Latest news with #influencerMarketing
Forbes
10-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
How Black Women Influencers Dominated A $24B Market At Essence Fest
SOC18TY influencers at Essence Fest-related event. Black women have been major stakeholders in the $24 billion global influencer marketing industry, and this past weekend at Essence Fest, that was on full display. From micro-influencers to creators boasting six-figure audiences, there were creators from a variety of niches ready to network and expand their reach. Their goals were to build visibility, land new deals and signal influence among an audience that spans both social and corporate systems. There's data to back this up. According to McKinsey & Company, Black women over-index on fashion spending, and they are also more likely to follow and trust influencers who look like them. This makes Black women not only influential consumers but also powerful cultural intermediaries. Essence Fest has continued to position itself as a forum for Black-owned brands to tap into their brand equity. This year, influencers understood that and monetized it. The festival's unofficial dress code this year leaned into three dominant themes: maximalism, nostalgic Black girl luxury and independent designers. The looks ranged from butterfly-themed two-pieces, feathered tops and silk sets to braided buns with hair jewelry and statement sunglasses, all visually optimized for content. For Crystal Obasanya, a Dallas-based lifestyle influencer, the event this year was about honoring both personal evolution and cultural heritage. Crystal Obasanya poses in front of The Hilton hotel in New Orleans, LA. 'This year, I approached fashion at Essence with a balance of self-expression, culture, and comfort, especially as I'm expecting. I wanted my looks to reflect this season of life while still honoring the legacy of Black fashion,' Obasanya said. 'A few of my outfits were inspired by Black dandyism and the excellence that has always been at the heart of Black style.' For Obasanya, fashion is also a portal for visual storytelling. 'Fashion plays a big role in my brand because it helps tell my story visually, both personally and professionally. It also creates natural opportunities for partnerships with brands and designers who align with my approach to style, whether that's through celebrating culture, embracing bold fashion, or offering comfort-forward pieces that still feel elevated.' That logic has driven a growing number of creators and stylists to treat Essence like Fashion Week. Some even arrive with their own photographers and glam squads. The result is a style economy that mirrors—and arguably rivals—the energy of Coachella or NYFW, but with a distinctly Black woman lens. This matters because, in an attention economy, aesthetics drive reach, and reach drives revenue. A group of content creators pose for a photo at an event in New Orleans, LA during Essence Fest ... More weekend. TikTok trends and the fast-paced digital zeitgeist make visibility a form of social currency, and fashion has become a major part of that movement. Black women are among the savviest players in the space, actively wearing the trends, setting them and tagging brands for marketing leverage. The most effective partnerships are those that come from creators who bring brands into their narratives. A GRWM reel in a hotel room. A sponsored dinner look tagged in the French Quarter. A Day 3 recap showing outfit changes and sponsor placements. These touchpoints matter more than traditional ads. Events like Society18's private social hour, which was organized specifically for Black and brown creators, created a space for networking, particularly in light of the changing creator economy. Founded in 2019 by Pamela Zapata, Society18 is a woman- and minority-owned agency that represents multicultural and multiethnic creators. The agency's primary goal is to empower Black and Brown influencers to approach brand deals with an emphasis on ownership, strategy and long-term value. This focus on both business and identity is what makes Essence Fest such a unique platform for creators. Influencer Takia Nelson poses for a photo. Essence Fest's host city is more than just a location. New Orleans, with its history, energy and architecture, has become a dynamic set for the continuity of the influencer ecosystem. Street photoshoots in front of Creole homes, rooftop reels with skyline views and daytime content inside art installations all served as the perfect backdrop for influencers looking for vivid, candid moments and the kind of high-impact visuals that drive engagement and brand alignment. For decades, several fashion brands have been late to recognize Black women as core tastemakers and strategic partners. The shift toward recognizing Black women as tastemakers wasn't organic but rather influenced by 2020's racial shift, which forced corporate processes to evolve. Companies established supplier diversity programs and began tracking racial representation across their organizations, with many committing to increasing Black representation by 20% over three years. Although DE&I has experienced significant pushback ever since, the ripple effect from 2020's reckonings is still present, especially at Essence Fest. This year's event saw activations from legacy and indie brands alike—Hanifa, Telfar, SheaMoisture, Mielle, and even Amazon's Style vertical—all eager to connect with creators who could authentically represent their products in-market. But the most valuable were in the comments and story views of the creators themselves. When micro-influencers posted their festival fits, shared beauty routines, or styled an emerging designer, they were testing ROI and engaging in brand visibility. And the smartest brands will build their Q3-Q4 plans accordingly. Influencer marketing is not slowing down anytime soon. In fact, brands are expected to spend $9.29 billion on influencer-related campaigns in 2025—a 14.2% increase from the $8.14 billion invested in 2024, according to Shopify. For Black and brown creators, especially those operating in culturally resonant spaces like Essence Fest, this signals not just opportunity, but leverage. As companies seek authenticity and reach, the value of creators who understand both cultural nuance and content strategy is rising. Essence Fest has long been seen as a cultural homecoming, and the creator economy is giving them an opportunity to set the pace, shape brand perception, and decide, on their terms, what influence looks like. As Obasanya put it: 'Black fashion at Essence Festival means showing up unapologetically, boldly, and joyfully. It means taking up space, celebrating your unique style, and having fun with what you wear. Whether it's vibrant colors, striking silhouettes or meaningful accessories, Black fashion at Essence is always a reflection of creativity, heritage and freedom.'
Forbes
16-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How The Creator Economy Is Reshaping Modern Marketing – And Why Brands Are Paying Attention
The creator economy has moved beyond niche marketing – it's now central to how brands build trust and grow. It's a $250 billion global force reshaping how brands build loyalty, drive engagement and grow their businesses. Once viewed as a playground for influencers, today's creator economy is at the center of serious business strategies — and it's only getting bigger. Goldman Sachs predicts it could nearly double to $480 billion by 2027, according to their 2023 Creator Economy report. Brands are adapting fast. Across industries, businesses are moving from traditional influencer partnerships to more structured, community-driven programs. They're not just sponsoring creators – they're building platforms to empower them. Lowe's Creator Network partner Chris Loves Julia Courtesy of Lowe's Social media has democratized content creation, and consumers increasingly trust the voices they follow online – especially millennials, Gen Z and even Gen Alpha, generations shaping the future of brand loyalty. According to a recent study from Sprout Social, 61% of consumers say they trust recommendations from creators more than they trust brand advertising. Creators bring authenticity, relatability and niche expertise — the ingredients brands need to build real connections in a crowded digital marketplace. Even for a home improvement brand like Lowe's, creators are valuable partners who help to build credibility and affinity. Statista reports there are now over 200 million creators globally, ranging from full-time digital entrepreneurs to part-time hobbyists. These creators aren't just marketing channels. They are community leaders, entrepreneurs and culture builders. The shift has been so significant that it even dominated conversations at CES this year, where a panel on the creator economy highlighted how creators are reshaping not only marketing, but commerce and culture at large. Brands today are rethinking what it means to partner with creators. In the past, traditional influencer marketing was transactional — one post, one campaign. But the new wave of partnerships is deeper and more collaborative. Companies now are building communities that help creators grow their brands, not just promote products. These programs offer tools like customizable storefronts, access to startup funding for business ventures, product samples, project sponsorship and long-term sponsorship opportunities — a far cry from the one-off campaigns of a few years ago. Lowe's Creator Network partner Chris Loves Julia Courtesy of Lowe's Retailers are taking note. Lowe's, for example, recently launched the first creator network in home improvement and DIY, designed to support creators at every stage of their journey. Their platform provides opportunities for creators to build real-world projects, inspire their audiences and grow sustainable businesses. Early partnerships include digital creators like MrBeast, DadSocial and Chris Loves Julia, signaling a move toward community-building rather than simple brand endorsements. These programs are not just marketing tactics, they're growth strategies. Empowering creators to build authentic relationships with their audiences leads to deeper loyalty and long-term trust – and the brands that they partner with will reap the benefits. As the creator economy matures, brands that succeed will be the ones that recognize creators as more than content producers. They are entrepreneurs, innovators and community builders. The most forward-thinking companies are blending commerce and culture, embracing a wide range of creators – from household names to niche leaders, who inspire real-world action, not just digital clicks. By investing in long-term partnerships, brands are positioning themselves not just as advertisers but as collaborators in creators' business growth. Social commerce is at the heart of this evolution, and it is expected to reach $2.9 trillion by 2026, according to Statista. Creators are leading the way, shaping how consumers discover, engage with and buy from brands. In this landscape, structured creator networks mutually benefit brands and creators. They build community and loyalty in ways traditional advertising cannot, while giving creators the tools and resources they need to turn passion into a sustainable business — a win-win. The creator economy isn't slowing down. If anything, it's becoming more essential to brand strategy. Companies that empower creators — offering real support, building trust and fostering community — will be the ones that build a lasting brand legacy. The future isn't just about reaching audiences and generating clicks. It's about building together every day to shape culture, commerce and community.
National Post
16-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Canada's creator economy is growing — here's how to level up your socials
This article was created by StackCommerce. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through our links on this page. Article content There's no doubt that Canada's creator economy is booming. Social commerce is expected to reach $8.47B USD in 2025, up an annual 11.7 percent. Article content Article content Meanwhile, Canada's influencer marketing sector surpassed $820M in 2022 and is projected to surge to $5.3B by 2030. With this growth comes opportunity — and competition. Standing out now means owning your brand online. Article content That's why tools like Pushbio Complete Creator Toolkit are a strategic investment into your online presence. It's a platform that centralizes all your links behind a custom link-in-bio page and enables users to host media, embed content from 20+ platforms, sell digital products with zero fees, offer services, collect leads, generate QR codes and even send branded invoices all from a single URL. Article content This toolkit also includes deep analytics: 180‑day breakdowns of clicks, referral sources and conversion data. You can embed retargeting pixels for Facebook, Google and TikTok, helping small creators achieve enterprise-level tracking. With direct access to 10,000+ brands and 30 percent recurring affiliate commissions, the platform helps creators turn followers into revenue. Article content Instead of juggling a dozen standalone apps, creators — especially micro-influencers and content professionals — can use Pushbio to professionally package their identity and monetize efficiently. At a one-time price equivalent to a few coffees a week, this lifetime toolkit is a foundational asset for anyone serious about scaling in Canada's rapidly evolving creator economy. Article content
Forbes
01-06-2025
- Business
- Forbes
How Brands Can Unlock The Creator Economy
Future of the creator economy. getty An estimated 150 million Americans watched Apollo 11 land on the Moon in 1969. Brands like Volkswagen, IBM, Sony, General Electric, General Motors and Panasonic capitalized on the spectacle through broadcast advertising. Many of the world's most recognized brands have been built on the back of TV advertising. Back then, attention was easy to buy if you had a hero campaign and a respectable media budget. Today, audience fragmentation makes it more challenging and more expensive to reach the same number of people. To unlock growth, marketing spend is shifting from traditional TV to influencer marketing. New WFA research shows that 54% of multinational brand marketers plan to boost influencer marketing spend in 2025. In a recent interview, Fernando Fernandez, the new Unilever CEO, highlighted the FMCG's ambition to build 'desirability at scale.' Unilever plans to spend half of its ad budget on social media and work with 20 times more influencers. Fernandez stated, 'Messages of brands coming from corporations are suspicious messages.' He added, 'Creating marketing activity systems in which others can speak for your brand at scale is very important.' The rationale is clear. People trust people more than they trust faceless corporations. However, if brands want to unlock the creator economy's value, they need to overcome three major challenges. Influencer Fatigue Becoming a TikToker or YouTuber is now officially the number one career aspiration for Gen Alpha. Since I first wrote about the creator economy, the market has doubled and is estimated to reach half a trillion dollars by 2027. As more money flows into the sector, the creator content space will become oversaturated and commodified. In summary, a higher proportion of creator content will be brand-sponsored. This is an inherent attribute of marketing. Where attention goes, money flows. However, most people don't follow their favorite creator to learn more about mustard, Marmite or mayonnaise. Unless managed carefully, people suffer from influencer fatigue as their feeds get inundated with inauthentic brand promotions. We are already seeing the rise of digital detox and the resurgence of real-life experiences amongst Gen-Z. Young people want to break free from social media and find human connections again. To avoid influencer fatigue, brands need to surrender control and give creators the creative freedom to communicate with their audience in their own unique way, instead of reading out a corporate message. Nonetheless, working with thousands of creators can dilute brand consistency and equity. Each creator will have a slightly different approach, messaging and audience. Brand managers can't control the narrative like in broadcast media. Therefore, making brands more susceptible to backlash. As seen with Poppi's vending machine controversy, Bud Light's boycott and Shein's influencer backlash after a factory tour. Brands should focus on relevant micro-communities with shared values, interests and passions. Creator-Owned Brands Brands are no longer competing with other brands for consumers. They are now in direct competition with a new generation of creators establishing and growing their own brands. Creators have a strong parasocial relationship with their audience, whereas brands must continuously pay to reach their desired audience. A recent survey shows that 88% of creators have already launched their own product. Moreover, 33% of Gen-Z have purchased a product from a creator-founded brand. Creators are not just distribution channels. They are brand builders. Though most creator-owned brands are small and medium-sized DTC operations, we are starting to see the emergence of global creator-owned brands. For example, Huda Beauty was ranked the number one beauty brand in Q1 2025, above NYX, Dior Beauty and Charlotte Tilbury. Hailey Bieber's skincare brand, Rhode, was recently acquired by E.L.F. Beauty for $1 billion. And Emma Chamberlain's coffee brand is projected to hit $33 billion in revenue this year. For brands, the relationship with creators has to expand beyond a transactional social post into a strategic partnership founded on shared values. Brands bring global scale and resources; creators have a highly engaged community. Building joint ventures and brand ambassador programs should be a top priority. Deinfluencing The deinfluencing hashtag has over a billion views across more than 75,000 posts on TikTok. Deinfluencing is when creators tell followers what not to buy and which brands to avoid. Young people are using social media to discourage needless consumption. The cost of living crisis, growing awareness of the climate emergency and micro-trend fatigue are motivating a growing number of creators to deter their friends and followers from buying more stuff. If the trend continues to gain momentum, it poses a serious risk to brand advertising and influencer-backed campaigns. Deinfluencers often offer hacks, DIY alternatives and better-quality options. The aim is to make people more conscious of their consumption habits. If people still need to buy, a deinfluencer usually signposts their audience to the most ethical and sustainable option. The movement will make creators more wary about the brands they collaborate with. For brand marketers, deinfluencing requires a shift to more honest communication, ethical products and circular business models. Otherwise, your brands and products will be at risk of being deinfluenced. Already, 64% of Gen-Z have decided not to spend with a brand as a direct result of engaging with deiinfluencer content. In the words of Jeff Bezos, founder of the world's biggest e-commerce company: 'Your brand is what other people say about you when you're not in the room.'
Globe and Mail
28-05-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
QYOU Media India Completes Sale of "Q" Broadcast Channel in India
QYOU Media Accelerates its Strategic Shift towards a Creator Economy and Social Media Marketing-Focused Business Model MUMBAI, India and TORONTO , May 28, 2025 /CNW/ - QYOU Media Inc., (TSXV: QYOU) (OTCQB: QYOUF), via its subsidiary corporation, QYOU Media India Pvt. Ltd., has announced the completion of the sale of its India free-to-air broadcast channel, "Q TV", to Oscar Media Pvt. Ltd. Oscar Media operates multiple channels across India in a variety of local languages. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The sale of the broadcast channel asset marks another step forward by QYOU Media, Inc., to execute on its previously announced go forward strategy focusing its resources and strategic efforts on high-growth segments within the global digital creator economy and social media marketing. These efforts will be carried out via the current business units in both North America and India , with the goal for future expansion. The company also continues to move ahead on the process to publicly list Chatterbox Technologies (Chtrbox), its India based influencer marketing and creator economy driven business, on the BSE (formerly known as the Bombay Stock Exchange). This will create the first publicly listed social media and influencer marketing business in India and will be led by Raj Mishra, former Country Manager of TikTok India. QYOU Media CEO and Co-Founder Curt Marvis commented, "Parting ways with the television business that helped launch us in India is bittersweet, but this transition empowers us to concentrate fully on the future—driven by the explosive growth in social media , AI and Creator-led marketing. We believe this pivot will unlock greater long-term value for our shareholders. The television business has been marked by huge upheaval globally and it was simply time for us to move decisively into the areas of our business where we see the strongest positive growth opportunities for many years to come. We wish Oscar Media the best of luck with the channel and we thank all the people who helped build it with us along the way." About QYOU Media Among the fastest growing creator driven media companies, QYOU Media operates in India and the United States through its subsidiaries, producing, distributing and monetizing content created by social media influencers and digital content stars. Our influencer marketing business in India , Chtrbox, is an influencer and marketing platform and agency, connecting brands/products and social media influencers. In the United States , we power major film studios, game publishers and brands to create content and market via creators and influencers. Founded and managed by industry veterans from Lionsgate, MTV, Disney, Sony and TikTok. QYOU Media's millennial and Gen Z-focused content has reached more than one billion consumers. Experience our work at and Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
