steadily rising, more multinational brands are partnering with influencer agencies as the industry becomes more complex. The World Federation of Advertisers released a report today showing that some 54% of multinational brand marketers plan to boost influencer marketing spend in 2025, with 61% agreeing that influencer marketing will become more important in the future. However, due to ongoing challenges navigating the space, like issues with disclosures and transparency on creator campaigns, more brands are employing the help of agencies that play a role in influencer marketing.

10 Essential Skills For Influencers In 2025 – April 2, 2025  

Ninety-three percent of brands plan to increase their influencer marketing budget this year, but there are also more influencers and creators vying for work than ever before. My agency’s platform matches companies with the right influencers to promote their brands, and over the years, we’ve noticed a set of skills that help influencers stand out, maintain a consistent stream of brand partnerships and generate strong, reliable results for the companies they work with.

Influencer trips are out. Customer trips are in – March 25, 2025  

While some gifts keep on giving, others, as certain brands have learned, can keep on taking. Extravagant influencer trips, like Tarte’s ventures to Bora Bora and Dubai, and large-scale influencer offerings, like Poppi’s decision to loan vending machines to creators ahead of the Super Bowl, have prompted consumer backlash, causing some brand marketers to reevaluate whether big-name creators are the best recipients for lavish gifts or trips.

Pharma

How Publicis Health Media is planning for pharma advertising disruptions – April 1, 2025  

If you’re sick of hearing that one jingle about lowering your A1C, you may soon be in luck. On the campaign trail last year, then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said he’d ban pharmaceutical TV ads on his first day in office, claiming that the industry’s ad dollars had warped media coverage of the category. Today, he’s the secretary of Health and Human Services, which the Wall Street Journal recently described as something of a “worst-case scenario for drugmakers,” as he is now responsible for regulating the same industry he’s skeptical of. Other high-level Trump administration officials, including FCC chair Brendan Carr, have also voiced support for a drug advertisement ban.

Nonprofit

In An Era Of Eroding Trust, It’s Nonprofits’ Time To Lead – April 4, 2025  

We’re living in an unprecedented moment of institutional mistrust. As major social media platforms embrace “anything goes” speech policies and misinformation proliferates, Americans are increasingly uncertain about whom to believe. The statistics are sobering: According to Pew Research Center, only 22% of Americans “trust the federal government to do the right thing,” a record 28% have unfavorable views of both major political parties and even traditionally respected institutions such as higher education and scientific organizations are seeing sharp declines in public confidence.

Social News

TikTok Marketing Report – Key Trends, Statistics, and Insights – April 25, 2025  

Consider this striking statistic: 71% of TikTok users decide whether to continue watching a video within the first three seconds. This underscores the rapid pace and fiercely competitive nature of digital content consumption, where a fleeting moment can make or break a campaign. TikTok has emerged as a titan in the social media space, boasting over 1.6 billion active users and an unparalleled engagement rate. Every day, millions of videos are uploaded, creating a deluge of content that vies for users’ fleeting attention. Marketers face a tough digital landscape, fighting to be seen and resonate. According to our survey, 61.2% of marketers focus on brand awareness as their primary objective. Therefore, the challenge is to create content that captures attention instantly and resonates deeply to convert interest into meaningful engagement.

Facebook Announces New Measures to Combat Spam Posts and Comments – April 24, 2025  

Meta’s taking some new steps to crack down on spammy content on Facebook, in order to combat the rise of inauthentic profiles seeking to game its algorithms for engagement.

YouTube Launches New Features To Mark the App’s 20th Birthday – April 23, 2025  

YouTube is celebrating its 20th birthday, and to mark the occasion, it’s launching a range of functions and add-ons to help users engage with the broader celebration.

Instagram Launches Video Editing App – April 23, 2025  

After months of previews, Instagram has now launched its new video editing app, which it’s creatively titled “Edits.” Essentially, Edits is Instagram’s answer to CapCut, the video editing platform published by TikTok owner ByteDance, with Instagram helpfully offering a replacement for CapCut in case TikTok actually does end up getting banned in the U.S.

YouTube Publishes New Insights Into the Rise of Virtual Influencers – April 20, 2025  

YouTube has published a new report into the rising significance of virtual influencers and how AI-generated or digitally-enabled entities are gaining traction, both on YouTube and more broadly. Which may sound farfetched, it’s a little strange to consider that non-human characters are somehow building bigger followings than real people online.

Instagram Experiments With Collaborative Stories Feature – April 20, 2025  

After adding its engagement-focused Blend option for Reels sharing last week, Instagram is also working on another way to encourage more interaction, this time within Stories.

YouTube Continues To Dominate Streaming Market Share – April 20, 2025  

If you need a reminder that YouTube is the new TV, this latest data from Nielsen further solidifies the online video giant’s expanding TV presence. According to Nielsen’s “The Gauge” overview of the biggest streaming video services in the U.S., YouTube reached a new high of 12% of overall streaming watch time in March.

Zuckerberg Admits That Time Spent on Facebook and Instagram Has Declined – April 17, 2025  

As you’re no doubt aware, Meta is defending itself against an FTC antitrust case at the moment, which has seen Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg face several days of questioning in a federal court, in regards to the company’s acquisitions of Instagram and WhatsApp and is motivations in buying up potentially competing apps.

YouTube Shares Tips on How To Convert Long-Form Content Into Shorts – April 17, 2025  

Looking to get into YouTube Shorts, but only have long-form content? YouTube’s keen to help, because Shorts are now driving a lot more engagement in the app, and as such, feeding in more short-form content is likely to be a win, both for YouTube and for creators. Over on the YouTube blog, it’s shared a new overview of key tips on how to repurpose your long-form content into Shorts.

TikTok Adds Community Notes to Complement Fact-Checking – April 16, 2025  

TikTok is the latest social app to jump on the crowd-sourced fact-checking shift, with the platform launching a live test of what it’s calling “Footnotes”, which are user-submitted contextual notes appended to posts.

Meta Shares Tips on How To Maximize Click-To-Message Ads – April 16, 2025  

Meta’s click to messaging ads have seen significant growth of late, with the promotions helping brands tap into the familiarity and intimacy of DMs, and sparking immediate connection.

Instagram Tests New Sorting Filters for Reels Feed – April 16, 2025  

Instagram appears to be testing two new search filters for the Reels tab, which would enable you to sort your recommended Reels by “Latest” or “Most Viewed.”

Meta Shares Insight Into How Brands Can Connect With Gen Z Audiences – April 13, 2025  

Meta has published some new insights into the content consumption habits of Gen Z, and how marketers need to align with these shifts in order to maximize the impact of their promotional and branding efforts.

Snapchat Shares Research into Travel Purchase Influences – April 10, 2025  

Snapchat has shared a new report into the latest consumer travel trends, and how Snap ads can help you connect with travelers ahead of the Summer season. The report, conducted in partnership with Publicis Media and NRG, looks at how different ad approaches can help to engage travel shoppers, along with the specific elements that drive purchase decisions.

Reddit Adds Partner Collaboration Within Its Ads Manager Platform – April 10, 2025  

Reddit has added a new option to enable partner connection within Reddit Business Manager, so that advertisers can approve access to a third-party to either collaborate on, or help them manage their Reddit ads.

YouTube Shares Tips on How To Create Engaging Shorts – April 9, 2025  

As with all social platforms, YouTube is looking to capitalize on the popularity of short-form video clips, with YouTube Shorts now driving massive growth in views and engagement within the app. Indeed, Shorts are now YouTube’s fastest-growing content format, driving over 70 billion daily views. Which means that if you want to maximize your YouTube opportunities, you need to at least be considering short-form content, and this week, YouTube’s shared some pointers on how to get into Shorts for your channel.

Snapchat Shares Data on How Happiness Drives Snap Ads Response – April 9, 2025  

Snapchat has published a new study, in conjunction with IPG Mediahub and Amplified Intelligence, which looks at how happiness drives engagement in social apps, and what that means for brand promotions on Snap.

LinkedIn Tests Video Trends to Encourage Member Engagement – April 6, 2025  

LinkedIn’s taking another step into TikTok territory, with a new video trends feature that will encourage members to add their own video responses to trending topics in the app.

Trump Extends US TikTok Sell-off Deadline Once Again – April 4, 2025  

So it’s D-Day for TikTok, the final day of its 75-day extension to work out a deal in the U.S. to avoid being banned, the final chance for the Trump Administration to wrangle an arrangement that will appease all sides, and keep the app available for American users, and…President Trump has announced another 75-day extension of the deadline.

Amid ban uncertainty, TikTok’s role in brands’ social presences has decreased – April 4, 2025  

January’s TikTok outage has served as a wake-up call for brands, reinforcing the need to diversify their spending across multiple platforms to avoid over-reliance on a single channel. That’s meant marketers have spent more on other platforms like Instagram and YouTube, both of which outpaced TikTok’s spend in the month following the platform’s Jan. 18 outage, representatives of influencer marketing companies Later, Collabstr, BENlabs and BrandCycle told Digiday.

YouTube Adds New Editing and Creative Options for Shorts – April 3, 2025  

YouTube’s rolling out some new features for Shorts, including an updated video editing UI, automated beat-synching to music tracks, AI stickers, improved templates, and more. And with Shorts engagement continuing to rise in the app, these new options could be worth considering, as a means to maximize your video creation and channel boosting efforts.

The Best Time to Post in 2025, Based on 30K Brands and Creators – March 31, 2025  

Yes, I know that these guides can be overly specific, and that there are nuances for every brand and industry. But best times to post overviews can assist in your planning, by giving you some additional considerations for your own experiments which could help to improve response to your social media updates. On this, Sprout Social has published its latest “best times to post” guide, based on insights gleaned from its user base (30k business users), and when they’re posts see the most engagement in each app. And again, while there are variances by business, these notes could give you some more guidance for your own tests, in order to find the right time to post for your business.

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Trends in social media: The Motherhood scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!

Influencer Marketing Industry Resources

How YouTube creators are pitching brands on reaching Gen Z with long-term partnerships – March 31, 2025  

Younger audiences are spending more time with YouTube creators than traditional TV, prompting advertisers to rethink where and how they show up. At Spotter’s inaugural Showcase last week, top creators including MrBeast, Dude Perfect, Kinigra Deon and Rebecca Zamolo laid out how they’re building appointment viewing for Gen Z—and why advertisers should treat them like the new networks.

Sustainability sells: time to make it central to your influencer strategy – March 31, 2025  

Let’s be honest. At first glance, influencer marketing doesn’t exactly scream ‘sustainable’. But that doesn’t mean it can’t be. In this article, Sadé Weeden, influencer marketing executive at Awin, shares her insights on running influencer campaigns that put sustainability front and center. Read on to discover how, with the right approach, sustainability and influencer marketing can not only coexist – but thrive together.

Best Influencer Marketing Strategies for Packaged Food Brands – March 30, 2025  

Influencer marketing in the packaged foods sector is no longer just a trend—it’s a full-on marketing revolution. With global influencer marketing set to hit a record-breaking $32.55 billion this year, brands are tapping into the massive power of influencers to boost engagement, increase sales, and build lasting connections with consumers.

Best Influencer Marketing Strategies for Restaurants & Cafes – March 29, 2025  

In the fast-paced world of food and drinks, standing out isn’t just about having the tastiest dish on the menu—it’s about having your brand be seen and heard in all the right places. Enter influencer marketing: a medium that’s not just a trend, but a must for restaurants and cafes looking to engage younger crowds and amplify their brand presence. With 70% of Millennials and Gen Z increasingly making dining choices based on influencer recommendations, it’s no surprise that the influencer marketing industry is on a serious growth spurt.

Best Influencer Marketing Strategies for Fitness & Nutrition Brands – March 29, 2025  

Influencer marketing in the Fitness & Nutrition world isn’t just riding the wave—it’s creating a tidal wave of change. With the influencer market projected to soar to $32.55 billion by the end of 2025, it’s clear that brands are doubling down on influencer partnerships to connect with today’s health-conscious consumers. Just look at how Gymshark and Alo Yoga have flipped the script on traditional fitness apparel giants like Nike and Adidas.

Influencer Marketers: Don’t Underestimate the Power of TikTok Shop – March 28, 2025  

TikTok Shop has often been an overlooked contender in the e-commerce industry, yet it has the potential to wield the most power of any social media store. The platform has made it easier than ever for influencers to market products by simply adding a button to sponsored videos, which takes you straight to the product page. Users no longer need to leave the app to make purchases. TikTok Shop should be an integral part of any influencer marketing strategy, since the social commerce market in the UK is projected to grow to more than double and reach £16 billion by 2028.

Influencer Marketing: The Social Media Platforms That Wield The Most Purchases – March 28, 2025  

Influencer marketing continues to gain momentum as social media becomes an increasingly powerful force in consumer decision-making. New CivicScience data reveals that 20% of U.S. adults have purchased a product or service based on an influencer or blogger’s recommendation – a significant jump from 2020, when only 13% reported doing so. Additionally, the percentage of Americans who follow at least one content creator has increased since 2023, from 41% to 43% today. With its growing influence on consumer behavior, CivicScience explored the evolving role of influencer marketing and its impact today.

Why Big-Name Influencers Are Losing Power — and Micro-Influencers Are Taking Over – March 28, 2025  

Micro-influencers are reshaping digital marketing by offering brands higher engagement, authenticity and cost-effective reach compared to traditional celebrity endorsements. Celebrities endorsing products have long been a cornerstone of the marketing world, driven by the simple fact that people trust familiar faces. A well-known name attached to a product has historically provided businesses with instant credibility, recognition and reach. However, with the rise of social media, this dynamic has significantly evolved, paving the way for a new breed of influencers who wield substantial power over consumer decisions.

Survey: Creators are seeking greater transparency in brand deals – March 28, 2025  

Turns out, many creators want to be more than just mouthpieces. They want to be marketers. But a recent survey from influencer marketing agency Influencer, which sampled 500 creators primarily from the UK and North America, found that there are plenty of perception gaps that exist between brands and creators, including beliefs around how involved creators can or want to be in the marketing process.

Influencer marketing surges: Here’s what the numbers say – March 28, 2025  

In 2025, 59% of marketers plan to partner with more influencers compared to 2024 as consumers explore new social media platforms, per Sprout Social. Influencer marketing continues to grow in popularity, with 59% of marketers reporting they plan to partner with more influencers this year compared to 2024. Only 37% plan on partnering with the same number, according to data from Sprout Social. While marketers are increasing their investments in influencer marketing, rapid changes in the social media landscape raise questions on effective strategies for implementation.

B2B Influencer Marketing Social Media, Video, Events, and AI Are Driving Trust and Engagement – March 27, 2025  

B2B influencer marketing is transforming digital strategies. Micro-influencers, video content, and events are reshaping engagement, while AI-powered analytics are optimizing influencer ROI. Learn how brands are leveraging trust, credibility, and data-driven insights to stay ahead.

The creator economy: Making dollars and sense out of social partnerships – March 27, 2025  

Remember a few years ago when op-eds used to claim influencer marketing was a fad? Fortunately for influencers, creators and brands, that turned out to be completely wrong. Consumers proved with their loyalty, engagement and purchasing power that influencer marketing is here for the long-haul. Today, the creator economy is worth $250 billion (yes, that’s billion with a “b”). By 2027, that figure is expected to balloon to $500 billion. Once a small-but-mighty phenomenon, the creator economy has transformed into a full-fledged force—reshaping everything from how we consume content, to the relationships between audiences and brands.

YouTube Shorts Added to Google: The Rise in Social Search Is Changing Influencer Marketing – March 26, 2025  

With the recent integration of YouTube Shorts into Google search desktop results, a unique opportunity has emerged for influencer marketers to harness the power of social search. YouTube Shorts, YouTube’s own short-form video platform, seems like the perfect answer not only to level out the TikTok and Instagram Reels playing field, but also to solidify Google’s search engine status.

How UGC creators are transforming influencer marketing – March 25, 2025  

Leaders from Creator and Gen3 Marketing joined Ad Age’s NextGen Summit to discuss how user-generated content, AI and social search are reshaping brand strategies. Brands are no longer partnering with influencers purely for social engagement; they’re making influencer content an essential component of their top-of-funnel strategy to drive brand awareness and growth.

How influencers and politicians built an unregulated supplement empire – March 24, 2025  

If you search social media for workout tips or healthy meal ideas, you’ll likely be bombarded with ads for supplements. “Bloom will boost your energy and make your skin glow,” “AG1 Athletic Greens will fill any gaps in your diet,” “Magnesium will improve your mood and your sleep,” “Lion’s mane will enhance your memory,” and somehow, all of them promise to increase cognitive function. Influencers are quick to assure us: “You can’t trust anyone when they talk about supplements, but you can trust me.”

How to Measure Influencer Campaigns Effectively in 2025 – March 23, 2025  

As the influencer marketing landscape has evolved, marketers are getting better at measuring the impact of their influencer partnerships. In fact, 70% of marketers now measure the ROI of their influencer marketing, according to our State of Influencer Marketing Benchmark Report. However, while there’s a significant drop in the number of marketers struggling with campaign measurement, 13.6% still face this challenge.

The Shape of the Influencer Economy – March 15, 2025  

In Episode 5 of The Media Room, media expert and author Vanita Kohli-Khandekar speaks to 2 experts, Harikrishnan Pillai co-founder and chief executive officer of digital marketing agency The Small Big Idea as well as Kalyan Kumar, co-founder and CEO of influencer marketing platform KlugKlug. They discuss the influencer economy, how marketing campaigns utilise influencers, the duopoly of Meta and Google, breaking down parameters and levels within the ecosystem and the effect of recent events on current trends. Tune in for insights on how brands view influencers and how they capitalise on their influence.

Why Is Unilever’s CEO Fernando Fernandez Investing In Influencers? – March 13, 2025  

Unilever believes influencer marketing will accelerate growth in a competitive market. Under new CEO Fernando Fernandez, the FMCG giant intends to spend 50% of its media budget on social channels and will increase influencer marketing investment twentyfold. His vision? “Desire at scale.” Instead of relying solely on traditional brand messaging, Unilever is making creators a key driver of its marketing efforts, signaling a new era in how brands leverage influence.

50% of Unilever’s ad spend will go to social media. Will an influencer-first strategy work? – March 13, 2025  

In a major strategic pivot, its new CEO says it’ll spend half of its media dollars on social channels and work with 20x more creators. Here’s why the move makes sense. In a shock leadership change last month, Hein Schumacher stepped down after less than two years as chief executive of Unilever, to be replaced by Fernando Fernandez, an Argentine executive with almost four decades at the conglomerate.

Creators and influencers on edge about Meta’s reported Reels spin-off – March 11, 2025  

Meta’s plan to potentially spin Instagram Reels into a standalone video app has sparked excitement among creators and influencer marketers — but also concerns that the move could disrupt creators’ brand partnerships on Instagram.

How cult brands like Crocs, Southwest see influencer marketing evolving – March 10, 2025  

AUSTIN, TEXAS — Influencers have long played a role in brands’ bids at relevance with young consumers. What happens when they climb to the top of the strategy agenda? Executives speaking at South by Southwest (SXSW) over the weekend detailed how influencer marketing is expanding to impact everything from campaign casting decisions to experiments with new shoppable ad formats. Looking ahead, some see the potential for the tactic to command a greater share of budgets once reserved for more conventional forms of advertising — the latest sign that industry decision-makers are shifting to a social-first mindset as channels like linear TV decline and Gen Z’s career aspirations turn further toward internet stardom.

Influencer Marketing Is Busting Through The Walls Of Social Media – March 10, 2025  

As influencer marketing rose to fame over the last decade, it’s gone through several stages of maturity. Influencer marketing 1.0 was fairly simple and straightforward. Brands worked with people with social media followings to post about the brand. That content reached the creator’s audience, and their following was a predictable signal of reach.

Brands hire Gen X and boomer influencers as the ‘power of the silver influencer’ rises – March 7, 2025  

When you think of influencer marketing, you typically picture brands working with a younger creator to target Gen Z (ages 13-28) or Gen Alpha (up to 12 years old). That’s not always the case. As the influencer marketing space and creator economy continues to grow, so-called silver influencers, or creators from Gen X (45-60 years old) and boomer generations (ages 61-79) are increasingly catching marketers’ attention.

From Marketplaces to Community Power: 2025 Rules of Influencer Marketing – March 7, 2025  

I also got the ultimate insight toolkit: top platforms, key metrics, and tips based on my XP as a Creative Director at an influencer marketing agency AAA Agency — why kick off your campaign 3-6 months early? why you shouldn’t be writing the script for the influencer? and more secret sauce for marketers.

Uncovered Industry Gems at Creator Economy Live 2025 – March 6, 2025  

The creator economy is thriving and on track to become a $500 billion industry by 2027, making it more important than ever for brands and creators to stand out from the pack. At the third-ever Creator Economy Live conference in Las Vegas, industry leaders – brands, marketers, platforms/tools and creators – uncovered some invaluable insights and growing trends to help them do just that. Spoiler alert – our favorite buzz word ‘authenticity’ is just the tip of the iceberg. From platform strategy (hint: LinkedIn is that girl!) to community engagement (real-time interaction continues to be king), here are five gems we uncovered during the conference that can help both brands and creators navigate and excel in this ever-evolving space.

Olipop is Worth $1.8 Billion. Here’s Its Influencer Marketing Strategy, Which Can Work for Any Brand – March 5, 2025  

Most small businesses look at influencer marketing and assume it’s out of reach. They’re wrong. “People assume influencer marketing is all about cash deals,” says Steven Vigilante, director of strategic partnerships at the soda brand Olipop. “But some of our best partnerships started with a free sample and a conversation.”

How creator partnerships go beyond awareness and conversions to fuel advocacy – March 5, 2025  

While brands see creators as a safe bet to boost awareness or drive conversions, they’re missing something. Analyzing influencer campaigns from 2024 uncovered an intriguing trend: that much of the industry isn’t necessarily utilizing or thinking about influencers in the most beneficial way. They’re overlooking the true superpower at their fingertips: influence.

Why More Influencers Are Turning to LTK – March 3, 2025  

Affiliate marketing has been around for decades, but it’s undergoing a major shift. LTK (formerly known as LikeToKnowIt) is aiming to revolutionise how creators monetise their influence, positioning itself as the AdSense of affiliate marketing.

DICK’S Varsity Program Goes Public, Influencers Able To Apply – February 28, 2025  

The Varsity Team influencer program, once limited to internal employees at DICK’s Sporting Goods, recently opened to the public for the first time with an “open call” for influencers. Sports enthusiasts and content creators with no prior association with DICK’s were eligible to apply—with a select few set to receive benefits like athlete mentorship, paid contracts, and brand exclusives. DICK’s opened the program to prioritize user-generated content (UGC) as the brand searches for authentic stories from sports enthusiasts.

How Gen Z teens are becoming social influencers against gun violence – February 26, 2025  

Students are getting and sharing the message that they’re safer without guns. On March 22, 2012, I got a Facebook message with a simple call to action: “Today, walkout, 1st lunch, justice for Trayvon.”

Pharma

The new rules for pharma marketing influencers = authenticity over audience – February 14, 2025  

The days of the Kardashian celebrity influencers are waning in pharma and health care marketing. Not exactly literally—although Kim and Khloe Kardashian were once high-profile influencers for drug brands Diclegis and Nurtec, respectively—but in general, celebrity influencers with million-plus social media audiences are not as sought after, or effective, as micro-influencers and content creators today.

Healthcare

Best Influencer Campaigns for Medical Devices and Health Services – March 23, 2025  

Influencer marketing has moved from “let’s get a celebrity” to “let’s get a trusted expert who knows their stuff.” And in the Medical Devices & Services sector, it’s booming like a TikTok trend gone viral. With the global influencer marketing market expected to hit a whopping $32.55 billion in 2025, and with over 80% of marketers stating its effectiveness in modern digital marketing, it’s clear that something big is happening here. This surge isn’t just about posting pretty pictures; it’s about the tech behind the scenes, like AI and machine learning, optimizing everything from influencer discovery to campaign success.

Social News

Reddit Shares Data on Rising Women’s Health Discussion in the App – March 30, 2025  

Reddit has shared some new insight into the rise of women’s health discussion in the app, and the broader benefits of such across various Reddit communities. In conjunction with Weber Shandwick, Reddit recently looked at the scope of women’s health engagement across the app, and found that overall discussion about women’s health increased by 37% between 2023 and 2024.

Instagram Launches Schools Partnership Program To Protect Teens – March 25, 2025  

As part of its broader effort to keep young users safe within its apps, and reduce instances of cyberbullying, Instagram has announced a new schools partnership program, which is designed to help teachers and educators report potential safety issues directly to Instagram.

28 TikTok statistics marketers need to know in 2025 – March 24, 2025  

TikTok’s growth is unlike any other platform, consistently breaking records when it comes to usage, engagement and ad performance. While the app isn’t without its challenges, recent social media statistics highlight that TikTok is still a marketing powerhouse for brands of all shapes and sizes. And the app’s momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon. In this post, we dig into key TikTok statistics that marketers should know and how you can use them to inform your TikTok strategy.

Instagram Experiments With AI-Generated Comments on Posts – March 16, 2025  

I can’t imagine why anybody would want this, nor why Meta thinks that anyone would want it, while I also can’t see it having an overall positive impact on social media interaction. But… Apparently, Instagram is now experimenting with AI-generated comments on posts, so you don’t even have to come up with an opinion, or an original thought of your own, in order to respond to an update.

Oracle Emerges as Most Likely Partner for US TikTok Deal – March 13, 2025  

A quick update on the TikTok U.S. saga: In what will be a surprise to absolutely no one, Oracle is firming as the favorite to establish a partnership deal that would enable TikTok to keep running in the U.S., according to latest reports.

Facebook Adds Stories to Its Creator Monetization Program – March 13, 2025  

Facebook has announced that it’s adding Facebook Stories into its creator monetization program, which will give creators another way to earn money in the app. Last year, Facebook merged its in-stream ads and performance bonus programs into one scheme, in order to simplify its creator monetization process. That means that creators posting videos, Reels, photos and text posts now only have to opt in to a single initiative to make money from their content.

Meta Invites More Advertisers To Link Their Google Analytics Account – March 13, 2025  

After working on its integration with Google Analytics over the last year, Meta is now inviting more ad account managers to link their Google Analytics data into Meta’s system, in order to feed in more traffic insights to help improve ad performance.

Bluesky Adds Longer Videos, DM Requests Folder – March 12, 2025  

Open source Twitter-clone app Bluesky has announced its latest app update, with longer videos, a new chat requests filter, and additional language translation options.

TikTok Shares New Report on Its Impact on the US Economy – March 11, 2025  

As TikTok continues to fight for its life in the U.S., the platform has today outlined the economic benefits that it’s delivered for the nation, with expanded data showing that TikTok exposure is connected to over 28 million American jobs.

TikTok Rolls Out More Teen Safety Elements – March 11, 2025  

TikTok’s rolling out some new tools to help parents manage their kids’ use of the app, and ensure that they are indeed taking breaks from TikTok’s addictive, never-ending ‘For You’ feed.

TikTok Provides Tips on Creating Engaging Photo Posts – March 9, 2025  

Looking for more ways to engage your TikTok followers? Maybe still image posts could be worth trying, and to help with this, TikTok recently published an overview of its still image posts, and how you can use them to best effect.

US TikTok Negotiations Stall With Only a Month Left To Arrange a Deal – March 6, 2025  

Checking in on the U.S. TikTok situation, and with a month to go before the platform’s 75-day negotiation window closes, things don’t exactly look great.

TikTok Sets Deadline for the Switch to Its Creative Suite – February 27, 2025  

TikTok One, which was originally announced at its “TikTok World” event last May, will provide a more centralized home for all of TikTok’s creative tools, including analytics, campaign creation, Creative Challenges, and more. Which also includes its current Creator Marketplace, TikTok’s discovery tool that connects creators with brands.

Instagram Provides Tips on How To Maximize Content Recommendations – February 26, 2025  

Instagram has provided an update on its effort to maximize exposure potential for smaller creators, which it says has now resulted in significantly more opportunities for creators to reach a broader, more focused audience in the app.

Instagram May Be Exploring a Separate Reels App – February 26, 2025  

That’s apparently what Instagram is currently weighing, according to a new report from The Information, which suggests that Instagram chief Adam Mosseri recently floated the concept of a separate Reels app to IG staff.

Instagram Explains How Its Algorithm Weighs Time Spent Watching Longer Clips – February 25, 2025  

Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has provided some more insight into how its content algorithm measures watch time as a percentage of a video, as opposed to a binary count.

Click here to sign up to receive info on trends in social media, the influencer marketing industry, best practices and news straight from our experts to your inbox at a frequency that works best for you.

View the archives of trends in social media curated by our influencer marketing experts:

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August 2024

July 2024

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