Platforms turn video into a shopping medium
Digital platforms are investing heavily in video monetisation and creator tools. Video is becoming a direct sales channel, with creators as its commercial infrastructure, and attention is being monetised systematically.
Content on YouTube lasts longer and delivers results
An analysis of more than 10,000 YouTube creator collaborations shows brands treating the platform as a standalone media channel. Results build up over months, not days, much like owned media.
Strategy? Build a community
Algorithms change overnight, reach drops without warning and advertising keeps getting more expensive. The answer that keeps coming from many directions is the same: community.
How AI is changing creators' work and income
Within a few years AI has become a fixed part of the creative process. It is not a replacement for creativity, but infrastructure that changes how content is made, distributed and monetised.
Golden Globes 2026: tradition meets change
This year's Golden Globes tried again to act as a reference point for film and television after years of turmoil. They also signalled a broader view of entertainment, with podcasts recognised for the first time.
Unilever sparks a creator gold rush
Unilever plans to work with about twenty times as many influencers and to move half of its media budget to digital and social channels. Other brands are following, and creator rates are rising.
Creator economy 2026: it is about the system
Growth and professionalisation will define the creator economy in 2026. Budgets are moving to long-term partnerships, paid distribution and cross-platform content, with generative AI and in-house know-how becoming central.
Creator marketing has grown up
Creator marketing has moved from a nice addition to a tightly measured performance channel that receives million-dollar budgets. A CreatorIQ survey of 1,723 brands, agencies and creators shows that return on investment now drives decisions.
Fandoms are churning out unsettling AI content
AI-generated images, deepfakes, fake voice covers and celebrity chatbots have become a normal part of fandom. Fans gain a sense of control over their idols, but the content is about attention, reach and money, and it can cross the line.
MrBeast is building a global creator marketplace
MrBeast, real name James Stephen Donaldson, is planning a global marketplace to connect creators with large American corporations. Beast Industries CEO Jeffrey Housenbold confirmed the two-sided platform at the New York Times DealBook Summit.
Creators are changing the rules, and brands are learning to use it
The creator economy is no longer a marginal part of digital marketing. What once looked like a playground for influencers has become the infrastructure on which brands build trust, loyalty and growth.
IEA 2025: LEGO wins the Grand Prix
The Internet Effectiveness Awards 2025 showed that Czech digital is no longer built on the wow effect but on what actually works. Digital Vision Czech Republic won the Grand Prix for a LEGO advert that replaced physical products with 3D and VFX.