Trends in social media: The Motherhood, one of the top influencer marketing agencies, scours the headlines so you don’t have to. Check back throughout the month for more!
Influencer Marketing Industry Resources
How Baileys and Oatly are causing a stir with influencer marketing – October 30, 2025
Influencer marketing has been steadily developing into a channel that brands look to for meaningful results, with major organisations from Unilever to Premier Foods committing significant spend to influencer-driven campaigns. Baileys and Oatly are two brands with a history of making influencer marketing work for them; Oatly’s global media director Sarah Sutton even recently told Marketing Week that the brand sees influencers as “an extension” of its in-house creative team, dubbing them “creative directors” for the brand.
Why manual processes are choking your influencer marketing channel – October 30, 2025
Kristina Maceković, sales R&D strategy lead from Hypefy, unpacks why creators are the most efficient lever in 2025 – and how to avoid the operational trap that will quietly stall your results if you ignore it. Media plans look tidy on paper, but real audiences mute, scroll, and block. On ad-supported streaming, nearly two-thirds of viewers (64%) actively avoid ads. With the loss of third-party cookies, the data that once connected your targeting now arrives incomplete and delayed. The only messages people truly engage with are those they’ve chosen to receive from people they follow.
Some creators say brands are delaying their holiday deals later than ever this year – October 29, 2025
Holiday shopping (and thus, holiday marketing campaigns) seem to begin earlier every year. But for many content creators, the annual Q4 brand deals this year are increasingly coming together at the eleventh hour. More often than not, deals are struck less than 30 days out from a campaign live date as opposed to the traditional 30 to 60 days, according to two creators Digiday spoke with for this piece.
What ‘Love Island’ alum Olandria Carthen can teach marketers about building influence that lasts – October 29, 2025
As reality TV contestants increasingly become the next wave of creators, “Love Island USA” alum Olandria Carthen is taking a deliberate approach to transforming momentary fame into a sustainable personal brand. Contestants on the hit reality dating series, whose phones are kept locked away during filming, often emerge from the show to find they’ve become overnight celebrities and gained thousands of new social media followers.
What Brands Get Wrong About Influencer Marketing and How to Get It Right? – October 21, 2025
Influencer marketing has matured from a novelty to a mainstream channel, yet many campaigns still miss the mark. The creator economy moves quickly, platforms evolve, and brand safety expectations are higher than ever. In this environment, scattershot outreach and soft metrics no longer suffice. Disciplined testing, professional stewardship, and well-defined goals distinguish repeatable growth from wasted impressions. Applying influencer marketing agency know-how, avoiding common pitfalls, and following a realistic plan can help brands of all sizes deliver consistent outcomes.
How Brands Are Making Influencer Marketing Feel Real Again – October 20, 2025
By all appearances, influencer marketing is booming. The sector is projected to hit $32.6 billion in market size by the end of 2025, up from just $1.4 billion in 2014, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. The overall influencer industry is estimated to reach $480 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs research.
Beyond the #Ad: How Brands Are Making Influencer Marketing Feel Real Again – October 20, 2025
By all appearances, influencer marketing is booming. The sector is projected to hit $32.6 billion in market size by the end of 2025, up from just $1.4 billion in 2014, according to Influencer Marketing Hub. The overall influencer industry is estimated to reach $480 billion by 2027, according to Goldman Sachs research.
How to build enterprise influencer marketing programs – October 20, 2025
Influencer marketing has grown into a $24 billion industry and is now one of the fastest-rising growth strategies for enterprises to reach their target audience. The focus has shifted from whether it works to how to make it work at scale.
In graphic detail: How AI is going to shape influencer marketing next year – October 16, 2025
For better or worse, AI is changing the industry, which means even influencer marketing and creators are going to have to adapt. Which is why Digiday has charted what influencer marketing is expected to look like next year, how creators expect it to transform their landscape and whether or not consumers are really on board with any of it.
How influencer marketing became essential for Gap, Unilever, and more – October 13, 2025
Five years ago, influencer marketing was seen as experimental. Brands knew they needed to do it, but often didn’t know why. “It was really tactical… We needed content, we needed to work with these folks, but we weren’t exactly sure what that’s getting us,” said Casey DePalma McCartney, chief brand communications officer at Unilever US at an Advertising Week New York session. But now, it’s an essential part of the marketing mix.
Gap Inc. recruits micro-influencers for new affiliate program – October 10, 2025
Is Gap Inc. bringing back the micro-influencer? The apparel retailer on Wednesday launched a creator affiliate and advocacy platform for Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta to burnish their cultural influence. For now, the program is open to U.S.-based creators 18 years or older, with at least 1,000 followers on a single platform, though there are plans to expand internationally. There is a centralized hub for all Gap Inc. brands, with “early access to new releases, product seeding, and exclusive promos, as well as content collaboration opportunities and the ability for creators and their content to be amplified across paid, social, and brand-owned channels.” Those selected could earn commission or access to product gifting campaigns, per the company’s press release.
How Influencer Storefronts Impact Marketing – October 8, 2025
Marketing is often undervalued, which is not news to many reading this newsletter. When companies are looking to make budget cuts, they often begin by looking to their marketing teams and campaigns. But a new white paper from insights company TransUnion and marketing trade organization MMA Global uses their Brand as Performance (BaP) framework to determine the true value of campaigns, and finds that traditional measurement methods have undervalued brand marketing’s impact on sales by as much as 83%.
This groundbreaking research proves we’ve been using creators wrong all this time – October 8, 2025
What if marketers, by viewing influencers merely as a short-term sell, have been overlooking their real brand-building potential? Andrew Tindall excitedly dissects research that will change how you think about social media’s role in the media mix. For 10 years, marketing’s been a ship without a rudder drifting wherever the latest algorithm blows. Every few months, another platform promises to reinvent brand-building. It takes years for the truth to come out; they often only sell shoes to people already halfway to the checkout. With this in mind, it is clear that there has not been a convincing playbook for how to build a brand online. Until now.
Influencer marketing drives strong ROI and long-term impact – October 8, 2025
According to new research from the IPA unveiled at the IPA Effectiveness Conference (8th October), influencer marketing delivers strong ROI and long-term results. An array of new data points show influencer marketing to be a key driver of effectiveness, smashing outdated stereotypes of the creator economy. The findings have been drawn from the industry’s first-ever cross-industry Influencer Database, spanning 220 campaigns from 144 brands across 36 sectors and 28 markets and capturing over £133 million in influencer spend. Key findings show that influencer marketing delivers commercially, particularly when the brand influencer fit is strong.
How brands are harnessing influencer marketing – October 2025
As more marketers avoid hard-sell tactics, leaning on influencers increasingly appeals to brands looking to drive awareness while still showing a company’s human side. Social media platforms are evolving to keep up, adding new features designed to cater to influencers, their typically young fans and marketers alike.
included in this trendline
- Why 818 Tequila is using fashion to tap into Gen Z’s ‘little treat’ craze
- How Dove’s first creator-led campaign paves way forward for Unilever
- Lowe’s launches creator network to build bonds with millennials, Gen Z
Like it or not, healthcare influencer marketing is a thing. Should your brand join in? – October 2, 2025
Think about the last piece of health advice you actually followed. Chances are, it wasn’t from a medical journal or even a doctor’s office. Most likely it was from a colleague, a neighbor, or a trusted friend—the kind of advice that feels personal and authentic. As humans, we’re wired to trust people we know or feel like we know. That’s why two-thirds of Americans now seek health information on Instagram, YouTube, Facebook, and other social platforms, where it’s easy to connect with others who have relatable voices or similar stories.
How to Avoid the Deinfluencing Trap in Marketing – October 2, 2025
Deinfluencing is no longer just a viral trend – it’s a cultural shift. What started as creators pushing back against overhyped products has become a regular part of consumer-brand dynamics. And marketers need to pay attention to avoid getting caught in the discourse. But how big is deinfluencing right now? And what can brands do to stay on the right side of the conversation?
Creator marketing is entering its ‘era of efficacy’ – October 1, 2025
CreatorIQ — the software platform that manages creator-led growth for clients including NBCUniversal, IPG, Disney, Meta, Nestlé, Sephora and Amazon — released its sixth annual State of Creator Marketing Report this morning with Sapiro Research. The survey of over 1,700 brands, agencies and creators found that influencer marketing budgets spiked 171% this year — ballooning more in one year than in the previous three combined.
Why marketers are hiring agencies to fill fractional roles on in-house teams – September 30, 2025
When the owner of the Seattle Sounders, a men’s professional soccer club, bought National Women’s Soccer League team Seattle Reign last year in a landmark deal, the organization was looking to stand up a new marketing division with fractional executives.
7 Reasons Why an Influencer Marketing Strategy Benefits SEO – September 30, 2025
Influencers are altering search behavior and the way users discover content online. This trend is becoming increasingly apparent as a new generation of searchers utilizes social platforms like Instagram and TikTok as their primary search engines. Even so, influencers can still influence your organic search performance on traditional search engines like Google. Case in point, Google has a history of showing social media posts in search results. It started with Twitter (now called X) and Real-Time search in 2009, and has ebbed and flowed since then to include publicly facing content from LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and other social networks. Some networks are only represented by profiles for individuals and companies, and others, like Instagram, enable feeds of posts to appear directly in search results. The social post can even appear above your website link in the search results. The more real estate you can occupy in the search engine results pages (SERPs), the better for increasing your brand’s visibility.
Good influence
TikTok Doubles Down on #TikTokForGood With New Change Makers Program – October 3, 2025
TikTok is strengthening its reputation as more than just a platform for viral videos. With the launch of the 2025 Change Makers Program, the company is putting a spotlight on creators who use their content to drive awareness, advocacy, and action on pressing social issues. Now in its second year, the program features 50 mission-driven creators from around the world, each supported with structured training, resources, and opportunities to deepen their influence.
AI
For AI visibility, where thought leadership is published matters most – October 30, 2025
Publishing high-authority thought leadership has been a key tactic for marketers struggling to create AI answer engine visibility for their knowledge-driven companies. But in the eyes of the AI authority frameworks that determine what experts appear in AI query responses, where a thought leadership article is published appears to be more important than the quality of the piece.
SOcial News
TikTok US Deal Still in Limbo After Trump and Xi Meet – October 30, 2025
Hey, remember how U.S. President Donald Trump did that big signing ceremony for the U.S. TikTok deal in the Oval Office last month, in which he said that Americans should be thankful to him for saving the app? Yeah, that seems to have not had a lot of meaning, outside of symbolic representation, because despite repeated assurances that a U.S. TikTok sale is imminent, the Chinese government is still yet to approve any proposed deal on the app.
More Ad Variations Come To Threads via Updated Marketing API – October 28, 2025
Get ready for new ad types on Threads, with Meta updating its Marketing API to prepare for new Threads ad formats, which could be another consideration for your holiday push.
5 Content Ideas Employees Can Share – October 26, 2025
With social algorithms restricting the reach of business posts, in order to guide brands towards paid ad options, employee advocacy has become a bigger consideration, using the personality and social media skills of your own staff to help promote your brand efforts.
Facebook Simplifies Page Creation Process – October 26, 2025
Facebook’s rolling out a new way to simplify the process of building a business presence in the app, by giving users a clear delineation between ‘Company’ and ‘Creator’ profiles within the Page creation process.
Instagram Adds Watch History for Reels – October 26, 2025
Oh wow, Meta has implemented another “new” element, this time inspired by TikTok once again. Late last week, Instagram chief Adam Mosseri announced that Instagram is now getting a “Watch History” feature, which will make it easier to find any video that you’ve watched in the app.
Instagram’s Updated UI Is Coming — Whether You Like It or Not – October 19, 2025
More people are being given the option to switch to Instagram’s new UI, which sees Reels and DMs moved into the second and third tab spots along the bottom navigation control, and enables you to swipe between them, simplifying access to the most-used elements of the app.
YouTube Shares New Report on the Growth of In-App Shopping – October 19, 2025
YouTube has published its latest “Culture and Trends” report, which this time around looks at shopping in the app, and how the platform is becoming a bigger hub for both product discovery and purchase, with a particular focus on creator-originated products.
Google Shares Data on Digital Literacy and AI Use Among Teens – October 16, 2025
Amid various debates about the dangers of internet access for teens, and controls that can be implemented to protect young users, Google has published a new report which looks at how European teenagers are using the latest technology, and the relative risks and educational opportunities based on the same.
Meta Expands Ad Verification Partnerships To Threads Placements – October 16, 2025
With Threads ads now available to all Meta partners, it’s also expanding its ad certification partnerships, which will provide more assurance on ad placement and performance in the Threads environment. Meta has announced that it’s expanding third-party verification to Threads feed through Integral Ad Science, DoubleVerify, and Scope3, with Zefr support also coming soon, providing a range of expanded options to verify your Threads ads results.
YouTube Rolls Out UI Updates, Threaded Comments, Audio Replies and More – October 14, 2025
YouTube has announced a raft of new updates, including a UI refresh, expanded voice replies, expanded access to courses, an update on fixable violations, and more.
YouTube Provides AI-Powered Data on Content Impact – October 9, 2025
YouTube is looking to help brands better understand the broader impact of their YouTube content, with the development of a new “Brand Pulse Report,” which will provide an AI-powered summary of your expanded YouTube performance, mention and impact data.
Instagram Tests Reels Algorithm Control Options – October 8, 2025
Instagram’s making a new push to get people to manually guide the Reels content that they see in the app, with a new algorithm overview that will highlight the topics that it thinks you want to see, which you’ll be able to easily edit by adding or removing topic groups.
Facebook Adds Topic Search Recommendations and Friend Likes To Reels – October 7, 2025
Facebook has announced some new updates to boost Reels engagement, including indicators on posts that your friends have liked, and algorithm improvements, designed to surface newer videos faster.
TikTok Ups Subscription Revenue Share for US Creators – October 5, 2025
With it looking more and more like TikTok will be allowed to remain in operation in the U.S., the platform is now making a renewed push to win over American and Canadian creators, and re-affirm its position as a valuable, viable opportunity to build a monetizable community.
TikTok Adds Assistance for Shopping Ads in Partner Program – October 5, 2025
TikTok has added a new “Shop Ads” category to its approved Marketing Partners line-up, which is a directory of third-party providers that can assist with all aspects of your TikTok marketing process.
Instagram Tests Opening To Reels as the Main Feed – October 2, 2025
Instagram has confirmed that it’s testing a new approach to its UI, with users in India now able to open the app direct to the Reels feed, as opposed to the traditional feed post display.
Top Social Media Conferences To Watch Out for in 2026 – October 1, 2025
Social media professionals continue to face an evolving landscape. Between the proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI), social media bans and platform fragmentation, it can be hard to stay current. Conferences provide industry professionals with the opportunity to grow their skills while staying up-to-date on social media trends.
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