Brand activations and creator content at Coachella 2026 generated more than $1.7 billion in earned media value (EMV), a 69% increase from the prior year, according to new data from influencer intelligence platform WeArisma. The firm tracked social activity across the festival from April 8 to April 21, capturing nearly 30,000 pieces of content and 3.3 billion total engagements.
Top Brand Performers
Rhode led all brand activations with $13.4 million in EMV from 484 pieces of content and more than 21.4 million engagements. The performance centered on the convergence of Justin Bieber’s headline performance and Hailey Bieber’s “Rhode World” pop-up. Content tied to the #Bieberchella hashtag (179 posts in total) generated $6.8 million in EMV, while 114 posts referencing Rhode World contributed an additional $5.6 million. Press coverage from outlets including Vogue, People magazine, Refinery29, and ET Online accounted for 54% of the brand’s total EMV.
Neutrogena ranked second with $3.5 million in EMV, with 98.8% of that figure attributed to creator-driven content. The brand’s sunscreen distribution model and airport sampling strategy facilitated organic product integration across creator posts.
Heineken generated $3.1 million in EMV from just 33 pieces of content, producing one of the highest EMV-per-post ratios among tracked brands. Its “Clink” beer can activation and Heineken House experience anchored the campaign.
GAP produced $2.3 million in EMV through artist partnerships. A custom “CAP” hoodie created for rapper Central Cee generated $424,000 in EMV and global fashion press coverage, while a collaboration with K-pop group KATSEYE and Complex drove $1.32 million in EMV through a single editorial carousel.
Aperol rounded out the top five at $2.1 million in EMV, with 95% of that figure earned organically. A surprise activation featuring Joe Jonas behind the Aperol Day Club bar generated press and social amplification across Facebook-driven editorial distribution.
Creator Rankings
Sabrina Carpenter led all creators and artists tracked by WeArisma with $20 million in EMV. Two posts recapping her Coachella performances alone generated $15.7 million of that total, according to the research.
Paris Hilton followed with $19.3 million in EMV across 39 pieces of content. A single post featuring a cowgirl Barbie look tied to her Parivie Beauty brand generated $1.1 million.
Charli D’Amelio ranked third at $18.1 million in EMV. A TikTok featuring Coachella throwback content generated 14.5 million engagements and $4.6 million in EMV, with a separate transformation post contributing $4.5 million.
Avani Gregg generated $15.7 million in EMV across 27 posts, with her “Bieberchella” TikTok alone producing $1.2 million. Luisa Sonza, who also performed at the festival, generated $15.2 million in EMV across 32 posts.
Platform Distribution
Instagram produced the largest content volume, with 5,881 creators generating 17,920 posts and $682 million in media value. Its engagement rate stood at 1.10%.
TikTok delivered 2.9 billion engagements at a 19% engagement rate, despite accounting for fewer than a third of tracked creator profiles and less than half the content volume of Instagram.
YouTube contributed $69.7 million in media value across 439 profiles, posting a 13.76% engagement rate.
“TikTok’s 19% engagement rate against Instagram’s 1.10% is not a marginal difference,” said Jenny Tsai, CEO and founder of WeArisma. “It signals a fundamental shift in where audiences are choosing to engage with cultural moments, and brands that have not yet adjusted their creator strategy accordingly should treat that as urgent.”
Tsai attributed Rhode’s performance to strategic timing rather than budget scale. “The brands generating the most value were not the ones with the biggest budgets or the most content,” she said. “They were the ones that understood where culture was already moving and found a credible way in.”
Image source: WeArisma Follow this link for more information
Nii A. Ahene is the founder and managing director of Net Influencer, a website dedicated to offering insights into the influencer marketing industry. Together with its newsletter, Influencer Weekly, Net Influencer provides news, commentary, and analysis of the events shaping the creator and influencer marketing space. Through interviews with startups, influencers, brands, and platforms, Nii and his team explore how influencer marketing is being effectively used to benefit businesses and personal brands alike.
Brand activations and creator content at Coachella 2026 generated more than $1.7 billion in earned media value (EMV), a 69% increase from the prior year, according to new data from influencer intelligence platform WeArisma. The firm tracked social activity across the festival from April 8 to April 21, capturing nearly 30,000 pieces of content and 3.3 billion total engagements.
Top Brand Performers
Rhode led all brand activations with $13.4 million in EMV from 484 pieces of content and more than 21.4 million engagements. The performance centered on the convergence of Justin Bieber’s headline performance and Hailey Bieber’s “Rhode World” pop-up. Content tied to the #Bieberchella hashtag (179 posts in total) generated $6.8 million in EMV, while 114 posts referencing Rhode World contributed an additional $5.6 million. Press coverage from outlets including Vogue, People magazine, Refinery29, and ET Online accounted for 54% of the brand’s total EMV.
Neutrogena ranked second with $3.5 million in EMV, with 98.8% of that figure attributed to creator-driven content. The brand’s sunscreen distribution model and airport sampling strategy facilitated organic product integration across creator posts.
Heineken generated $3.1 million in EMV from just 33 pieces of content, producing one of the highest EMV-per-post ratios among tracked brands. Its “Clink” beer can activation and Heineken House experience anchored the campaign.
GAP produced $2.3 million in EMV through artist partnerships. A custom “CAP” hoodie created for rapper Central Cee generated $424,000 in EMV and global fashion press coverage, while a collaboration with K-pop group KATSEYE and Complex drove $1.32 million in EMV through a single editorial carousel.
Aperol rounded out the top five at $2.1 million in EMV, with 95% of that figure earned organically. A surprise activation featuring Joe Jonas behind the Aperol Day Club bar generated press and social amplification across Facebook-driven editorial distribution.
Creator Rankings
Sabrina Carpenter led all creators and artists tracked by WeArisma with $20 million in EMV. Two posts recapping her Coachella performances alone generated $15.7 million of that total, according to the research.
Paris Hilton followed with $19.3 million in EMV across 39 pieces of content. A single post featuring a cowgirl Barbie look tied to her Parivie Beauty brand generated $1.1 million.
Charli D’Amelio ranked third at $18.1 million in EMV. A TikTok featuring Coachella throwback content generated 14.5 million engagements and $4.6 million in EMV, with a separate transformation post contributing $4.5 million.
Avani Gregg generated $15.7 million in EMV across 27 posts, with her “Bieberchella” TikTok alone producing $1.2 million. Luisa Sonza, who also performed at the festival, generated $15.2 million in EMV across 32 posts.
Platform Distribution
Instagram produced the largest content volume, with 5,881 creators generating 17,920 posts and $682 million in media value. Its engagement rate stood at 1.10%.
TikTok delivered 2.9 billion engagements at a 19% engagement rate, despite accounting for fewer than a third of tracked creator profiles and less than half the content volume of Instagram.
YouTube contributed $69.7 million in media value across 439 profiles, posting a 13.76% engagement rate.
“TikTok’s 19% engagement rate against Instagram’s 1.10% is not a marginal difference,” said Jenny Tsai, CEO and founder of WeArisma. “It signals a fundamental shift in where audiences are choosing to engage with cultural moments, and brands that have not yet adjusted their creator strategy accordingly should treat that as urgent.”
Tsai attributed Rhode’s performance to strategic timing rather than budget scale. “The brands generating the most value were not the ones with the biggest budgets or the most content,” she said. “They were the ones that understood where culture was already moving and found a credible way in.”
Image source: WeArisma
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