Podcast Summary: The Big Creator Breakout in 2026 | Behind the Numbers Special Edition

Podcast: Behind the Numbers: an EMARKETER Podcast
Host: Marcus Johnson (Introducer), Max Willens (Principal Analyst & Key Speaker)
Episode Release: March 5, 2026

Episode Overview

This special edition episode dives into the accelerating growth of the creator economy and its pivotal role in marketing strategies leading into 2026. Max Willens, Principal Analyst at eMarketer, unveils new forecasts and discusses how creators are reshaping not only media and entertainment but also retail, commerce, and advertising. The episode covers spending trends, changes in marketer approach, the impact of AI, and actionable strategies for brands looking to capitalize on creator partnerships.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Creator Economy’s Growth and Centrality

• Graduation to Mainstream: Creators are now a core plank in marketing strategies, no longer just a "shiny new object" for CMOs.
  • “It would be safe to say that creators have really graduated from being a bright shiny object… to really becoming a critical plank in most marketing strategies today.” (04:15–04:31)
• Explosive Spending:
  • Forecast: At least $21B will go to US-based creators in 2026, nearly doubling from 2022 and rising to over $26B by 2028.
    • “[We’re] looking at a pile of money that nearly doubled between the years of 2022 and 2025.” (06:09)
  • Creator spending is quickly closing the gap with traditional web publisher revenues—down from a 44% difference in 2022 to an expected 23% by 2027 (08:20).

2. Creator Marketing: Where and Why Brands are Investing

• Must-Have Channel: Nearly half of marketers now see creators as essential investments (11:40).
  • “One out of every two marketers thinks that creators are a must-have investment.” (11:43)
• Key Drivers:
  • Consumer Discovery: Gen Z and Millennials mainly discover products through creators on social (13:55).
  • Creators’ Versatility: Content is easily repurposed across TV, OTT, print, and more—not just digital (16:00–17:55).
  • AI & Visibility: AI engines often cite creator-driven platforms, making creator content even more visible and influential (18:40).

3. Industry Integration & Innovation

• Retail and Entertainment Merge: Partnerships abound across retail (e.g., PacSun, Nordstrom) and entertainment (e.g., Fox, Regal) with creators central to new models like micro-drama sponsorships (19:50).
  • “Native or Maybelline committing to sponsoring micro-drama series starring creators that… put their products at their heart. That's real kind of next generation thinking.” (21:43)
• Repurposing Explosion: 98% of brands re-use creator content, often in ways transcending the original platform (16:42).

4. Budget Shifts & Scaling Complexity

• Brands are re-directing budgets from direct mail, print, broadcast, and even martech to invest more in creators (22:45).
  • “Big chunks… are pulling money out of pretty dependable workhorse channels… direct mail, print or broadcast advertising.” (22:55)
• Scaling means more brands now manage vast numbers of smaller creators, which complicates logistics and relationship management (24:08).

5. The Nano and Micro Influencer Surge

• Shift in Focus: Half of 2026 influencer spend will target nano and micro creators (a few thousand followers, not millions).
  • “Effectively half of the money in 2026 is going to go to nano and micro influencers.” (26:47)
• Strategic Rationale: Brands prioritize fit, affinity, and community engagement over reach.
  • “The lowest share of the respondents went with follower count… a plurality… selected creator suitability.” (25:54)

6. Measuring ROI and Facing New Challenges

• Performance Decline: Despite more creators and broader reach, YOY performance is dropping: brands sometimes must spend more just to keep pace (29:44).
  • “A lot of brands' creator content just didn't deliver the same impact and performance that it did last year.” (29:49)
• Spend Shift: Paid amplification of influencer content will soon outpace the money spent to make the content itself (32:12).
• Multi-Funnel Goals: Brands now use creators across the funnel—from awareness and engagement to conversion and foot traffic (35:18).
• ROI Measurement Trouble: Multiple challenges; no single pain point, but many brands struggle to prove ROI (34:25).

7. The Impact and Limits of AI

• Most marketers (75%) use AI in creator marketing for ideation, briefs, analytics, and light repurposing (38:02).
• Danger of Over-Automation: 69% are at least somewhat in favor of fully automated AI-driven influencer marketing—but this is risky.
  • “This, to me, is a very worrisome trend that should be watched really, really closely.” (40:54)
• Consumer Suspicion: AI is viewed warily by the public—only 41% think benefits outweigh job loss, with 55% fearing more inequality (42:20).
• Preference for Authenticity: Early curiosity in AI-generated creator content is declining fast—consumers prefer traditional creator content (44:11).

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On creator economy scale:
  • “We’re talking about at least $21 billion going into the pockets of US-based creators in 2026.” (06:16)
• On content repurposing:
  • “98% of the respondents said yes, they repurposed the content that they get from creator marketing.” (16:44)
• On nano/micro influencer surge:
  • “These are people that might only have a couple thousand followers to their name… not people that have 10 million followers.” (27:08)
• On AI skepticism:
  • “Brands… need to remain really, really aware of how the public perceives AI in this current moment.” (41:45)
• On AI-generated content:
  • “Any kind of early emergent curiosity or interest in the idea of creator content made by AI has deteriorated pretty substantially.” (44:29)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:15] Creators become core to marketing strategies
• [06:16] US creator spend projections for 2026 and 2028
• [11:43] Marketers rank creators as a “must-have” channel
• [13:55] Consumers (especially Gen Z and Millennials) most often discover products via creators
• [16:44] 98% of brands repurpose creator content; diverse uses outlined
• [18:40] AI’s reliance on creator-driven platforms
• [21:43] Brands sponsoring creator-driven micro-dramas
• [22:55] Where brands are shifting budgets away from to fuel creator spend
• [24:08] Brands face challenge of managing more (smaller) creators
• [25:54] Marketers focus less on follower count, more on fit and alignment
• [26:47] Half of all influencer dollars now go to nano/micro-tier
• [29:49] Declining year-over-year performance, even as reach expands
• [32:12] Ad amplification spend overtaking creation spend
• [34:25] Multiple, not single, challenges in ROI measurement
• [35:18] Creators activated across the whole funnel
• [38:02] 75% of influencer marketers now use AI
• [40:54] 69% favor some AI automation, but this is risky
• [41:45] Public skepticism about AI in marketing
• [44:29] Declining consumer appetite for AI-generated creator content

Actionable Recommendations (52:30)

• Establish Robust Analytics
  Build infrastructure for tracking, optimizing, and scaling creator activations aligned to clear brand goals.
• Scale Relationship Management
  As brands work with more nano-/micro-creators, streamline onboarding and compliance processes.
• Invest in Real Relationships
  Avoid treating creators as only “programmatic” channels—seek deep, long-term, multi-faceted partnerships.
• Break Out of Social Feeds
  Repurpose creator content across multiple channels (TV, print, in-person), and design ambitious collaborations that span digital and physical realms.

Episode Wrap-Up

Max Willens leaves listeners with a nuanced but optimistic vision: while the creator economy is bigger and more complex than ever, success in 2026 and beyond will hinge on smart analytics, strong relationships, cross-channel creativity, and careful integration of AI. Marketers are urged to treat creators as strategic partners, not cogs in an automated system.

Ideal for: Marketers, advertisers, agencies, and anyone seeking a comprehensive look at the next wave of the creator economy and how to future-proof their strategy.